Chapter 375
Nina
Enzo and I climbed into our rental car and began making our way toward the restaurant. As Enzo drove, his eyes were on the road, but it seemed as though his attention was somewhere else entirely. The team, perhaps.
“So,” I began, wanting to fill the silence, “Mila seems… interesting.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, that she is. She’s very serious about her job, though. I can respect that.”
“Was she this friendly with you last time you visited?” I blurted out.
Enzo paused, then shrugged. “About the same, I guess. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, no reason,” I said, trying to keep my voice nonchalant. “She just seemed invested in our relationship. I figured maybe you talked to her about us last time.”
Enzo laughed. “I did a little. It’s funny, she actually mentioned my wedding ring within the first five minutes of our meeting last time I visited.”
I joined in his laughter, although there was a sinking feeling in my chest. “Well, you should make sure to keep it on. Women in this city will look at you and see you as prime real estate.”
Enzo reached across the center console and took my hand, pulling me closer and pressing my fingers to his lips. His hand was warm and comforting, something that I needed after today. “Don’t worry, Nina. This ring only comes off on the ice, and that’s just to keep it safe.”
“I know,” I replied. But deep inside, a tiny seed of worry had sprouted. Mila had looked at Enzo a certain way, a way that irked me. I didn’t mention it to Enzo. It felt petty, especially given the total trust between us.
We fell into a pleasant lull, both lost in our thoughts as the car weaved through the congested streets.
“This city is so different,” I finally said, breaking the silence.
“You can say that again. Everything is so fast-paced, it’s a complete shift from our little town.”
“Do you think you could get used to it? You know, for the next six months?”
He thought for a moment, then shrugged. “I guess time will tell, but I’m willing to give it a shot.”
“That’s good to hear,” I said, squeezing his hand. “It’s going to be an adventure for both of us.”
“Absolutely. And hey, you’re getting a taste of the big city now, and we haven’t even hit the restaurant yet.”
“I’m eager to see if the food lives up to the hype,” I replied, recalling Mila’s comment about ‘small town potlucks’.
Enzo grinned. “Oh, trust me, the team picked out a fantastic spot. You’re gonna love it.”
“And the team, what are they like?” I asked, genuinely curious.
He grinned. “Oh, they’re a bunch of characters, to say the least. They all have promise, though. They’re one of the reasons I was willing to take this job.”
“I can tell that you’ve made quite the impression on them already,” I mused. “They looked up to you like a god today.”
“I guess so,” he replied, squeezing my hand again. “But I think you’ll make just as big of an impression tonight. They’re eager to talk with you.”
“Oh, stop it,” I said, blushing. “I’m just excited to meet the people you’ll be spending so much time with.”
“Likewise,” he said as he guided the car into a busy parking lot. “But remember, no matter how many new people we meet or how big this city is, it’s always going to be you and me.”
After he parked the car, he leaned in and kissed me softly, and for a brief moment, I forgot all about Mila and the city and the changes ahead. It was just us, and that felt like home.
As the car slowed down, indicating we were close to our destination, I took a deep breath.
“You ready for this?” Enzo asked.
“As I’ll ever be,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
He chuckled. “Don’t worry. You’ll love it.”
The minute Enzo and I stepped into the restaurant, a wave of lively chatter and laughter hit us. The ambiance was buzzing, warm light softly illuminating the plush velvet chairs and polished wooden tables. The team had already started to gather, and their faces lit up when they saw Enzo walk in.
“Hey, Enzo! Over here!” one player called out.
We made our way over, and Tim, ever the gregarious host, greeted us. “Enzo, Nina, so glad you could make it. Please, have a seat.”
I felt a sense of pride swell within me as I looked around the table. These were the men Enzo would be mentoring, and it was easy to see how excited they were to have him. We took our seats… but much to my chagrin, I ended up next to Mila. She shot me a sideways glance as I sat down, but said nothing.
“Everyone, I hope you all get to know Nina tonight. She’s going to be staying here in the city this week while I work with you guys,” Enzo said, giving my hand a tender squeeze under the table.
Conversations sprang up immediately, the table bursting into a cacophony of chatter. Someone was talking about last night’s game, another was complaining about city traffic, and yet another was discussing the best local bars.
“Have you tried the lobster bisque here? It’s heavenly,” Mila said, snapping me back to the moment.
“No, I haven’t,” I said, glancing at her. “I’ve never been here before.”
Mila smirked. “Right. I forgot. Small town potlucks and all that.”
I wanted to respond, wanted to tell her that my ‘small town’ had plenty of nice restaurants of my own, but before I could, someone else caught my attention.
“So, Nina, you were at the practice today. How’d you find it?” Tim asked from across the table.
“I was really impressed,” I said sincerely. “You guys have incredible energy. I can see why Enzo was so keen to come work here.”
“I’ll second that,” Enzo said. “You guys did great today. With some polishing, I’m sure you’ll have a great season.”
“We’ll have a great season,” one of the players said, winking at Enzo.
Hearing those words, a sense of relief washed over me. Enzo was happy; he was where he wanted to be. And if he was happy, then so was I.
Finally, the server came around and took everyone’s orders. I ordered a simple burger and fries, something I had been craving all day.
“Wow, a burger girl,” Mila teased, her voice low. “Who would’ve thought.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “Nothing strange about that, is there?”
She shook her head, but I could sense a hint of something mocking in her eyes. “Nope. Of course not. I just with that I could eat whatever I want.”
“So why don’t you?”
Mila smirked and gestured to her slim waist. “Have to keep my figure. Attractiveness is important in this city, believe it or not.”
I felt my wolf bristle again inside of me at her words, but I bit my tongue and quelled it. The server finished going around the table, and once the conversation had returned to normal, Mila turned to me again. She was swirling red wine around in her glass, her eyes studying me with an intensity that made me feel like I was under a microscope.
“You know, I still can’t get over how young you look,” she said. “It’s almost hard to believe you’re a team doctor.”
I chuckled. “Well, I may be young, but I have had my fair share of experiences that have taught me a lot.”
“And you’ll be staying here in the city while Enzo’s working with us?” she pressed on.
“Just for this week. Come August, I’ll be staying home.”
“Home?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. “I thought you were pregnant. You’d want to be away from your husband for all that time?”
I bit my tongue again. “We have it under control.”
Just then, laughter erupted from the other end of the table, drawing our attention away from our conversation. I leaned in to catch what Enzo was saying.
“So, I told him, ‘If you think that shot was fast, wait until you see what we’ve got planned for the next practice.’”
The team roared with laughter, and I felt a warmth spread through me. This was the man I had fallen in love with—charismatic, engaging, and passionate about his work. I was happy to see him so engrossed in a new chapter of his life, and I was happy to share that chapter with him, despite Mila’s probing comments.
But then, in the middle of the laughter, during a brief lull in the conversation, Mila’s voice rang out.
“Nina, how did you and Enzo meet?”
The table went quiet, all eyes turning to me. Even Enzo looked surprised, albeit intrigued by what appeared to be a simple, innocent question.
But for reasons that I couldn’t explain quite yet, that question felt anything but simple.
