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“You’re going to shoot yourself in the foot if you say something like that all the time. People are going to take advantage of it.”
Jason sat back. “I don’t think so. I know when to use it. That offer isn’t given to just anyone.”
Elena frowned. “But you give it to a physical therapist you’ve never met. Why are you so invested in me, Mr. Munro?”
“Please, call me Jason.” Damn, that smile of his was enough to make Elena feel like she was housing butterflies in her stomach. “Calling me Mr. Munro sounds far too formal.”
“I’d prefer to keep it formal, though. It won’t be appropriate for the two of us to be talking to each other like we’re old friends.”
And it felt far too intimate as well. Normally, Elena would be fine to talk to an employer by their first name. She liked to be on good terms with everyone around her as much as she could, and she wanted it here. However, the thought of calling Jason by his first name…it didn’t feel right.
Jason raised his eyebrows. “You don’t need to be concerned about that. I don’t bite.”
Why did he have to say that? Elena bit back a groan and covered it by taking a sip of her soda. She was glad that she was sitting down, because she could hide the fact she was squeezing her thighs together in an attempt to stop the throbbing between her legs. God, what was wrong with her? She should not be reacting to how attractive he was. That was definitely far from appropriate.
“Actually, I was hoping you would come in tomorrow, anyway,” Jason went on as he picked up his water. “I want you to meet our quarterback, Liam Kavanagh.”
“Any reason why?”
“Because he’s injured, and we need him on the field.”
Now this was her territory. Elena could cope if she was focusing on her job.
“What happened to him?”
“He was training, and his knee buckled from under him. While an MRI revealed that he hadn’t done anything to his ACL and it was mostly just a sprain, the muscles around his knee are a little overstretched. He needs a lot of physical therapy before he can be cleared to go back, and the coach is worried that it could mean he’s out for most of the season.”
Elena let the words sink in.
“At least he won’t need surgery,” she said. “He wouldn’t have been able to avoid it if he had partially torn the ACL.”
“Can you partially tear a muscle?” Jason asked.
“The ACL is a ligament. And yes, you can.” Elena sat back. “Of course, as a professional athlete, he would still need surgery to strengthen it if he doesn’t look after it. A complete tear would mean surgery and he would be out for the whole season anyway. If it’s just a sprain, then we can work with that. The recovery time won’t be as long, but we shouldn’t get him back on the field too early, or it could end up being an ACL rupture.”
Jason winced. “That sounds more painful than a tear.”
“It depends on how badly it happens. Unfortunately, an ACL injury is often something that comes out of nowhere. Plus it’s painful as hell, and you do get freaked out at the thought of repeating the activity that caused it in case it happens again.”
“That sounds like personal experience.”
“Not me, thank God. My sister suffered from it just by stepping sideways. Partially tore the ligament; took her eighteen months to get back to her former strength.”
“Seriously?” Jason said.
“Yep. It wasn’t pleasant. Liam should consider himself lucky. However, he needs to get himself back to full fitness, or you won’t have your main quarterback.”
“That’s what Carl said as well,” Jason said quietly. “Do you think Liam will be able to get back by Christmas?”
Elena sighed. “I haven’t met him, have I? I can’t give you anything definitive until I’ve seen him. But either way, he’s got to be prepared to work hard with me.”
“Liam is apparently a hard worker anyway. You won’t get any complaints from him.”
“I should hope not. Because if he goes back before I say so, he’s going to get it worse from me.” Elena felt her cellphone buzzing with a text message and she reached into her pocket. “One second.”
She checked the message and groaned as a picture of a good-looking blond man on a beach popped up on her screen. Underneath it was a message.
Hey Elena. I’m Dale. Your mom gave me your number. I hope you don’t mind me messaging you like this.
