Tomboy

He sat back, the pain in his stomach dulling to an ache. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

“No biggie.” Stuckey popped his earbuds back in as the plane started its taxi down the runway. “It’s what teammates do.”

Zach let his eyes close as the plane picked up speed and lifted off the runway, and a single thought crystallized in his head. Maybe it was time to stop acting like everyone was there to fuck him over. Sure, some assholes were. But Stuckey wasn’t. The trainer wanted to go to the mattress for him. Peppers was always on his side.

And Fallon? She kept her word, and he could trust that. He didn’t know how he knew it, but he did. And that was about as freaky as when he thought about the fact that he was hurtling through the sky in a metal tube.

…

Sitting between Gina and Tess for Paint and Sip night was definitely not the best place to text Zach, but if she was going to hold up her end of the bargain, she didn’t have a choice. She’d gotten off shift at the hospital with just enough time to get to Paint and Sip before Larry’s cutoff time. Another few minutes and Zach would be on the team bus heading to the arena for the game. She didn’t want to leave him hanging. So, as unobtrusively as possible, she held her phone close to her lap and shot off a quick text.

LL: You ready to kick some ass?

Her hands were only clammy because she didn’t feel like getting called out by Larry or busted by her besties. It wasn’t because she was texting Zach after she’d made such a boring fuck-up of things before his plane had taken off.

In the staff break room.

The level of stunning dialogue there was amazing. In her defense, she’d been nervous and not sure how to talk after the night they’d had together, which hadn’t meant anything. Really. Not a thing.

Her phone vibrated.

Zach: Literally kick ass?

Checking her periphery to make sure that Gina and Tess were focused on following Larry’s directions on making the perfect sweeping stroke, she moved her phone so it was slightly under the table and responded.

Fallon: Only if the occasion calls for it. Watch out for Exter. He’s a dirty player.

Zach: I have seen a couple of hockey games in my life.

She rolled her eyes. She could smell the testosterone from here.

Fallon: You making jokes?

Zach: Maybe.

Fallon: I’ll laugh after your win, when you’re back to the hotel without a concussion and all the teeth you still have.

Zach: Hey. I’m only missing one.

Fallon: Keep it that way.

Stop typing, thumbs! Why had she said that? What did she care if he was putting some dentist’s fourteen kids through college? He was just a guy, no matter if he did some wicked work with his tongue.

Zach: You watching tonight?

There was no need to ask what. When it was Ice Knights game night, there was only one option.

Fallon: As soon as I get done painting this wilted lettuce.

It seemed Larry had read an investigative post about the amount of food tossed out uneaten compared to the number of people going hungry in the United States, and instead of donating to the food pantry or volunteering at a shelter, he decided to make all of them paint wilted lettuce on a kitchen counter.

Zach: Wilted lettuce? Is that the world’s worst euphemism?

She snort-laughed before she could stop herself.

Fallon: It’s Paint and Sip night with the girls & a long story.

Zach: You’ll have to tell me after I get back.