After All These Years (One Pass Away #2) by Mary J. Williams Page A

was listening. “Until we knew if
    I got the job with the Knights, I was Logan’s physical therapist. Period.”
    Other than Gaige, Riley was the only one who had known the
    truth.
    When Gaige went to Oklahoma to see Logan Price, he took
    Claire Thornton with him. Claire had some radical ideas about rehabbing sports
    injuries. She stayed with Logan, getting him ready for his comeback. Gaige was
    tickled to death that the pair had fallen in love.
    However, Claire had wanted the assistant trainer’s job with
    the Knights. They decided it would be best if she and Logan didn’t advertise
    just how close they had become. If Claire wanted to get her foot in the door,
    being a player’s girlfriend wouldn’t be an asset.
    In the end, it hadn’t mattered.
    Claire didn’t have the job, but she had Logan—and understood
    that she had come out a winner.
    “About those ointments and potions you’ve developed?” Claire
    had her own concoctions that she used to help an athlete’s aches and pains. She
    had used them on Logan. If he were any example, they had worked wonders.
    “What about them?” Claire took a salmon puff off the tray of
    the circulating waiter.
    “I want to help you get them on the market.”
    “Really?” Claire almost choked on the puff.
    “Careful.” Laughing, Riley gently patted her on the back. “If
    I do my job properly, and I always do, those magic elixirs are going to make
    you a rich woman. You want to be around to enjoy it.”
    “Riley. I don’t know what to say.”
    “We’ll hash the details out, then you can say yes.” Riley
    loved that she was in a position to do something for Claire. “The deal will be
    more than fair.”
    “I’m sure.”
    “Don’t be. Get a lawyer. Gaige will give you the name of a
    good one. Read everything. Twice. If you don’t understand something, ask
    questions.”
    “Are you planning on cheating me?”
    “No. But I won’t be the last person you deal with. There are
    a lot of people who wouldn’t blink if it meant making an extra buck.”
    “Thank you, Riley. I know there’s more I want to say, but
    right now I’m a little overwhelmed.”
    Understanding, Riley changed the subject.
    “One more week and the games count.” Riley looked to where
    Gaige and Logan were speaking with Sol Bellows and Pete Jacobs. “Logan has
    looked great in pre-season. You’ve done wonders, Claire.”
    “He has worked his ass off.” Claire beamed with pride. And
    love. She and Logan could try to hide it, but anyone with eyes could tell how
    they felt.
    “Is he nervous?”
    “Sure. In a good way.” Claire took a sip of her drink. “I’m
    the one who can’t sleep. As much as I hated it, I would go back to waiting
    tables if it meant Logan could play football again.”
    No doubt about it , Riley thought. Claire Thornton and
    Logan Price had the real thing. Love with a capital L. It made her long for the
    same—with a certain someone who might never feel the same.
    “Speak of the devil.”
    “Is that what we were doing?” Following the path of Riley’s
    gaze, Claire nodded. “Ah. I see. Sean McBride. He certainly flirts like the
    devil. If I weren’t off the market, I would have been tempted to give that man
    a ride. Oops. Did I hit a nerve?”
    “It’s an old one. Why it hasn’t toughened up by now, I don’t
    know.”
    “Don’t you?”
    Sean chose that moment to meet Riley’s gaze. She was used to
    the jump of her heartbeat and the flutter in the stomach. However, this was
    something new. It was what she saw in his eyes that made her skin tingle with
    thousands of tiny electric jolts. She hadn’t changed. Sean had. He wasn’t
    looking at her with the old amused indulgence. He saw a woman. And he wanted
    her.
    “It isn’t fair. He’s already gorgeous. In a suit and tie and
    freshly shaven. I’ll bet he smells like heaven.”
    Riley’s eyes widened. She hadn’t meant to say that aloud.
    How embarrassing.
    Hiding her smile, Claire graciously gave