Finally Read Online Free Page B

locked eyes with me and hurried to fi nish signing a few more autographs before extricating herself from the group.
    “You made it! I’m so glad to see you.” Her voice overfl owed with joy, and my heart soared at the sound. She pulled me into a 21

    Lynn Galli
    hug. The command to kiss her pounded away inside my head like a throbbing headache.
    “Same here.” I kept my response clipped for fear that my crazy thoughts might subliminally make their way into my speech. I couldn’t manage anything else until she released me.
    “Long trip? I watched the New York game and listened in on the radio to the others. You played great, as always.”
    The comment elicited a modest smile. “Thanks. When’s your fl ight?”
    “In about an hour. I was just walking to my gate when I saw you coming down the hallway,” I lied. I’d been there for thirty minutes.
    “What luck. I get to hang out with you till you board the plane.” Quinn turned us toward the gates with a hand on my back.
    Reaching back, I found her arm and stopped us from advancing. Heat seared my fi ngertips and threatened to send the fl ush to my cheeks. I pulled her hand away as casually as I could manage without letting my friend know how certifi able I was.
    “That’s all right. You’ve got to be tired. Grab your bags with the rest of the team and go home. Rest a little before practice this afternoon.”
    “But I haven’t seen you for almost two weeks, and you’re gone for four days. Even if it’s only an hour, I want to hear about what I’ve missed and what you’ll be doing for work in Baltimore.” Her eyes showed hurt, even if her face held a hopeful smile.
    Tears threatened my perpetual calm, forcing me to blink harshly. Intense emotions accompanied Quinn’s everyday kindness, and I found it almost too much to bear. My mind issued commands to keep my hands from attacking this woman in the middle of the airport. “My colleague should be at the gate by now. He’s going to want to go over our dinner meeting tonight since we’re not sitting together on the plane. So, really, head home. We can catch up when I get back. Thursday night? You 22

    Finally
    don’t have a game, and I’ll have recovered from my trip to the home offi ce.” I hoped my statement wouldn’t appear as a blow off. Quinn needed the rest, and I needed to still these feelings I’d been having for months.
    “Thursday night? It’s a date,” Quinn said casually. Words like that obviously didn’t have the same effect on her. “I’ll go grab my bags then if you’re sure you won’t let me keep you company?”
    I felt longing slip into my glance, but I packed it back in and said with a light tone, “No. Enjoy your week, and I’ll see you Thursday.”
    With that, she squeezed my arm and nodded her head goodbye. Scooping up her carryon with ease, she walked down the corridor toward baggage claim, her posture unencumbered by the dismissal. I wasn’t as fortunate. My heart felt like a rodeo bull had been set loose inside it, wildly kicking, twisting, and fl ailing to buck the rider trying to control it.
    23

    FIVE
    Idling in her car outside Willa’s house, Quinn couldn’t bring herself to turn off the engine. Moisture developed in the palm that still rested on the steering wheel. She reached for the glove box, releasing the lever. The drawer fell open, half the contents with it. A take-out napkin fl apped precariously over the edge of the opening. She snatched it up before it drifted to the fl oor mat. Pens, maps, a fl ashlight and other assorted items drew her attention from her original purpose of wiping the nervous perspiration from her hand. The urge to organize her glove box consumed her as if she’d instantly developed obsessive-compulsive disorder.
    With reluctance she scooped up the whole lot, shoved it back into the compartment, and slammed the door shut with her other hand. Neighbors wandered by with dogs and peered in at her, making her realize that her car was