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Derek bites into his lower lip, looking at me and waiting for my answer.

“It was …” I turn so that I don’t have to strain my neck, crossing my legs. “Interesting. I kind of liked it,” I confess, whispering like it’s a secret. “There was always something going on, a blur of action. But, shh, my dad is a big football and sometimes baseball fan.”

Derek laughs loudly, his body leaning forward. I inhale sharply when his body comes closer to mine.

His scent surrounds me. Fresh, cool, manly.

“Does that mean we converted you to a hockey fan?”

“Now, I wouldn’t go that far.” I shake my head in a teasing way.

“Have you ever been skating?” he asks, almost as an afterthought.

“Nope.”

“What?” He looks at me completely surprised. “Never?”

“Never.”

“I’m not surprised you aren’t a hockey fan. Everybody that sets one foot on the ice can’t deny that hockey is the best sport there is.”

“Not everybody is you, Derek.” I roll my eyes at him.

“Well, there can be only one of this.” His hand moves down his body, and I laugh hard. “Does it at least mean you’ll come to watch our next game?” He’s still smiling, but his blue eyes are serious. There is hope in them that has been missing before. He wants me to go, I realize. Derek really wants me to come and watch him play.

“I–” I start, but the door swings open, startling us both and making us jump from each other. I look over my shoulder, my heart beating in fanatic speed, and find my mother standing there.

“I hope I’m not interrupting.” She looks between the two of us. The heat in my cheeks rises instantly, turning them to a guilty red color.

“No,” I stutter, looking at her with wide eyes.

“We just finished and were talking for a bit, Mrs. Campbell.” Derek’s voice sounds so normal and composed. I look at him and he winks at me, chuckling lightly when he sees how flushed I’m.

“I just wanted to check if you two had everything you need.” She enters my room and grabs the empty plate from the floor. “Maybe you should go and take Lola and Ace out for a walk, and then Derek can stay for dinner if he wants.”

Yep, Ace is here again too. I guess he really doesn’t like to be away from his owner much. Mom wasn’t exactly happy when she saw Ace come into the house and greet me happily licking my face, but she beamed when she saw who Ace belongs to, so he was welcome to stay.

Derek looks at me, as if asking me what I think about the idea. I shrug, giving him permission to choose whatever option he likes.

“That would be great, Mrs. Campbell.” A big grin spreads on his face.

I watch him poke softly at Lola with his foot. She wanted to sleep in his lap, but with all the materials and papers Derek had around, she soon changed her mind and parked her butt at his feet.

“Come on, Curly. Get your butt off the floor. We are going out,” he says in cheery voice getting off the floor. In a heartbeat, Lola’s up and shaking the sleep off, her brown eyes looking at him with adoration like no other. Her tail is wagging happily as she waits for him to move.

Ace, on the other hand, wakes up from his slumber and sits, waiting for his owner to tell him what to do next.

I seriously don’t understand how of all the people out there, my dog has such a crush on Derek King. It’s hilarious to watch her chase after him and trying to flirt in her own doggie way.

“Curly?” Mom whispers in my ear when I also get up.

“He doesn’t like Lola,” I whisper back. “But it doesn’t seem like she minds it too much.”

“Doesn’t seem like,” she agrees, looking at her. “She looks at him like he hung the moon and the stars and all of it just for her.”

“It’s funny. I think she’s in love,” I give my Mom side glance.

She turns to me, surprise in her eyes, but they soon soften. “Yeah, I think she is.”

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