?


    "Yes, I am," I said, trying to keep my tone neutral. "I''ve been working with his team for a little over a year now."


    M nodded. "Interesting. And you''ve been to med school?" She crossed her arms, a small smirk ying on her lips.


    "Not yet," I said with a shake of my head, "but I''ve had a good amount of practical experience and learned a lot from other healthcare professionals."


    "Ahh, practical experience. That must be a small town thing," she said, scanning her eyes over the array of medical equipment behind the benches. "You see, here in the city, we usually expect our doctors to be fully trained."


    I felt my cheeks warm up with abination of irritation and embarrassment. I opened my mouth to counter her snidement but was interrupted.


    "Nina, how''s my favorite girl?" Enzo came trotting up to us with nothing more than a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close. The other team members were making their way to the bench, their mouths hanging open as they gasped for breath. He was going too hard on them, I could tell. But maybe they needed it.


    "Your favorite girl is enjoying the show. You''re doing a great job," I said, relieved for the change in conversation." Although you''re going hard on them, I can see."


    Enzo chuckled. "Yeah, well, maybe they need someone to go hard on them," he said. He then turned to M, shooting her a friendly smile. "How''s everything on your end?"


    "Everything is under control," she said, her voice taking on that sweet tone that it didn''t have with me. Her hand made its way to her shoulder, and she began twirling a strand of dark hair around her finger. "Go as hard as you need to on them. It''s what I''m here for."


    Enzoughed, but M''s quick nce in my direction wasn''t lost on me. I knew what she was implying. I felt my wolf stir in indignation, and I had to quickly look away to hide the redness in my cheeks.


    "So," Enzo continued, "I was thinking we could all grab dinner after this with the team. Tim says there''s a great ce nearby. You two up for something to eat?"


    "Dinner sounds perfect," I said, eager for an excuse to move past the awkward conversation. "You in, M?" Mile smirked. "Oh, absolutely. Wouldn''t miss it for the world," she responded, but I couldn''t help but detect a hint of something in her voice, something that suggested dinner would be its own kind of battle.


    Enzo squeezed my shoulder. "Alright, I need to get back to the guys. Nina, you okay here?"


    "I''m great," I replied, forcing a smile. He returned it, kissed me quickly, and then dashed back onto the ice.


    As I watched him skate away, I couldn''t help but think about M''s snide remarks. My face still felt hot, but having Enzo by my side had a way of putting things into perspective. He wasn''t reciprocating, and that was all that mattered, right?


    "So... dinner." M broke the silence. "I''m sure you''re dying to eat."


    I shrugged. "Yeah, it''s gettingte. And you know..." I patted my belly, which was still mostly t, but carried a tiny life inside of me. "Eating for two and all that."


    M raised an eyebrow, but said nothing about the pregnancy. "So, you must be looking forward to experiencing some city cuisine," she said. "You know, something other than small town potlucks."


    I clenched my teeth but kept my smile steady. "You would be surprised at how good small town food can be."Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Oh, I''m sure," she said. "But there''s noparison to the big city. Hell, for all you know, your husband mighte home to you in six months with a taste for... the finer things in life."


    I frowned, opening my mouth to retort, but M was already strutting away. All I could do was watch her as she left, her hips swinging and her eyes on my husband.