by Tessa Bailey
“I’m glad I was able to catch you instead of leaving a message. We were impressed with your credentials before you sat down with us. Your education combined with your experience working with hockey players makes you a perfect fit for our organization. The position is yours if you want it,” he offered.
“I’m definitely interested,” I answered before we discussed the details of the position—what the travel requirements would be, salary, vacation. All of those pesky details that needed to be considered before I could accept. Luckily, what they offered was even better than I’d expected. “Yes, I’ll take the job. I’m really looking forward to working with the team.”
And just like that, I had my first position as a physical therapist. My dream had been realized and I would be working with athletes to create prevention and recovery programs that might allow them to stay on the ice longer—something I desperately wished someone had been able to do for me when I was younger.
I sent a quick text to Cee-Cee and then Alec to let them know the news. I debated a moment before pulling up my dad’s number and punching the green button to connect the call. I listened as the line rang twice before going to voicemail—something that only happened when a call was ignored.
“Hey, Dad. It’s Josie. I just found out I got the job with the Cavaliers, so it looks like I’ll be moving out of the house soon. If you get a chance, give me a call back, okay?”
Alec texted right away to ask that I let him know when my first day would be so he could make sure he was at the rink, and Cee-Cee called to congratulate me. We made plans to go out to celebrate her promotion and my new job but didn’t set a firm date since our schedules were up in the air.
But even after several days had passed, my dad still hadn’t returned my call. It killed me to know how far apart we had drifted over the years since my mom had died. I knew she would hate seeing us like this, but I didn’t know what to do to fix it other than to keep reaching out and hoping that, eventually, he’d take my hand.
* * *
It felt like forever, but my first day of work finally arrived. I was incredibly excited to start and arrived at the rink almost fifteen minutes early. I put several of my dad’s guilt gifts to good use today, too. I parked my black Gucci Fiat in the employee lot and grabbed my Michael Kors bag from the passenger’s seat. I was dressed to impress this morning in my favorite Tahari suit—the charcoal-grey blazer and trousers were extremely professional-looking while the lacy, floral-print top added a feminine flair. Most importantly, I felt like I looked my best as I walked through the doors of the stadium where the team played.
“Hey, Jo,” I heard as strong arms grasped me from behind and I was lifted off my feet.
“Alec!” I shrieked in surprise. “What are you doing here so early?”
When he put me back down on the ground, I spun around to give him a big hug. “I figured things hadn’t changed that much over the years and odds were you’d get here at least a little early. You always did back when you helped out the team at Brower.”
“It’s so good to see you,” I said as I felt a huge smile spread across my face. It really was good to see someone I knew even though it had been years.
“Look at you, all grown up and even more beautiful than ever,” Alec complimented me.
“Me? Look at you! I can hardly believe it. You’re a professional hockey player now. Just like you said you would be back in high school.”
His blue eyes twinkled with humor. “And you’re our newest physical therapist. Just like you always wanted.”
“It feels damn good to be here, too,” I admitted.
“I mentioned to my parents that you’re working here now and they were so happy for you,” he told me.
I’d met his parents a few times at games when we were younger. They were dedicated hockey parents who sometimes had to split their time between his games for Brower and his older brother’s up in Chicago. I’d even gone out to eat with them a time or two and enjoyed how proud they were of Alec. It was obvious how close knit their family was even though they supported Alec attending high school at Brower so he could play hockey there. A decision that had apparently paid off since he was playing for the Cavaliers now.
“Tell them thank you for me, will you?” I asked.
Alec shook his head in response. “How about you tell them yourself? They’re throwing a barbeque this weekend and wanted me to ask if you’d come.”
“When is it?” It didn’t really matter since I had no set plans for the weekend.
“Saturday at noon,” he answered. “Can I let them know you’ll be there?”
“Absolutely! It will be nice to see them again.”
“Some of the guys will be there too along with their families. So it will be a good chance for you to get to know them better before the season starts,” he explained. “I’ll text you the details later. You’d better get going or you’re going to be late for your first day.”
I pulled my phone out of my bag to check the time and almost freaked out because he was right. I hadn’t realized how long we’d spent chatting. I gave Alec a quick hug and dashed off so I wouldn’t be late. Not that it mattered that much because I spent the whole morning filling out paperwork with Human Resources. It wasn’t until almost lunchtime that I met one of the trainers so he could give me a tour of the facilities.
“Hey,” he greeted me as he walked up. His eyes scanned me from head to toe and lit up with appreciation for what he saw. He wasn’t too bad-looking himself either with wavy, sandy-blond hair and green eyes. He was dressed in dark-blue athletic shorts and a light-blue Cavaliers shirt. I could tell he worked out often because of how muscular his arms and legs were, which made sense considering his profession. “I’m Mike. You must be our new PT, Jocelyn?”
I offered him my hand to shake. “Josie please.”
“Josie it is, then,” he replied as he flashed me an easygoing grin. “Dr. M wanted me to give you a tour of the place and then I’ll show you where we usually eat. If that’s okay with you?”
“Sure, that’s fine,” I answered.
We talked a little about our careers and education as Mike showed me the workout facilities, the locker room, and my office.
“How did you manage to land this position straight out of school, Josie?” he asked as we walked to the employee dining room.
“Well…” I stalled since I was a little flustered by the directness of his question. “My best guess is I was the most qualified candidate. I have my doctorate in physical therapy, spent years on the ice myself, and have worked with dozens of hockey players going back since high school.”
“Sorry,” he apologized. “That came out wrong. Rumor around the rink is you have an in with one of the players, so I figured you were his girlfriend or something and he put in a good word for you.”
I had forgotten that the gossip mill on a team could be worse than a small town. “Yes, I do know one of the players because we went to high school together. No, he isn’t my boyfriend, and if he put in a good word for me, it’s because he knows I’m damn good at my job.”
“Josie,” he said as he reached for my arm right outside the door to the dining room. “I really am sorry that I spoke out of turn that way. You seem like the whole package. Smart, beautiful, and nice. Just be careful around these guys, okay? It might not be bad if everyone thinks you’re already taken because then they won’t hit on you all the time.”
“Thanks for the concern, Mike, but I’ll be able to handle the guys fine. I’ve spent years working with athletes, so I know what to expect,” I assured him as I slowly opened the door and conversation from within drifted our way.
“Did you see the chick they hired as our new PT?” someone said before whistling. “Damn, she’s smoking hot. I may just have to hurt myself during practice so I can get me some alone time if you know what I’m saying.”
Mike quirked an eyebrow at me in an ‘I told you so’ gesture as I started to step forward. I stopped when I heard so
meone grunt, and when I peeked around the door, I saw Alec pushing another guy up against a wall.
“She’s off-limits, man. Enjoy the puck bunnies as much as you want, but Josie is not here for your enjoyment. She worked hard to get this job, and I’m not gonna sit by and watch as anyone harasses her. Got it?”
“Not your boyfriend?” Mike whispered in my ear.
“More like a protective brother,” I answered before walking in the room.
“Josie?” another player exclaimed in surprise as I entered the room.
I glanced away from where Alec was letting his teammate go and saw Jason Campbell. We knew each other from when I’d been working on my doctorate at Blythe College and helped his roommate with a knee injury, but I had no idea Jason was playing for the Cavaliers now.
“Jason,” I greeted him with a hug. “Wow. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
“Yeah, it was kind of a surprise to me too. I never figured I’d have the chance to play after college, but I was in town visiting Luka and Aubrey and he talked me into skating during a local showcase. Next thing I knew, I had an offer to skate with them during training camp this summer,” he explained.
“That’s fantastic, Jason,” I congratulated him.
“You know Luka. He had it all planned out. He’d already gotten Alec to talk to their coach about me and sent over some tape of us playing, my stats, and even asked our coach over at Blythe to give him a call. It was a total setup job from the start because he knew I’d jump at the chance to play for the Cavs if I could. I’m not officially on the roster yet, but I’m gonna play my ass off to make it happen now that I have the chance.”
I wasn’t surprised to hear that Luka had gone out of his way to try to help his best friend, especially if it meant they would both live in the same town after having graduated. I’d gotten to know him fairly well while I’d helped him rehab his knee, but I hadn’t stayed in contact very much after an awkward encounter with his girlfriend, who had thought I was at his place for a very different reason. It had been a case of miscommunication between the two, but I couldn’t help but feel like it’d been partially my fault they’d gotten into a fight and almost broken up.
Considering the fact that it was Alec who had gotten Luka in touch with me after his injury, I also shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d helped him out with Jason too. Alec and Luka had played hockey together when they were younger, and Luka had mentioned that Alec was the reason he’d gotten the scholarship to Blythe in the first place. The coach had come to watch Alec play at a summer tournament and ended up scouting Luka while he was there. Alec wanted to play for a junior team instead of a college right away because he’d hoped to follow in his brother’s footsteps and make it to the NHL. Luka and Alec had still managed to stay good friends even with the miles that separated them.
“If I couldn’t talk Luka into playing for the team, then I guess you were the next best thing, Jason,” Alec teased. “But he decided he was done with competitive hockey after he graduated, and there’s no changing his mind once it’s made up.”
“Luka was a stubborn one, all right,” I agreed, thinking of the way he had insisted that my treatment of him remain a secret in fear that he might put his scholarship in jeopardy. A secret that had almost cost him his girlfriend. “I hope things are going well for him and Aubrey?”
Alec and Jason looked at each other with huge smiles on their faces. “They’re doing great. They moved back to town around the same time you did, into an apartment in my building,” Alec answered.
It warmed my heart to know that things had worked out between the two since it had been painfully obvious to me how deeply in love Luka was with Aubrey. Even when I was torturing him with strengthening exercises, he hadn’t been able to stop talking about her.
“Living in sin, eh?”
“Not for long if Luka has his way,” Jason replied. “But you didn’t hear that from me when you see them this weekend. I don’t think Aubrey has any idea that he’s already thinking about popping the question.”
“It will be nice to see so many familiar faces at the barbeque, but I promise—my lips are sealed.”
Chapter Four
Andrew
I wasn’t sure what the hell had been wrong with me lately, but I wasn’t acting like myself at all. I’d barely noticed any of the women who were throwing themselves at me even though I was full of restless energy that needed to be burned off somehow. I’d taken to running instead of fucking. Thirty was way too young for me to give up on sex, but it looked like I’d finally gotten over the whole random-hookup thing. The problem was that I hadn’t met anyone I considered potential girlfriend material either lately. There were a few sparks here and there, but nothing that wouldn’t fizzle out in a night or two.
What I wanted was that pull I’d felt when I’d seen that caramel-haired beauty at The Box about a month ago. If I were going to take the dive into a relationship, then it should really be with someone who could catch and hold my attention. Clearly, she could since she’d somehow become the vision I measured other women against. How the hell that had happened in such a short time, I had no idea. Maybe it was just a case of wanting what I couldn’t have or something. But damn, the chemistry between us had been insane enough that I’d felt it from across the room.
Deciding that it was time to put up or shut up, I asked someone out on a date last week. A drop-dead-gorgeous blonde who modeled underwear for God’s sake. She should have been the perfect thing to take my mind off a woman I didn’t know who was probably married to some douchebag by now. I took her to dinner at one of the best restaurants in town—not one of mine, of course, because I didn’t need the headaches that could come of that if things didn’t work out. Turned out to be the only thing I did right that night. She barely touched the salad she ordered—after having given the waiter a hard time about every fucking ingredient in it. It was a salad—what the hell did it matter what lettuce they used or what dressing they gave you if you were going to get it on the side and not even eat it anyway?
She did enjoy the shit out of the bottle of wine I ordered though. Maybe she had been saving all of her calories for that, because she managed to polish off the whole bottle except the one glass I had. By the time dinner was done, I was ready to toss her into a cab to get her out of my hair since she had decided that my taking her to dinner meant I was also taking her to bed. Carlie, Candy, Carla—whatever the hell her name was—was a helluva lot stronger than she looked, which I discovered when she tried to wrap herself around me while I convinced her that I had a work emergency and had to bail.
She finally got in the cab when I promised to call her another time. A promise that I sure as hell was not going to keep. At least I was able to tell her that I couldn’t do anything this weekend because I already had plans with my family. It was our first damn date, which hadn’t gone well at all, and she actually had the nerve to act all pissed off because I wasn’t going to invite her along. No way in hell would I ever do that. My brother and I didn’t bring chicks to our parents’ house unless we were serious about them. Which, in my case, meant I never brought women home to meet the family. My brother, on the other hand, had brought a couple of girls around in the last few years since he’d been back in Chicago.
I reached for my cell to give him a call since we hadn’t spoken in a few weeks. It was unusual for us, but I’d been overwhelmed with business stuff since Mark was trying to meet his girlfriend’s demands for more together time. And I was sure my brother hadn’t called lately because he was busy getting ready for the upcoming hockey season. Time was starting to run out on his chances to moving up to the NHL.
“Dude,” Alec answered. “What’s up?”
“Not much, bro. Just wanted to check in with you and see how things have been going,” I explained.
“Good,” he replied. “Damn good in fact.”
“Training camp is going well?”
“Yeah. We have some new players who have a lot of
talent, so it should be a great season,” he started before rattling off details on the new guys in camp with him.
I was damn proud of my baby brother for chasing after his dream, but I worried about what he was going to do when his time on the ice was over. The team hadn’t pulled him up to the NHL as part of his two-way contract yet and time wasn’t on his side for it to happen. He was a really good player, but things had gotten even more competitive in the five years between our entry into professional hockey. I’d had the business to help me adjust to my new life without hockey and it was probably the only thing that had saved me. I just hoped that, when the time came, he’d seriously consider coming to work for me.
“You going to Mom’s barbeque tomorrow?” I asked, knowing damn well what his answer was going to be.
“Of course I am, dumbass,” he grumbled in response. “Mom would never forgive me if I skipped out on it and then Dad would have to kill me or something. Plus, I invited some of the guys from the team, too.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing you. We live in the same city and I swear I see you less now than ever before. You need to find some time to come out to one of the restaurants for dinner or something,” I told him.
“You can count on it. Maybe I’ll ask Jo to come out for a bite to eat one of these nights. You’ll finally get a chance—” Alec said as my other line beeped.
I moved the screen down to see if I needed to take the call or not while he kept on talking. “Hey, Alec. Sorry, but I have to go. This is a work call that I have to take. Invite whoever you want to dinner. Just let me know what night and how many. I’ll set it up for The Wheelhouse.” I rattled off the name of his favorite restaurant of mine before carrying on with the rest of my workday and looking forward to seeing him again the next day.
* * *
When I pulled up at my parents’ house the next morning, I was surprised to see Alec’s car there already. He was usually late to everything. Mom must have talked him into helping out since he had friends from the team coming over.