Defending Hayden (Second Chances #7)(27)

The hostess glanced at us and then did a double take when she noticed Derek. She stared at him for a minute before grabbing our menus. “Just two?” she asked.

“Yes,” Derek replied.

She smiled up at him and led us to a table, setting our menus down in front of us. “Your waitress will be right with you.” As soon as we sat down, she rushed off to the bar and whispered something in the bartender’s ear. The guy looked at Derek and nodded.

“Looks like they recognize you,” I told him.

Derek glanced over at the bar and waved when they waved at him. “So it seems. As long as they don’t bother us, I’ll be fine. It’d be different if I was with the guys.”

“How is that?”

He looked down at the menu and shrugged. “I could care less about people taking up my time when I’m with them. But with you, I don’t want anything interrupting us.”

“Why not?”

He lifted his head. “Because I actually want to spend time with you.”

I shut my menu because I already knew what I wanted. “You might not want to say things like that. We’re just friends, remember?”

His gaze turned serious. “Even friends can get scared away, Hayden. This is something I wanted to talk to you about, especially before the game this Friday. I just want you to be prepared.”

“Are you talking about the media?”

“How did you guess?”

“Because it’s something I wanted to talk to you about, too. Take, for instance, now—what if people take pictures of us and start speculating?”

“Is that something you can handle?” he asked, his expression concerned.

“I guess so. I’ve never known anyone like you. I don’t know what to expect.”

He started to speak, but then the waitress came by and asked for our orders. As soon as she left, he leaned over the table, his voice low. “There probably will be pictures popping up on the Internet and people wondering who you are. You don’t seem the type to scare easily, but there might be things said that’ll make you think bad of me.”

“Like what?”

“How much do you know about me?” he questioned seriously.

I shrugged. “Not much, other than what you’ve told me about yourself.” And what Michael had told me about the accident, but I didn’t want to get into that.

“So you haven’t read the tabloids or searched my name on the Internet?”

“No,” I said with a shake of my head; it was the truth.

“Do me a favor and don’t. That’s what I meant by even friends can get scared away. Other than the guys on the team and a few from the police department, I don’t have any close friends in North Carolina. It’s nice to be myself and get away from that part of my life. I just need to know that you’ll be able to handle whatever comes your way.”

He stared at me, waiting for an answer. My palms started to sweat and my heart raced. “I can handle it,” I said, hoping like hell I knew what I was getting into.

Reaching over the table, he grabbed my hand. “Just promise me you won’t believe anything you hear, see, or read without talking to me first. I don’t want you getting the wrong impression about me.”

I squeezed his hand. “I promise.” I’d read plenty of newspaper and tabloid articles about celebrities. It was hard to determine what was true and what wasn’t. I figured it had to be the same for high-profile sports players.

Our waitress brought our food and drinks and my stomach growled. Even though fried food wasn’t the healthiest thing to eat, it sure did smell good. At least I’d ordered a salad to go with my chicken tenders. Derek glanced down at my stomach and chuckled, his mood seeming to lift. I didn’t want to tell him that his concerns had me a little worried, but I couldn’t be scared of something that hadn’t happened yet.

“Tell me about your morning,” he said, taking a bite of his burger.

My stomach dropped, the food I’d just swallowed feeling like a brick going down my throat. “Well, let’s see. I had to put down a dog and run tests on one that has cancer.”

He cringed. “Ouch. That couldn’t have been easy.”

“It’s not. It breaks my heart when I have to take the life of a loved one or when I have to give the owners bad news.”

“I bet,” he murmured. “But I know you’re good at what you do.”

“I try,” I said with a smile. “I just wish I could save them all.”

A sad expression passed across his face. “I know how you feel.”

After we finished eating, he walked me back to the clinic and we stopped at his truck. “I guess I better get back to practice.”

“Yep, you don’t want to be late.”

He laughed. “You got that right. Coach will ream my ass.”

For a moment, he stood there staring at me, and I could feel the tension. I wanted him to kiss me, and I knew he wanted it as well by the look in his eyes. As if we’d read each other’s minds, we both stepped back.

“I’ll see you Friday,” I said. “As soon as I get off work, I’ll get ready and head to the stadium.”

He got in his truck. “Call or text me when you’re on your way so I can meet you at the gate. That way I can get you in.”