Page 53 of The Rebound Plan

“Last night, I think we freaked her out.”

I unlace my skates roughly, then yank them off my feet. “There’s nowehere. I know you think you were doing something last night, butyoudidn’t freak her out. I agree thatweshouldn’t do anymore of whatyouwere doing, but?—”

“Wait, are you…” She gasps and crosses her arms over her chest. “Russell Armstrong, are you mad me for trying to help?”

“I’m not mad.”

She rolls her eyes. “Okay. Anyway, what about you touching her while we were watching TV?”

I freeze, a skate guard in mid-air.

“Yeah, that wasn’t real subtle.” She sighs. “Okay, maybe it wasn’t what I did. Maybe it was your?—”

“We’re both going to stop.” My voice is hard and clipped. I try to soften that by looking at her. “She took her husband to bed, Buzz. That was as clear a reminder she could send me that I need to get over her. Not that I should have needed a reminder in the first place. I should never have involved you in any part of this. Think about how it must feel to her that you were insisting on watching a broken love triangle movie? What we have isn’t a love triangle. It’s a one-sided obsession from a man who should know better. It’s fucking sad.”

Emery glares at me for a long, silent beat before saying, “You’re not sad.”

“Stop.”

“It’s not one-side, either.”

“Stop.”

It’s less a word and more a roar.

I finish undressing in silence. Once I’m down to my shorts, I yank on a dry t-shirt and clean socks. I can shower at home.

“What did you tell them when you left?”

She shrugs and gestures in the corner, where her signature orange gear is set up. “I grabbed my hockey bag. I could skate.”

“I’m heading back. I want a shower and a nap before we come back this afternoon. But they’ll still be going for a bit if you want to.”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll skate with them.” She doesn’t meet my gaze.

I zip up my bag and shove my feet into slides before lifting it over my shoulder. I stop right beside her. “Thank you for caring about Shannon. I’m sure she’s fine, but…it’s sweet that the first thing you worried about was that she was upset.”

Emery mimes her lips being zipped.

I nod. Right. I told her to stop, and I can’t have it both ways.

I don’t bother saying goodbye to the rookies on the ice. I’ll see them soon enough.

My drive home is silent. Bracing myself, maybe, because despite minimizing the situation for Emery, I worry about what I might find at the cottage.

When I get there, though, I find Shannon and Kiley in the living room, deep in conversation about podcasting. I linger for a second, long enough for them to glance up at me.

“How’s everything?” I ask.

Bright smiles from both of them accompany Shannon’s reply. “Good. The lake’s nice and brisk, if you’re going in.”

“Are you going swimming again?”

She shakes her head. “I’ve done enough of that, I think.”

Right.

I head upstairs and lose myself in a steamy shower. This time, my cock doesn’t want attention, which is good. He doesn’t fucking deserve any.

---