Tacker (Arizona Vengeance 5)

I flinch when she drops the “L” word so casually, yet it’s not from an adverse feeling.

Just more surprising that Patty would assume I am in love with Nora.

It makes me think… am I?

I pull out my phone, then bring it out of sleep mode. “Let me show you a picture of her.”

Nora’s face comes up on my home screen. I’d replaced MJ’s picture with Nora’s on the flight here to Dallas. It seemed way more symbolic than it really needed to be, but I have my safety net. MJ’s pictures will always stay on my phone so I can look at them and never forget what she was to me.

“Oh, she’s beautiful.” Patty sighs, tilts her head, and studies Nora’s face. It’s a great face.

“Would MJ have liked her?” Charles asks, and that gives me a little stab of pain deep in my gut.

My eyes rise to meet his. “Yeah… she would have really liked her.”

“That’s all I need to know,” he says, then raises his beer in the air for a silent toast to both MJ and Nora.

Laughing, I settle back into my chair, placing my phone on the table. “So… Nora was actually my therapist to start.”

“Oh…” Patty squeals, clapping her hands. “A forbidden love story.”

Smirking, I lift my chin. “Yeah… you could say that.”CHAPTER 29TackerTwisting my wrist, I check my watch as my fingers on my other hand impatiently drum on the desktop. Management called an “emergency” team meeting, and it’s interfering in my time with Nora. I’d been on my way out the door to her place when the call came in, directing everyone to the team auditorium at the arena where we normally hold our meetings and game film reviews.

I’d just flown in from our Texas road trip—Dallas, then Houston—and we were slated to have the entire day off today. After that is our last home game of the regular season. Next week, the playoffs start.

So today was the perfect opportunity to spend time with Nora—who I had been missing greatly these last several days I was gone. Our plan was to attempt that horseback ride that got waylaid when Raul got sick. Once we finished that, if I had any say in it, part of the day would be spent in bed. Perhaps we’d go out to dinner, or maybe we’d order in and eat in bed.

Regardless, I wanted the full day and evening with Nora. But with every second that ticks by, said time is being wasted.

“You want to go hit some golf balls today?” Aaron asks, nudging me in the arm. He’s playing some game on his phone while we wait, slouched in his chair with his long legs spread out in front of him. His eyes are bloodshot, and his hair is sticking up all over the place.

It tells me he had a late—probably drunken—time out last night. He’d probably been woken up by the call to come into the arena for a meeting.

“Can’t,” I reply, checking my watch one more time. A total of twenty seconds has passed since the last check. “Going to hang with Nora today.”

“Of course you are,” he mutters.

Guilt nags as I study his face. “I’m sorry, man. I know I owe you some time.”

Aaron grins ruefully. “As much as I wish you’d revert back to the party animal I once loved and adored when we played together in Dallas long before you met MJ, honestly, dude… I’m glad you’ve found Nora. I’d rather you do what makes you happiest, even if it’s not hanging out with my lame ass.”

“Your ass is not lame,” I assure him, which causes the players sitting in the row in front of us to glance back at us with raised eyebrows.

Ignoring them, I add, “But seriously… let’s plan something right now. How about Sunday? After practice? We’ll go shoot eighteen and relax.”

Truth is, I have to plan in advance now. That’s because, in my mind, all my free time belongs to Nora.

Not because she’s demanded it, because I want it that way. Doesn’t mean I don’t want friendships and to hang with my buds, but if it isn’t planned in advance, they can rest assured I’ve already got something going with Nora.

“Yeah… sure,” he replies as his attention returns to his game. “We can do that.”

My mind already starts calculating whether I can squeeze in time with Nora that day. If we play a round of golf starting around eleven AM after practice, I could head to the ranch and pick Nora up for dinner. That would probably work.

Before I can even chastise myself for being so pathetic and trying to slot as much time with this woman as I can possibly cram in, the door to the room opens and all the chatter dies down.

Coach Perron enters, followed by the rest of the coaching staff. Next is Christian Rutherford. I can’t say I’m surprised to see Dominik Carlson following them in.