Read Online Fair Play (Hat Trick, Book 1) by Samantha Wayland - Free Book Online

his
endless soliloquy on the merits of blindly following your coach’s advice, he
glanced down at Savannah again. The look she’d sent him a few minutes before
had pulled him from his seat without thinking. Now he was stuck.
    She lifted one eyebrow in sympathy and mouthed, “later.”
    Any excuse to spend time with her was entirely okay with him.
He nodded once, then returned his rapt attention to Rick and waited for him to
wind down. It took another five minutes, but eventually he made it back to his
seat without too much of his ass chewed off. Now he just had to sit tight until
they got to Halifax and he could get a minute alone with Savannah.
    Longest two hours of his traveling career.
    Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait once they’d unloaded at
the hotel. He was keeping one eye on Savannah, another on Bobby, and all the
while trying to retrieve his bag, when Mark came up to him.
    “Hey, I need you to do me a favor.”
    In the eight years Mark had managed the Cats, he’d never
once asked Garrick for a favor. “Sure. What’s up?”
    “Savannah needs to check out the facilities here and at the
arena. Wants to do it all before dinner.”
    Garrick kept his face perfectly straight, careful not to let
any of his internal happy-dance show. When Mark looked at him as if he should
be able to intuit what this information meant, he stared back.
    He was still trying to get the hang of this friendship thing
with Savannah. Until he had it nailed down tight, he wasn’t giving one damn
thing away.
    Mark sighed. “So I need you to go with her, because I don’t
want her running around alone. For now. Though, if anyone asks, it’s because
she’s never been here before and as a veteran, I thought you’d be the best
person to show her.”
    Garrick pursed his lips, fighting his smile. “You tell her
all this?”
    Mark grinned. “No, I’m giving you that job, too.” With a
laugh, he walked into the hotel.
     
    An hour later, Garrick stood next to Savannah in the sultry
air of the pool room, staring down into the rather small, oddly-shaped,
azure-tiled pool.
    Savannah sighed, her hands on her hips. “This pool sucks
ass.”
    Garrick’s laugh echoed in the tiled box. It was good to feel
something other than the heavy dread that had been dragging at him since
Savannah had revealed what she’d overheard on the bus. She’d managed to relay
the entire conversation and have a passionate, albeit professional, freak-out in
the course of one elevator ride. Since then, neither of them had said much at
all.
    Until the pool observation anyway.
    “I think it’s nice.” Garrick pointed to the faux-teak chaise
lounges and white and cobalt tiled walls. “Very soothing. And the hot tub looks
good.”
    Savannah glanced at the huge octagonal tub. “Yeah, well the
good news is I can probably fit three defensive lines in there.” She paused. “If
they still have their jobs tomorrow.”
    Garrick put a hand on her shoulder, trying to give comfort when
there was little to be had, and ignored the zing of awareness when his finger
brushed her bare neck.
    She allowed it for all of ten seconds before she shrugged him
off and got back to business. Kneeling by the pool’s edge, she dipped her hand
in the water. “Yikes!” She yanked her hand back out. “You get in there and you
won’t have to ice anything. Stay in too long and things might fall off.”
    He laughed again, but this time his heart wasn’t really in
it. Frustration gnawed at him. There has to be a way. A buyer. Someone who
could be convinced to give the Cats a chance. We need more time.
    Staring down at the pool water rippling from Savannah’s
touch, Garrick didn’t even notice her come back to his side until she put a
hand on his arm.
    Even with his thoughts on the future of his team, he enjoyed
a bolt of pleasure that she was voluntarily touching him for some reason other
than her job.
    She patted him, taking a turn at offering comfort. They were
both doing a lousy job at