Love in Game (De La Fuente Family 6)

“You sure?”

Rolling my eyes, I wrap an arm around her neck and move her along out of the rink, grabbing the bag with my gear along the way. “Loosen up, and tell me why you’re here in New York.”

Tears hover on her lashes that she rapidly blinks away. “I needed a break,” she admits, turning away.

I stop and bring her face around to mine. “Andie?” I question softly. “Talk to me.”

She shakes her head. “Not here, and not until I’m ready.”

“I hate knowing that something is going on that has you so upset.” Then I have a thought. “Are you being threatened?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.” She glances at some of my teammates as they make their way past us, curiosity in their expressions.

With a heavy sigh, she admits, “My situation is a bit like you and Felicity, except the man that I’m in love with doesn’t see me.” She laughs without any mirth behind it. “Even if he did nothing could come of it while I’m there.”

I frown and then my eyes pop wide. “It’s one of your professors?”

Andie clears her throat and I watch while she pulls herself together. “Is my bed still available?”

I decide to let her problem go for now, and grin. “I’ve told you before, that spare bedroom is for family, Sis.”

Her eyes light with joy. “I love hearing you call me that. Until my mom fell for Diego it had only really been the two of us, and now I have family coming out of my ears…and I couldn’t be any happier about it.”

“You fit in well with us,” I admit, urging her inside my truck, tossing her bag into the back with mine. Running around and climbing in, I add, “I’m not just family to you, I’m your friend and I want to help you. This guy has had you down for a while now.”

She softly smiles. “Sometimes I think that maybe he knows how I feel about him because he goes out of his way to avoid me, even having someone else liaise between us. That hurts me, Kasey. It’s not as though I’m going to jump him in his office, although that thought kinda crosses my mind on a daily basis.” She laughs, knowing how uncomfortable she’s making me.

“Fuck, Andie. That’s too much information. Geez.” I shudder and catch her hand when she pokes me in the side with her finger. “Hey, stop that.” I groan.

“You told me that I’m your sister and friend, right? That means I can talk to you about that kinda thing.” She grins so wide that it starts to freak me out.

I cough awkwardly. “Let me rephrase what I said then, you can talk to me about absolutely anything as long as it doesn’t involve you getting horizontal with your professor.” Pulling out of the lot, I glance at her from the corner of my eye. “How old is he anyway? Aren’t professors old?”

“Old, seriously?”

“Mine were old.”

She giggles and it’s good to hear. “He’s in his early thirties.” She raises a brow as she watches me. “So unless you consider yourself old at the grand old age of thirty-two, then no he isn’t old.”

I’m thinking that her professor has it just as bad for her as she does for him. Why else would he have someone liaise between them both? To me it sounds like he doesn’t trust himself to be alone with her, which makes me respect him all the more, even though it’s obviously causing Andie distress. Do I tell Andie my thoughts on her professor or do I keep it to myself? That’s the big question because I could be wrong.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?” she asks, turning toward me, one of her legs pulled up on the seat.

“I’m thinking that I have a meet ‘n’ greet thing to go to tomorrow night and that I need a date.” I turn and grin at her. “So what’d you say, Sis? You going to save me from going alone to this boring as fuck thing and go with me?”

“Well, as you put it so eloquently.” She rolls her eyes. “I’ll go, although I don’t have anything to wear other than jeans, sweats and pajamas.”

“Pajamas will do.” I laugh.

We sit in silence until I pull into the underground parking of my apartment complex, when she asks, “Do you still think about Felicity?”

I don’t even have to think about my answer. “Every day.” I sigh.

“You do realize that Eric could probably find her from the hotel records in Vegas?”

“

All I know is her first name and that she lives in Cleveland. That’s it. Plus, what if she doesn’t want me to find her? She could have woken me if she needed to leave. Left a note. Something, dammit.” I slam my fist into the steering wheel.