Page 41

“Okay. I hate to ask this. You’re like a brother to me, but you’re not hanging out with Ro for reasons other than the roller derby, right?”

I blinked at him. That wasexactlywhat I’d been doing. I had no plans to act on my feelings, but that didn’t change the fact that I’d kiss her again in a heartbeat. “I’m just helping her out. It’s nice to see her again, that’s all.” That much was true, but damn, the words tasted bitter in my mouth.

“Good. I don’t want her to get the wrong idea. I’ve seen the way she looks at you.”

My head snapped up. Ro looked at me?

“She’s always been sweet on you.”

A rage of heat torched my face. Had she? Was she? I had no words.

“And you’re leaving town soon, Brody. I don’t want her to get hurt.”

I didn’t need reminding. As the decision on my leg loomed closer, so did my inevitable departure from Ro. “Coop. I’m all about getting back on the ice, not your sister.”

His face cleared, and the crease between his brows dropped. “How is the leg? Any news?”

I shook my head. “I met with Alex Marshall.”

Coop pulled up, drawing a pattern on the old wooden table with his thumb. “You still tapping that?”

I rolled my eyes. If Alex heard his words, she’d likely punch him. “C’mon man, that’s not a nice way to speak. We’re friends. We help each other out.”

“So, why’d you meet?”

“Alex has an inside track sometimes. She heard on the grapevine that the top brass in Denver had already made a decision about my contract.”

Coop let out a low whistle. “And nobody told you?”

My heart sunk in my chest. “She could be wrong. It may just be a rumor, but it doesn’t look good, does it?”

He tipped his head to one side, his intense brown eyes studying me. They were the same as Ro’s.

”Unless they’re not telling you because thereisno drama. They’ll keep you on, and you can get back on the ice. Maybe they’re considering loaning you to the AHL until you get your fitness back.”

I sat back in the booth. Coop had a point. If I was in Denver, I’d be more involved. In the loop. But the thought of going back right now made my gut churn. I’d made a promise to Ro. No. I’d see the derby trial through with her, then I’d head back to the city. Find out what the hell was going on.

A giggle rang out as I tipped back the last of my beer. The two women from the bar approached. Coop’s face brightened the second he saw them. The brunette trailed a hand along his shoulders and leaned against the booth.

“So, do you want to have a drink? We’re free tomorrow night.” She nudged her friend, who offered me a sweet smile.

“Sounds perfect.” Coop turned to me and raised his brows. He widened his eyes like a pleading puppy when I didn't answer.

“Tomorrow night? No. I mean, I can’t. Not tomorrow.” My words were almost a mumble.

“Why not, man?”

Ro left me a note on the fridge this morning. It gave an address, a time, and instructions on where to bring the yarn and hooks she’d left me last week. If I admitted to Coop that I was going to Ro’s knitting club, he’d never let me forget it. I had some sort of reputation to maintain.

“I have a call I need to take. It’s not something I can get out of.” My conscience pricked. Since when had lying become so easy?

“How about Friday?” asked the brunette. I’d give her top marks for persistence. “The bar hired a mechanical bull. A fundraiser to buy some new scenery for the nativity play. Winston went on a rampage last year and ate the door to the stable, half the manger, and the shepherd’s crooks. The town council took it as a sign to upgrade Bethlehem.”

I had to chuckle. That little goat was quite a character. A mechanical bull contest could be fun, though. Not that I could ride with my leg, but watching people think they could hold on to a bucking robot always made me smile. I looked over at Coop. He still had puppy eyes, and I caved like a tower of sand in high tide. I could be his wingman one last time as long as the action didn’t involve me.

14

BRODY