Page 49 of The Flirty Forward

I shrug. “I had to come home anyway.”

“Let’s go,” Gunner says to Aiden and Rico.

“Oh, here’s his keys.” I try to hand them to Aiden.

“Didn’t you come in his car?” he asks.

I pull back my hand. “Yes, but I’ll just call an Uber.”

“Just take his car,” he says. “He won’t be driving it.”

I frown. “I don’t know if he would want me to.”

“He won’t mind,” Aiden assures me. “He’ll be more upset if he hears you took an Uber.”

“Okay. I can come back and pick him up whenever he’s done.” I glance at Sebastian’s car again. “You sure he won’t mind if I drive his car?”

“No,” they all three say in unison. Just as I’m about to go to Sebastian’s car, I see a woman coming my way.

“Is that Chloe?” Rico asks.

“Yes,” Gunner says in a low voice.

“Stephanie,” she calls out. I turn back to her, wondering what she wants. “Sebastian definitely has a concussion.”

“That was fast,” I mutter.

She joins our group. “Shouldn’t you guys be in practice?” she asks. She doesn’t wait for an answer. “He’s going to need a place to go for a few days while he recovers. Can he stay with you?” Her question is blunt.

“You know Sebastian and I aren’t dating for real, right?” I hedge.

“Yes,” she responds without batting an eye.

“But he’ll need to go somewhere for a few days, and it will look a lot better if he goes home with you than if he goes somewhere else.”

“Why does it matter where he goes to recover? Who cares?”

“His fans, the press, anybody who follows him closely. And isn’t the whole point of this to make your image better? What better way to do that than to have him heal up at your house.”

“Are you always this pushy?” I ask.

“Are you always this difficult to get along with?” she asks without skipping a beat. “You asked for Sebastian’s help, and now you don’t want to helphimwhen he needs it?” She lifts an eyebrow and waits.

“Fine,” I grit out. “He can stay at my house for a few days.”

She smiles. “Perfect. I’ll go tell the medical team. He should be ready to go home with you within the hour.” She turns and strides away, and we all watch her go.

“She is the most annoying, infuriating woman on the planet,” I mutter when she’s far enough away she can’t hear.

Rico and Aiden chuckle, but Gunner watches her go. “She’s good at her job,” he sort of grunts out. I turn to him in surprise, but a look from Aiden keeps me from saying anything.

I sigh. “So, I guess I’ll be babysitting a hockey player for the next...” I pause and frown. “How long does it take to heal from a concussion?”

Rico grins. “Sebastian’s probably hoping like a month.” Aiden elbows him.

Gunner turns to me. “Thanks for helping with Hart. Let me know if you need anything.” I nod, but I don’t know what in the world I would need from the stoic captain. “Let’s go, Guys.”

“I guess I’ll go in and wait for Sebastian,” I say more to myself than to them. I follow the three of them inside. Rico and Gunner go straight to the ice, and I follow Aiden back to where Sebastian is. I sit and pull out my phone, preparing to get some work done while I wait. I don’t end up waiting long. The door opens, and a guy sticks his head out. “You must be Sebastian’s girl.” I don’t even bother correcting him. “You can come in.”

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