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    "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 aboutst night''s game, another wasining about city traffic, and yet another was discussing the best local bars.


    "Have you tried the lobster bisque here? It''s heavenly," M said, snapping me back to the moment.


    "No, I haven''t," I said, ncing at her. "I''ve never been here before."


    M smirked. "Right. I forgot. Small town potlucks and all that."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    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 toe 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 yers 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," M 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?"


    M 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, M turned to me again. She was swirling red wine around in her ss, 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,ughter 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 nned for the next practice." The team roared withughter, 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 M''s probingments.


    But then, in the middle of theughter, during a brief lull in the conversation, M''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 exin quite yet, that question felt anything but simple.