by Anna Albo
Allie chuckled. “You haven’t met my mother.”
They finished their meals and the last of the wine. Cavallo took the bill before Allie could reach for it. “My treat,” he said.
“Thank you very much, but you didn’t have to. At least let me pay my half.”
“Not necessary. This was my invitation.”
“Well, thank you.”
“Seeing as we had a bit to drink, what would you say to walking it off?”
“I’m sure I could catch a cab—” She stopped herself. She had to stop saying stupid things. “Yes, walking it off sounds like a great idea.”
She grabbed her coat and he slipped into his jacket. They stepped out into the cool November air but Allie didn’t notice. Her face, flushed both with wine and giddiness, didn’t feel the chill.
“Before you know it, it’ll be Christmas,” she said. “Are you going back home?”
“Probably not. I usually hang out with some of the other single guys. How about you?”
“I’m meeting my best friend in Toronto and we’re going to finish up plans for her summer wedding. I’m not a huge fan of the holidays. I don’t have any fond memories, so I don’t get very excited about it.”
He put his arm through hers, an action she didn’t expect. Her body stiffened for a second before relaxing. Every single part of her tingled and she took a few breaths to calm herself. This was just a walk and surely he didn’t want her to fall.
“I’ve had my fair share of shitty Christmases. After my dad remarried, it got better. My stepmom is a great woman. She made losing Ma a lot easier to handle.”
All the shops were closed, but they looked in to a few of them, and even though Allie’s feet were cold from her thin leather boots, she wasn’t about to abbreviate her walk with Will.
“Was it hard adjusting to your stepmom?”
“Do you mean did I resent her or anything?”
“Yeah, don’t all kids resent their stepparents?”
“No, not all of them. She was super cool with us and it’s not like our dad flung her on us. About a year after my mom died, she’d come around occasionally, and she made sure to get very involved in our lives. And she would talk about our mom with us because they knew each other casually. So she wasn’t a threat to us. Not once did she try to replace Ma. And two years after that, when Jason and I were teenagers, my dad sat us down and told us he wanted to marry Ruth and asked if he had our permission. By then Jason was playing junior hockey in Canada and I was going to be doing the same in a year or two. We didn’t want Dad to be alone. And we really liked Ruth.”
“That’s an amazing story. Do you miss your mom?”
“All the time. She used to take us to practice, cheer us on and then she got sick. Jason probably understood better than I did, but I knew what was happening. She promised she wasn’t going to die and I believed her. I was a kid, how was I supposed to know that she was saying it to make me feel better? Sometimes I wish she’d been straight with us. We would have been better prepared.”
Allie, usually a rock, felt her bottom lip quivering. “She was protecting you.”
“I know. I still remember every detail of her funeral. The whole day is etched in my memory. Everyone’s sad, sympathetic faces. My most vivid memory is staring at Ma in the casket and thinking that maybe she was breathing, that she’d come back to life. And when they shut it, I bawled like a baby. I haven’t cried since.”
Allie’s eyes welled up with tears. She was relieved he couldn’t see it. “I think it’s sexy when a man cries,” she said, trying to lift the sudden somber mood.
“Hmm. Maybe I should start crying now.”
“Trust me, you don’t need to.”
Had she said that out loud? He stopped walking and so did she. He turned to face her and her heart skipped a few beats. He stared down at her and in an instant he had her up against a building, kissing her like he’d never have the chance to do it again. She returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around him. His lips tasted of wine and felt soft and warm against hers. And then it was over as quickly as it began.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” he said, shaking his head and stepped back a few feet.
“Why? I’m not objecting,” she said breathlessly.
“You’re Eddie’s niece. No good can come from this. Besides, it’s against policy.”
“I don’t care. Who needs to know? I won’t tell anyone. Kiss me again.”
He took in a few quick breaths, his mind racing. Allie reached out to touch his arm and he flinched. She snatched her hand back, like she’d been hit with an electric shock.
“It’s not a good idea. Look, I’ll walk you back to your car, or call you a cab.”
Allie deflated. He was throwing up a wall and she could feel him slipping away. “I’m okay to drive and you don’t need to walk me back. There are tons of people out and about. I’ll be fine.”
“No, I insist on walking you back.”
And he did. The walk was silent and uncomfortable. Allie wished the sidewalk would swallow her whole so she wouldn’t have to pretend to be okay with everything. They reached her car and she thanked him for dinner but couldn’t look at him. She wanted to say more, so much more, but she choked. What could she say?
“I’ll see you at the next meeting,” she said.
“Yes, right. See you, Allie.”
She got in the car and he watched her drive away. She felt like a knife had been shoved in her gut and twisted a million times. She lost him before she even had him.
CHAPTER 15
“And that’s it? He walked you to your car and left?”
“Pretty much,” Allie said. She’d waited almost twenty-four hours to call Cate. She’d spent most of that time analyzing and re-analyzing what had happened. The kiss then the brush off. And the mixture of embarrassment and humiliation that followed, including the consumption of a lot of cookies, fast food and wine. “Now what do I do?”
“Absolutely nothing, at least not right now. He might have spooked himself and realized that getting involved with you wasn’t a great idea.”
Allie narrowed her eyes, an action Cate could clearly see through her computer screen. “First you tell me to pursue the guy, now it’s probably not a great idea. Which is it?”
“I know, I’m talking out of both sides of my mouth here, but if you look at it from his perspective, it’s a horrible idea. From your perspective, it’s not like you have anything to lose.”
Allie’s mood changed from sour to angry. “This isn’t helping at all!”
Cate bit her lip. “I guess you’re right on that point. Okay, forget everything I just said. Do you like this guy? Is he worth pursuing?”
“How can I pursue him if he’s got up the Berlin Wall?”
“Give him some time. If he likes you, he’s not going to care about anything else. Besides, if you’re cautious, who’s going to find out?”
THESE THOUGHTS WERE still running through Allie’s head the day of the foundation meeting. She’d see him for the first time and there was no escaping him. Sure, he could leave right after the meeting, but he’d still have to see her.
“Do I have to come—”
“No,” Allie said before Kyle could finish his sentence.
She had her notes and other papers to distribute all ready to go. In less than an hour she’d see Will. She chewed on the end of her pen, re-wrote her notes a few times, anything to get her mind off the meeting. She’d try to corner him before he left and talk to him, or see if he’d go for coffee with her, anything at all.
Just the thought of seeing him made her heart skip a beat. She hadn’t felt this way about a guy since high school, when young love was so innocent and new. Come to think about it, she’d never felt that way with Blake. They’d sort of causally fallen into a relationship and awkwardly fallen out of it. She didn’t stay awake for hours thinking about him or eating an entire bag of cookies downed with grocery store boxed wine. Will was so different . . .
and unattainable.
Her phone chimed. She picked it up and her heart deflated.
Will: Something’s come up. Can’t make it. Email me what I need to know.
She set down her phone and her shoulders sank. He was going to avoid her, that was his new plan. He was a coward. She rested her head on the desk and groaned. Now what?
“You okay?” Kyle asked.
“Just thinking,” she said. She stayed like this for a while until Kyle let her know that it was time for the meeting. Allie trudged to the boardroom, went through the motions and was happy when Tiffani took over. She did a roll call, catalogued all the donations and delegated tasks. With only two more meetings before Christmas, and only two after the holidays, there wasn’t much time left to plan.
The meeting ended and she returned to her office. Kyle took one look at her and frowned. “Hey, you look like crap. I think you should take the afternoon off.”
She looked at Kyle and nodded. Anger had set in now and she wanted to be alone to sulk. “Great idea. I’ll see you in the morning.”
EDDIE BREEZED INTO town for a few days. He was scheduled to attend the weekly Falcons management meeting. Allie was curious to see if the boys would treat her better if Eddie was around. She couldn’t wait to find out. Eddie had also summoned her to watch Monday’s morning practice with him. She found him in his usual seat watching the players warm up. He was the perfect distraction from her dour mood.
“This team is full of divas. I don’t know what to do with them anymore. They don’t even work hard in practice.”
Allie scanned the ice and zeroed in on Will. He was standing in a corner talking to a couple of his teammates. He was laughing and smiling. It irritated her. He hadn’t spotted her, that’s if he’d spot her at all.
“Practice hasn’t started yet.”
“So what? Why aren’t they warming up, skating around and doing something?”
She leaned back in her seat and tried to keep her eyes off of Cavallo. What if he thought she was there to see him when in reality she didn’t even want to be there? He’d made his position clear especially after blowing off the foundation meeting.
“Morale is low. I get the impression the team doesn’t think they can win,” she said, realizing she should focus on Eddie and not on Will.
“I’m not paying for another new coach. I’m still paying for the last one. Cam wants to trade for a new goalie, but I’m not throwing money at another prospect or any more solid contenders. They can throw out whatever adjectives they want, but I’m not falling for it.”
“Then this team is never going to succeed. The Falcons will always suck.”
Yes, she’d said it. She’d gone where no one dared go before. The bravado may have come from her frustration with Cavallo, or from listening to her uncle complain about a team he refused to invest in. And if he didn’t like the truth, he could fire her. Then she’d be free from the Falcons and could go back to Toronto and do whatever she wanted, whatever that happened to be.
“They got you brainwashed too,” he said, only half-annoyed.
“No, actually, they don’t. In fact, they barely speak to me. These are my observations, Eddie. Everyone is on a shoestring budget which means that any ideas are immediately quashed. This entire organization lacks life. Everyone here punches clocks because they are either too afraid or too bitter to come to you and ask for more money. Do you want a good team? A great team? Then you better start putting money into it otherwise this mediocrity will continue. Forever.”
Eddie shifted to face her as best he could in the arena seats. “Well, that was a lot to digest, young lady. I’m not sure where to start with you.”
If he was angry, she didn’t care. Maybe he’d fire her. Then she could leave and put the whole Falcons experience behind her. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but it’s what I believe.”
“Let’s go to my office. We have things to discuss.”
For the first time she was nervous. Okay, maybe she didn’t exactly want to lose her job, but backtracking now was going to be hard. Eddie rose and she did the same. The action caused a few players to take notice. She and Eddie were the only ones in the stands with the exception of the few reporters along the boards on the opposite side of the arena. Cavallo saw them, Allie knew it. She made a passing glance his way and his eyes were on them both. She followed Eddie out of the row and up the stairs to the concourse. They didn’t exchange a word until they were in his office. He shut the door behind him, dropping down into his plush leather chair. She took a seat in the plain blue office chair across from him.
“What’s going on around here?” His face was neutral and gave nothing away.
She took in a deep breath. She had no idea where to start. “What do you mean?”
“You can’t answer my question with a question. Let’s start with that.”
“Okay.”
“What’s going on around here? Who’s complaining about budgets?”
“No one in particular. They are all very careful, especially around me, but I can see it. I see the financials. The team operates at a loss.”
“Precisely. Why would I throw more money into it?”
She tilted her head to one side. “Because if you don’t, this team will languish. You can’t turn it around unless you pump money into it. That’s business 101 and you know it. There is no passion around here. Everyone seems to go through the motions. There is nothing to get excited about.”
“And you think a few more million is going to change that?”
“No. There are probably a few people around here who need to go. A few players should get their pinks slips, but I’m too new to give you anything more specific than that.”
He nodded and stared off into space, thinking. “You know I want specifics.”
“Eddie, if I could, I’d give them to you. From what I can tell, Strewchuk is good, but he needs better people around him.”
A long silence followed. Allie knew her uncle was processing, she just didn’t know what. “And they aren’t welcoming you into the fold? I thought they would have come around by now.”
“They haven’t.”
“I can make them do that.”
“No, please don’t,” she said, her voice rising ever so slightly. “I want to earn my place around here. You know that.”
“You can’t get on the inside unless I push you in.”
“Let me see how the next few months go. Maybe I can get inside myself.”
“I’ll give you until January, then I push.”
“Agreed.”
“What have you heard about the players?”
She shifted in her seat and Eddie picked up on it. He rolled his hand, motioning for her to speak.
“I don’t know that much,” she said.
“But you know something.”
Allie stood and paced the room. “The team is a mess. The players don’t care. There are a few that spoil the bunch.”
“Names?”
Did she betray Cavallo? She stared at her uncle for a long time, at his tanned and lined skin, deliberating over and over again. “I don’t have names.”
“Get names. They’ve got to go. Anything else?”
“There’s a vacancy in the legal department. I was thinking of Cate. I’m not even sure she’ll consider the job, but she’d be a great asset.”
“Ask her. I’ll pay the relocation fees if she agrees. At the meeting tomorrow, I’m going to be paying close attention to everything that’s going on. And you and I are going to have weekly discussions. It’s time to turn this team around.”
As she got up to leave, her first thought was how to convince Cate to come to St. Paul. It was a long shot, but she’d have to try.
“I HAVE A JOB.”
“I know. But this would be a great job.”
“I also have a fiancé.”
“This is true, but I’m sure he’d love to live here.”
“Uh, no. Nice try, though.”
“
Will you at least think about it?”
“Sure, for five minutes.”
“But you hate your job.”
“So do you.”
Allie couldn’t argue with that logic. “I figured I’d try. What do I have to lose?”
“Nothing, I suppose. Anything new with Will?”
“Nope. We’ve ceased all communication. I’ll see him this Thursday if he decides to show up to the foundation meeting.”
“I was thinking that maybe you should come here for the holidays. We don’t need to go to Toronto.”
“I should go home and spend it with my mother and her latest boyfriend. And Eddie and Aunt Eileen always have a big to-do. Eddie would be disappointed if I didn’t show. I can’t say the same for my mother. And don’t we have a wedding to plan?”
“Yes, but I was hoping we could do nothing instead . . .”
“Planning a wedding is stressful. We’ll make it fun. And you will give some thought to the job?”
“Allie, I can’t.”
“I know, but give me credit for trying.”
They ended their call and Allie crawled into bed. She had a long week ahead of her.
ALLIE’S EYES FLUTTERED open. The sun’s rays were coming through a small opening in her blinds. Then it hit her. It shouldn’t be that light out. She bolted upright and grabbed her alarm clock. She’d slept in and missed the management meeting. By the time she reached the office, having thrown on clothes and slapping on some makeup during her commute, the meeting was long over. She raced to her uncle’s office to find he’d already left for his flight to Toronto.
She’d never overslept in her entire life and on one of the most important days in her fledgling career, she’d dreamt it away. She returned to her office and Kyle was there eating a protein bar and working on his security schedule. He looked up at her and smiled.
“You’re in trouble.”
“Crap.”
“I covered for you and told them you were the witness to an accident and were waiting for the cops to show up, but because of the crappy weather, the cops were taking forever. I told them you offered to leave the scene, but the accident was pretty bad and you wanted to make sure the mother and baby were okay.”