Page 11 of Deking at Love
“Yeah, well, that’s different because it was Sam, and you never could resist him.Besides, you were only twenty.Big difference.You’re older now and so much wiser.”Jenna paused.“You are, aren’t you?Tell me Sam is a mistake you’ll never make again.And if you lose your mind and even remotely contemplate walking down that rose-petal-covered road of spiky things again, I’ll be there to slap some sense into you.You feel me?”
Angie barked a laugh.“Yes, I feel you.I can feel you all the way from Arizona.”
“Good.Glad we got that cleared up.”
They talked a bit longer, and then it was time to hang up.“I miss you, Jenn.And thanks for having my back.”
If only Jenna was in Colorado instead of Arizona and couldreallyhave her back.Angie had an uneasy feeling she was going to need it.
She opened her laptop and found video of Sam on the ice with the team, of him gliding effortlessly, of him shooting the puck and dancing around defensemen, of him laying a well-placed hip check on an opponent.His feet were fleet, a blur as they moved across the ice, his stick an extension of his arm, his ability to pivot on a dime absolutely breathtaking.
Thiswas what she loved about hockey and what she’d always loved about going to his games.She had gotten a thrill out of watching him play the game he lived for.This was what she needed to help him get back to.
For the next hour, she watched clip after clip of Sam, telling herself she was only doing it for research.Then she headed to the kitchen and pulled out her baking supplies.
Chapter 4
Ice Princess
Samcrutchedhiswaydown the hall toward the PT office, grumbling to himself about how much his new normal sucked.His mother’s voice inside his head told him to look on the bright side, but she was wrong this time.There was no bright side, unless one counted him managing to walk with a little more grace this time.The door was still fucking far from the elevator bank, and getting through it hadn’t gotten any easier since yesterday.As he hobbled into the physical therapy department’s reception area, the question of who’d planned this layout danced on the tip of his tongue.Had they consulted their ADA manuals to be sure they were compliant?Doubtful.He was intent on firing this query off at Attila the Bun, but she was nowhere in sight.Instead, he spied Angie beside a dark-haired guy who looked familiar, their profiles to him as they leaned against the counter by the bed where she’d examined Sam yesterday.Sam’s snarky question dried up in his throat.
Angie’s face was turned up, her eyes glued to the dude’s.Sam couldn’t read her expression from here, so he wasn’t sure if she was enjoying sharing her personal bubble or not.The guy was taller than Angie by half a head, so not as tall as Sam, but he was broad-shouldered and in good shape.He lifted his hand and rested it lightly at the small of her back.She moved away from the touch.
The dude darted a look over his shoulder, and when his eyes caught on Sam, he let his hand fall away from Angie’s back.Sam recognized him.Trevor, from the team’s training staff.Huh.Made sense the guy was down here, but nothing about his body language said it was a professional visit.
Angie’s shoulders jerked, and she whirled, her blue eyes widening when they landed on Sam.She sent a glare toward Trevor and motioned Sam over.Trevor shoved his hands in the front pockets of his joggers and strolled toward the door, giving Sam a curt nod as he passed by.Sam turned and watched him walk out the door.
“Was he bothering you?”he asked when he reached Angie’s table.
She shook her head, and her ponytail swished.“Nope,” she clipped.“How’s the ankle feeling this morning?”She got down to business, firing one question after another at him about his icing schedule, his pain level, how much he’d elevated, recording notes in her tablet without looking at him.Was that a hint of pink splashed across her cheeks?Maybe her encounter with Trevor had put it there.It was adorable—and so was the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.Some things about her had changed, but some had stayed the same.He’d never forgotten those freckles.Or the ones at the base of her neck, now hidden by the collar of her polo shirt.Or the ones that stretched across her shoulders like a delicate necklace.
She snapped her fingers.“Hello?Earth to Sam.”
“Uh, it’s all good.I iced just like you told me to.”
“Good boy,” she deadpanned.
She averted her gaze again, and no lie, her answer left him a little deflated.What had he expected, though?A sticker, like the ones he used to get at the dentist’s office when he was a kid?And come to think of it, seeing her was about as much fun as going to the dentist.
“Up on the table.Let’s have a look at what we’ve got today.”She took his crutches, and he lay back while she removed the boot and the wrap she’d put on yesterday.Her hands were cool, but her touch felt good against his skin.Without warning, she rolled up his sweats to his knee.The move was efficient, intimate, and infuriating at the same time.Why was that?
She gasped, and he raised his head in a panic.“What?”
“Oh, this is bad.”Shaking her head, she tsked.
Fear clawed at his insides.“Seriously?How is that even possible?”He stared down at the offending joint, but he couldn’t see it at this angle.He hoisted himself onto his elbows but still couldn’t see it because Angie’s hands were in the way.“Can I see?”
She shook her head again.
He bent his knee and slid his foot from her grasp.“Looks the same as it did yesterday.”
When he looked up, she had a wicked smile on her face.“April Fool’s!”She pointed at a wall calendar where today’s date was circled.April first.
Relief collided with anger inside him.It was nice to know a sense of humor existed under her icy veneer, but he didn’t appreciate that it was at his expense.“That’s downright mean!Is that how you treat all your patients?”
“Only the special ones.”
One corner of his mouth hitched.“Special, huh?”
