Page 21 of Tumbling Over the Tight End (Beaumont Legacy #3)

Chapter twenty-one

Keala

I t had been five days since Keala had allowed her judgment to crack at the club. She’d spent every free moment since actively avoiding Landon once again, reminding herself that the one-night stand hadn’t worked with him. She didn’t know if there had been too much pressure riding on it because it’d been her first attempt or if she’d been holding back because he was a Sentinels player. Either way, bad idea.

Considering his history, it seemed unlikely that a kiss would lead to more than a hookup.

And if it did, then what? In the past, she had been so desperate for love that she’d bent herself until she’d broken in two, cut pieces of herself off to fit whatever mold her partner wanted. In chasing her fairy tale, she had conformed to theirs, and she didn’t want that for herself again. Sure, things were different with Landon. She didn’t feel like she needed to be anyone special for him when they hung out around the apartment, but who was to say that wouldn’t change if they became more?

Avoiding him felt childish, especially when he’d left more containers of food in the fridge for her, but she worried her self- control was in dire need of work. The chances that she broke and kissed him were increasing by the day, especially as he proved more and more that he wasn’t the man she’d thought he was.

Her mind was a muddled mess, and the note tucked into her jewelry box from the food he had made after Halloween wasn’t helping.

Hope you didn’t have any Halloween/horror-induced nightmares last night (I have one nightly where you burn down the apartment). And thank you for including me in pumpkin carving. My family hasn’t ever done anything like that. Sorry it took me so long to say.

PS I like knowing that you owe me something ;)

Keala had decided right then and there, to the sound of her thudding heart, that the only thing her slipup meant was that it’d been a while since she’d been touched. She needed something even if, inevitably, she’d find herself unable to ask for what she wanted and the experience would end without an orgasm for her. As they usually did.

She could try again with someone different, someone who wasn’t on the Sentinels or her cousin’s best friend. Keala was removing the pressure from the situation.

Which was how she found herself rushing to change in her car and throwing on a light dusting of makeup in the parking lot of the bar and grill where she’d agreed to meet Adam. Adam, the thirty-year-old orthopedic surgeon specializing in feet, of all things, who she’d met at the club on Halloween.

Initially, she’d said no when he’d asked for her number. But Zoe had kept pushing her to do it, so she’d written it on his arm and then offered to get the group drinks so she didn’t have to keep talking to him.

He seemed nice enough, but what had pushed her to agree to his second text asking her out was Landon. She had to get whatever this was out of her brain. If she’d known he was a surgeon before she’d agreed, well, she never would have agreed. She would never willingly date a doctor. She already felt like she was lesser for not getting into medical school. She didn’t need them telling her to her face that her work wasn’t important.

Landon never made her feel lesser.

Stop it . Keala slammed the sun visor closed and forced herself out of the car. Keep thoughts away from Landon , she reminded herself. That was tonight’s mission.

When she saw Adam seated at a booth, she pointed him out to the hostess and sat in front of him. His brown hair was short, clean, and styled. His features weren’t as strong as…

Damn it. He’s handsome , she reassured herself. Based on their brief conversation, she thought Adam was looking for someone who was very positive with a lot of energy and had an interest in golf. Or rather, in learning more about him playing golf.

“Hi,” she said brightly, hoping to radiate the vibes of the woman he was no doubt searching for.

“Hey.” He smiled, and she was slightly dispirited to see there was no dimple.

“Sorry I’m late. Work.” She grimaced but hoped bringing up her job would make for an easy icebreaker.

“No worries at all. You’re a nurse, right?”

“Nurse practitioner.” She hated to correct him, so she moved on quickly. “How was work for you today?”

“That’s cute.”

Keala stifled a sigh, already knowing how her night would be ending.

“Don’t get me wrong, being a nurse who thinks they’re a doctor is admirable and all, but…come on.”

There it is .

“I’m literally the person people come to when their feet are in any sort of crisis. I’m talking about structural integrity , you know? Bones, tendons, ligaments. You get it. The foundation of the human body. How can you fix someone’s health without addressing the foundation, right?”

Something sharp prodded at her temper, but she kept a smile plastered on her face. “Right,” she gritted out, nodding. She couldn’t believe she was missing her group’s casual practice today for a date with the pushy guy from the club—something Zoe had been very excited to hear. After she’d asked many probing questions about her relationship with Landon. Which Keala had shut down immediately. There was no relationship, so she hadn’t technically lied to her.

Keala tuned Adam out as he continued talking about himself, trying so hard not to think about Landon. She could picture him now, making fun of her for sitting in front of this arrogant man.

Really? Him? he would ask jokingly. You think this guy can give you what you want? I bet he doesn’t have a single sexual apron. What an asshole. Do you seriously want someone like that in your life?

Keala grabbed her water, taking a long sip of it as she nodded along with Adam. Her salad showed up as he talked about plantar fasciitis, and she focused on cutting her lettuce into little pieces so she could be the perfect lady.

She didn’t know why she was trying with this guy. It wasn’t like she would see him again after this. The part of her that wanted everyone to like her, to need her, told her to shut up and keep cutting.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure you’re helping people. But I’ve worked with a lot of nurse practitioners and I’ve never seen one who gets the nuance of genuinely complicated musculoskeletal conditions. I assume when you deal with basic symptoms and assessments, it’s easy to feel like you’re diagnosing a ton of stuff, right? I don’t know.”

Keala took a big swig of water. “I’m in the emergency department and handle more than basic symptoms and assessments, but I see what you’re saying.”

She didn’t. Not at all. But that was the safe response that balanced both the voices warring inside her.

“So what do you do outside of nursing?” he asked.

Keala angled her head so he didn’t see her eye twitch. “I’m a San Jose Sentinels Siren. A cheerleader for the pro team,” she added in case he didn’t know who the Sirens were. His face scrunched, dismissiveness and disgust clear in equal measure. So similar to Heath’s expression when he had asked her to quit the Vixens.

“That’s…a shock. That seems beneath what a healthcare professional should be doing in their free time, no? Do you plan to do that for much longer?”

What had she expected here? Her friends in Virginia had agonized over how bad the dating scene was. She didn’t know why she’d thought this would be a good idea. No amount of shit sex would make this more bearable. She wasn’t sure the best sex in the world would make this more bearable.

Screw this guy , she heard in her head, but it was Landon’s damn voice. You don’t owe him shit. The chances of you working with him any time in the future are ridiculously small. San Jose is huge. Say how you feel.

She hated that she couldn’t get away from him, no matter how much she tried.

“It’s a very athletic job, and fans love it. I love it. I don’t see how my being in healthcare has any bearing on it.” In a small act of rebellion, Keala didn’t tell him this was her last year. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

They made more small talk until he grabbed the bill and paid it. She kept shoving Landon and his advice out of her head, reminding herself that this whole date was about releasing the sexual tension without him.

“Would you like to come over? I live about fifteen minutes away in a great two-story. Hot tub and everything.”

Barf. Seems all his medical training hadn’t taught him about pseudomonas aeruginosa.

“Oh, wow. That sounds amazing, but I have an early shift tomorrow, so I’ll have to see it another time. Thank you so much for dinner.”

His demeanor changed significantly, but he still smiled as she gave him a side hug and ran toward her car.

During the short drive back to her apartment, she kept hoping that Landon and Ikaika would be out. It was bye week, and though it seemed they’d stopped going out as much after the accident, she deluded herself into believing they wouldn’t be home.

The date, unsurprisingly, hadn’t accomplished what she had hoped. It wasn’t like she’d been looking for a boyfriend, and even a mildly interesting hookup might have been fun, but the fact that she couldn’t get Landon out of her head, continually drawing comparisons to him, left her feeling more frustrated than ever.

When she noticed Ikaika’s cars were both in the private garage, she assumed that meant Landon was home too. She thought about texting Zoe and Len to see if they were free after dance or if she could come over halfway through practice. Keala was sure they would say yes. But she had work tomorrow, and it was time to bite the bullet and deal with the situation.

Or rush into the apartment and go straight to her room.