Page 16 of Keeping the Single Dad
“Of course.” Gabe got up smoothly and glided across the room.
Maybe this wasn’t the worst thing in the world. I could clear the air with Lana. Maybe I could ask her out for a drink and get to know her properly? Heat stroked my neck. I pulled at the collar of my shirt. No. That was a ridiculous idea. She was far too young and it would unsettle Brodie. Never mind the fact that she’d lied to my face and pretended to be someone else.
All the reasons I hadn’t dated in five years still held true. Just because I’d had one night of mind-blowing sex didn’t mean I could get involved with a woman. The fact that she was Logan Sinclair’s daughter was too weird to contemplate. He’d taken me under his wing when we’d played for Rangers. Did he live around here? Did Melissa see him much?
Not Melissa, but Lana.
I didn’t know either of these women. Why had Lana given me her sister’s name? It hadn’t felt so natural talking to a woman for so long. Was any part of that conversation true? My chest tightened. Had she been taking me for a fool the whole time? I had to know.
I cleared my throat. “Can I ask a question?”
The lawyers stopped quibbling and fell silent. Melissa flashed a tight smile. “Of course. Anything you like.”
?“What’s your favorite color?”
She stared back, baffled. “I’m sorry?”
“I’m curious. You’ve asked me a lot of questions. It’s only fair that I ask you a few, isn’t it?”
A tense silence enveloped the room. I was being weird and Melissa didn’t want to play ball. She was clearly a very different person from her down to earth, easy-going sister.
Melissa flashed Gabe a hesitant glance and smoothed her shiny ponytail. Her confused green eyes met mine. “My favorite color is blue.”
“Right, and your favorite food?”
She pressed her lips. “I fail to see how that’s relevant.”
“Humor me.”
Her hand fluttered to smooth the collar of her crisp white blouse. “Pizza, but proper street pizza that you’d have in Italy. Not the cheap frozen stuff.”
My jaw felt tight and grim. These were the same answers Lana had fed me. “Are you a dog, or a cat person?”
A small frown appeared between her perfectly arched brows. “I don’t like dogs.”
“Right.”
Another silence wrapped around us.
Next to me, Gabe chuckled, darkly. “Do we all get to answer these questions, or just the lawyers?”
“No. That’s enough.”
So, it wasn’t just a fake name; Lana had been pretending to be her sister. My stomach hardened. I’d felt so close to her in the bar and she’d played me for a fool. It shouldn’t have mattered. Fun and done. We weren’t supposed to see each other again.
Melissa pushed a thick wad of paperwork across the table toward me. My fingers were clammy as I flicked through the pages. Change was unsettling, even when it was for a good reason.
Gabe slid me a sidelong glance. “You can take it home and think it through if you like?”
Rob flashed me an easy smile from across the table. He’d be an excellent manager. This was still a great move for me. It wasn’t my time to stop. Not yet. I still had at least one good season left in me. I couldn’t let a little awkwardness put me off.?
“No. It’s fine. I’m ready to sign.”
Rob and Gabe shared a grin. Gabe clamped a hand on my shoulder. “We’re looking forward to welcoming you to the team.”
“Thanks. I’m looking forward to joining.”
At least, I was.
