Law #3: Don't Fall for the Athlete: Sweet Second Chance Romance (Laws of Love) by Agnes Canestri (black books to read txt) 📗

Only in the past?

I ignore the sneaky voice tugging in the back of my mind and focus my attention on Joe.

He purses his fleshy lips. “You went out with your shrink?”

“No, of course not.” I hit an indignant tone as if this idea had never even crossed my mind—or my dreams. “We bumped into each other, then took a stroll in Encanto where we met this bunch of kids throwing a football. They recognized me and invited me to join them. It was so much fun, man. These kiddos just loved their game.”

Joe listens to me with wide eyes. “I bet they did.”

“After seeing me play with them, Ellie said she thinks I’ve got a talent for coaching,” I round up my tale.

Joe tilts his head, leveling my gaze. “’Kay, let me get this straight. You dismissed my advice, but take that of a brain digger you just met a week ago?”

His voice is half-amused, but I detect a hint of hurt in it too.

I’d hate him to think that I’m more inclined to listen to a stranger’s opinion than to his, so I say, “It’s not like that. Ellie and I know each other because she’s Devon’s sister.”

“You mean the Devon who’s joining us today? Your friend?”

“Yep, that’s him.” I nod. “Ellie and I went to the same high school, though she is a few years my junior.”

I keep my tone as casual as possible, but it’s hard because speaking about her elicits last night’s memory. The vision of her pink lips opening up crushes down on me like a tidal wave and my eyes glaze over.

A suspicious glint invades Joe’s eyes. “Wait a minute. Is there more to this Ellie than you’re telling me? Do you like her?”

“Sure, I like her…as a person, I mean…a therapist… A person and a therapist, yes.”

Joe snorts. “Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s rainin’! You do like her. I’ve never heard you stuttering like a donkey when speaking about any chick I introduced you to. “

Heat prickles at the back of my neck. “That’s because you only hook me up with groupies, and I’m not a fan of them. Those girls are live hand grenades without the pin.” And that’s putting it mildly.

Joe nods. “For the married scoundrels, and for those who take a gal’s word about being on the pill, maybe. But I don’t do that.” He winks. “I ain’t going to be outsmarted.”

There have been several cases where a groupie tricked a guy and got herself knocked up to claim generous child support.

I applaud him. “Wise decision. Now, shall we get on with the warm-up? Devon should be here any minute. Oh, by the way, don’t mention to him that Ellie is my therapist. He doesn’t know.”

Joe doesn’t move. “Okay, so your friend doesn’t know his sis treats you. Is it because he’s aware that you’re drooling behind her?”

“I told you, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.” Joe points at me. “I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck.”

I’d like Joe to stop digging around in my mushy feelings for Ellie, but I know it’s not going to happen. I need to give him something. An intimate detail he can sink his teeth into.

I blink at him and sigh. “You win. There was a point in my life when I felt smitten with Ellie.”

Joe bumps his fist into his other palm. “I knew it. I knew you ain’t got a thumpin’ gizzard in your chest just because you don’t come kitty chasing with us. How is this Ellie? I bet she could make a hound dog smile.”

“She’s…she’s special,” I say because I can’t describe Ellie without giving away too much about my current confused feelings about her.

Joe lifts a brow. “You’ve never made a move on her?”

“I have, unfortunately.”

This bit of confession wasn’t planned, but it slipped. Perhaps because I’m tired of hiding the truth.

Joe winks at me. “That’s my man. She turned you down, though? Because you’re a footballer? Non-groupies often see us as only one step removed from a lower form of reptile. They think we can’t be trusted. That’s what I always tell Momma when she frets about my relationships.”

Since I’ve gone this far in my admission, I might just let Joe in on the rest. “Not exactly. Ellie and I were a couple back before I got drafted. It was a secret relationship because her brother was going through a rough patch, so we didn’t want to upset him.”

“He wouldn’t have liked you dating his sister?”

I stare at him. “How would you feel if I told you I was seeing Brittany or one of your other sisters?”

A grimace of horror appears on Joe’s face. “You would have a tooth missing in less than a minute. My sisters are off-limit for athletes.” He pauses and taps his forehead. “Okay, I get it. But it’s not like you two are still an item. So what’s the big deal?”

“I acted like an idiot with Ellie when we broke up.”

“How much of an idiot are we talking about? On a scale of one to ten?”

“Fifteen.”

Joe’s jaw slacks. “And she’s still accepted to become your therapist? That’s one generous woman.”

“That, she is.” I nod.

Devon’s black Audi appears on the road before we can continue, raising a thick cloud of dust in the air.

While Devon parks, I throw a severe glance at Joe. “Not a word to Devon about this, okay?”

Joe shrugs. “Fine. We’re here to run anyway. But I think that if his sister forgave you, you could be honest with your friend.”

Devon jumps out of the car and strolls to us with a wide grin.

Joe studies my friend’s broad shoulders and athletic build, and before Devon gets within earshot, he whispers to me, “If you plan a confession, get a mouthguard first. You know, just in case.”

Chapter 21

(Ellie)

“Is this dress from Cora?” Hope asks as she shuffles into my room in her giant, plush Snoopy Dog slippers.

“Yes, it is,” I turn away from the mirror. “You like it?”

“Let