“Say you were taking a woman to a formal work function.
Would you get her flowers or something?” I’ve gone on my fair share of dates,
had a few relationships, but I’ve never been one for hearts and flowers or any
of that bull. I’m thinking I might need to do that with Stevie, though, since
she’s been screwed over pretty hard.
“Is this a date or a favor for a friend?”
“I guess she thinks I’m doing her a favor.” At least that
was the impression that I got when I offered to go with her.
“Is that actually what you’re doing?”
“Yes and no.”
“Can you give me a little more to go on?”
“Her ex is going to be there and I don’t want her to go
alone.”
“You don’t want her to go alone because you’re worried he’ll
be a jerk or he’ll try to take advantage of her?”
“Sure, yeah, that’s part of the reason.”
“Instead of me dragging the information out of you, why
don’t you lay it down for me?”
“So, Stevie—”
“Hold up, we’re back to Rook’s little sister?”
“Who else would I be talking about?”
“I thought you said there isn’t anything going on between
you, and now you’re taking her to some kind of work function? That’s not a
favor; that’s a date. Does Rook know?”
“It’s none of his damn business.”
“I’m not sure he’ll see it that way.”
“Well, he doesn’t have control over her or what she does, or
what I do.” I’m agitated now. “She’s not going to that thing alone. I don’t
trust that ex of hers, and I don’t want her to end up in a situation she
doesn’t like.”
Kingston tips his head to the side. “Dang.”
“What?”
“You like her.”
“Well, yeah, I like her.” What’s not to like? She’s gorgeous,
and she’s funny and feisty; her body is rockin’; and she’s fun to be around,
super chill, and genuinely selfless.
“Like you actually want to date her, though.”
I shrug, because what am I going to say? The answer to that
is yes, I want to date her, but the timing needs to be right. “I don’t want the
ex thinking he has another chance.“
“You really love complicated situations, don’t you?”
“They just tend to find me, is all.”
“When’s this event you’re supposed to take her to?” King
asks.
“Saturday.”
He frowns. “We get back at noon on Saturday.”
“It’s in the evening.”
“You better hope our flight isn’t delayed.”
I hadn’t considered a delay. The only reason that would
happen is if the weather isn’t good. “It doesn’t start until five. I should
have plenty of time to get home and throw a suit on.”
Kingston nods and taps restlessly on the edge of the pool.
“So would you call this your first date?”
“We hang out all the time.”
“‘Hang out’ meaning what?”
“Other than PT sessions, we watch hockey, eat pizza, stuff
like that.”
Kingston blinks several times in rapid succession. “That’s
it?”
“I pick her up from work a lot.”
“Have you ever bought her flowers before? Brought her any
gifts?”
“I brought her over an aloe plant once. But, like I said, it
hasn’t been like that.” I don’t get why he’s so hung up on the flowers.
“Again, please try not to take offense, but are you sure you
haven’t inadvertently put yourself in the friend zone?”
“How do I know if I’m in the friend zone?” I haven’t had a
lot of friends who are girls. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever had a friend
who’s a girl who isn’t related to me. And I only have two female cousins, whom
I see a couple of times a year at family functions. They’re significantly
younger than me, so mostly I avoid them.
It’s Kingston’s turn to blow out a long breath. “If you put
your arm around her and she gets all snuggly but doesn’t try to take it any
further, it could mean you’re in the friend zone.”
I don’t know what my expression must be, but the panic I
feel inside quite possibly reaches my face. I feel like it should be obvious
that I’m interested. A guy doesn’t spend endless hours with a gorgeous woman
who combines weird pizza toppings for shits and giggles. But then again, I
haven’t attempted to make a move on her since the almost-kiss. And any
conversation I’ve tried to have with her about it has been shut down. In fact,
she wants to pretend it didn’t happen. I hadn’t considered that this might be
because she actually didn’t want it to happen at all. She seemed just as into
it as I was. Or maybe I’ve been misreading the whole thing. “If I’m in the
friend zone, how the hell do I get out?”
About the Book
Title: A Favor For A Favor
Author: Helena Hunting
Release Date: January 28, 2020
Publisher: Montlake
Summary
When
I joined Seattle’s NHL expansion team, I thought it was the start of
something great. But nothing ever goes the way you expect. Take my
introduction to my new neighbor. She came rolling in on the hot mess
express at midnight, making a racket while she tried to get into my team
captain’s apartment. Did I mention that he’s married to a woman who
definitely was not her?
Imagine my surprise when I end up with an injury that has me out of the game for weeks, and she’s the one to offer to help me. I should probably add that she’s not the captain’s mistress. She’s his sexy, pastel-haired younger sister.
So we come up with an arrangement: she rehabs me so that I can get back on the ice sooner, and she can add a professional athlete that isn’t her brother to her client list. Seems simple enough. As long as I can keep my hands to myself and my hormones in check.
Imagine my surprise when I end up with an injury that has me out of the game for weeks, and she’s the one to offer to help me. I should probably add that she’s not the captain’s mistress. She’s his sexy, pastel-haired younger sister.
So we come up with an arrangement: she rehabs me so that I can get back on the ice sooner, and she can add a professional athlete that isn’t her brother to her client list. Seems simple enough. As long as I can keep my hands to myself and my hormones in check.
Author Biography
New York Times and USA Today bestselling
author Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her
incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. Helena
writes everything from contemporary romance with all the feels to
romantic comedies that will have you laughing until you cry.
Social Media Links
Website: https://helenahunting.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/helenahunting
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