Page 26 of Playing for Keeps (Seattle Hawks Ice Hockey #4)
“Mads!” Em elbows her and we all fall about laughing.
“Nope. Jay is just a friend,” I assure them. “I’ve known him since he was seventeen.”
“Even better.” Mads shrugs. “You knew him before he was famous, that’s a good thing. He speaks very highly of you.”
I blink in rapid succession as I stare at her across the table, her blue eyes twinkling in amusement. “He does?”
“Yup.” She pops the ‘p,’ and casts me a little wink. “We’ll make a hockey wife out of you yet, Jade. Beth is well on her way.”
We all laugh again, Beth can barely contain herself, and I do my best to wave that notion away about the Jay comment. I’m not even sure if I’m trying to convince them more than myself, it could go either way.
Jay has definitely made more than an impression in different ways than he did the last trip over here, and even though there’s been no groping on the dance floor, it’s been just as memorable.
I can’t say I didn’t enjoy our closeness at our dance lesson, or his warm hands on me, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow night a little too much.
“I guess a girl should never say never.” I smile at the women around the table as we all tuck into our food, wondering if that might become one of my daily mantras.
Here’s hoping.
Eve
Tell me again all the reasons you want to leave Seattle?
I’m laying on my bed going over some of the dance steps in my head, the way I would do with one of my yoga routines.
I need to be fresh for Friday. Jay and I are going to get together tomorrow and have a practice before we hit the studio again.
Hopefully, we will remember at least some of what we learned a few days ago.
Me
Ummm. Because I want to see my 2 best friends
Eve
Awww you’re so sweet
Me
I try my best
Eve
I thought you’d be having a little too much fun with Jay to be thinking about us
Yes, she knows all about our dirty dancing night on my first trip to Seattle. So does Leila, and they’ve been encouraging me ever since, even though I’ve not exactly admitted to having a few twinkling feelings for him.
Me
Not too much fun, just the right amount LOL
Eve
I think you’re nuts about him
Me
More like he makes me nuts, as in, driving me crazy
Eve
Can’t wait to hear all about it next week & I’m glad you’re having fun
Me
Can’t wait to catch up x
Eve
Me too x
Friday
The weekend is looming so fast, whenever I think about going back home to San Diego I feel a flutter in my stomach. It makes me nervous. Yes, it’s a nervous pang. And Jay is right, I don’t have anything to be nervous about with my folks and I’m probably just being a silly.
The truth is, I’ve saved money all my life, so I have enough to support myself while I embark on this new self-employed journey.
It isn’t like I’m broke and have to rush out and get a job.
I can always teach for different yoga studios and gyms as well if I need to, it pays well, and it still allows me to keep my own classes and my app running.
It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for so, so long.
I try not to focus too much on what is waiting for me back home, including getting my belongings back to San Diego, and just enjoy the last few days I have here.
The other pang in my stomach becomes more potent the more I’ve been thinking about Jay. We’ve had such a great time these past couple of weeks, and he’s gone out of his way to spend time with me and have some fun together.
I also can’t say it’s a bad thing when we have to be arm in arm and constantly touching each other during the dance lesson.
We had a quick practice yesterday over at his place when he was on the fly.
Thankfully, he’s marginally toned down the cha-cha-cha but throws one out every now and again.
And I secretly think Markus is quite taken with us.
Maybe because we’re both professionals in our fields of sport and fitness, and we’re willing to try new things.
And I want to learn. It’s the basis of everything.
“You two are going to have such fun at the wedding,” Markus coos at the end of our next lesson.
We worked up quite the sweat, and on a few occasions when Jay twirled me around and twirled me back into him and our bodies collided, I could feel the hard wall of muscle of his chest. The same situation arose on his abdominals when I had to steady myself here and there and my hand reached for him, grazing those chiseled abs.
My hand was saying a silent thank you, my lady parts seemed to be saying something else.
It was really hard to stay focused, but as always, Jay has plenty of jokes and jibes, mostly thrown in my direction, so I do a lot of laughing with him.
“I really hope so,” I say to Markus. “I think we should take you up on that offer to do a few Skype refreshers before the wedding.” I glance at Jay, he looks cute in his sweats, his hair a little messy and hanging over his eyes.
He looks up at me under long, thick lashes, his eyes are electric tonight and filled with excitement. “What do you think, JJ?”
The dimple appears on his cheek, brought on by that little side-smile he does so well. I think that’s where he earned the term babyface, which so many people refer to him as.
“I think it’s a great idea, should keep us in line before Tanner and Deb’s big day.”
“Fabulous, we’ll tee something up,” Markus says. “And look after each other. I have a feeling about you two.”
Jay and I both look at each other for a moment. My eyes slowly grow wide. Does Markus think we’re a couple? I’m pretty sure I explained we were friends when I filled in the application for the private tuition, but maybe not.
“Oh—we’re not…” Trailing off seems to only spark his curiosity as he looks at a chuckling Jay.
Markus is clearly having trouble with comprehending that. “You two never–?”
I see Jay shake his head in my periphery. “Nope.” He pops the ‘p’ in a very Jay Jefferson style. “But she sure is cute.”
I shove Jay in the shoulder, covering my embarrassment with a laugh.
“Well, I’m telling you, you have chemistry on the dance floor. It’s what everyone wants,” Markus says. “And what so many struggle to find.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and blink down to my shoes.
Markus thinks we have chemistry? I mean, we do, undoubtedly.
But someone else saying it somehow makes it feel very real.
I glance at Jay and he has a cute, soft smile on his face, not the cocky kind he’s been dishing out all night, but something else.
It’s as though he likes what Markus said, or he has a secret I’m not let in on.
I’m too coward to ask him, so I just smile back. It’s safer that way. So much safer.