“Oh, Penny. He didn’t agree with his agent, did he? And you didn’t find anything to substantiate the rumors, right? You should know that rumors are just that—rumors,” Lexi said.
“I know. And he told me he loved me. But that doesn’t count when you’re in a fight, especially when it was the first time he’d said it,” Penny said, picking at the pepperoni on her pizza.
“Or it could mean that he loves you and just hadn’t found the perfect time to tell you,” Lexi said.
“You’re just saying that to make me feel better,” Penny grumbled, but her heart told her to believe him. To believe in them.
“Stop making excuses, Penny. And stop avoiding him. I’ve watched you together. It’s not a game to him. You’re scared that you found something worth hanging on to. Michael screwed you up, and your parents didn’t help matters, but Ethan is the real deal. Sure, he doesn’t have the best track record, and it might not work out, but what if it does? Why not hear him out? Let him explain,” Amanda said.
“I know. I panicked. I’m not proud of it. And he’s been texting…” she trailed off.
“How often? What’s he saying?” Lexi asked.
“Every night,and that he can explain, and he’s sorry. God, I’m an idiot. But I’m still scared. I love him. Like, more than Michael, and I was going to marry Michael. It would destroy me if it didn’t work out with Ethan.”
“Look, no relationship is perfect. You’re going to argue, say stupid shit. And you work at it because you can’t imagine your life without that person. Can you imagine your life without Ethan?” Lexi asked.
“No.”
“So knock this nonsense off and talk to him now,” Amanda said.
“He’s not home yet. I was thinking of apologizing at the game tomorrow night.” It was the right decision. She wasn’t going to give up on them so easily.
“Then we are going to need to make a sign,” Amanda said. “Got any poster board?”
Penny laughed, it was the first in days, and her nerves began to fade away. She loved him, and she was going to fight for him, even if she had to fight against her fears.
***
She squashed down her nerves as she knocked on Alan’s door. He’d requested a meeting and she had no idea why. When she walked in, Robert was sitting in one of the chairs, and her stomach turned into a knot.
“Penny, please take a seat. We wanted to talk to you.”
Oh God, were the rumors ramping up again? More pictures online? She took a steadying breath, willing her breakfast to remain where it was—in her stomach.
“Is anything wrong?” she asked, taking a seat and twisting her fingers in her lap.
Alan smiled at her. “No, not at all. We wanted to talk to you about taking on a new role at the company. It hasn’t escaped our notice how much you do for our clients and how you always go the extra mile to help train new colleagues. My wayward son included.”
“Thank you,” she replied. Not sure what else to say, besides it’s about freaking time!
“You manage some of our largest clients, which we know is no easy task,” Alan continued.
She nodded in agreement.
“And with that in mind, we want to move you up to an Accounting Manager position. You’d have your own team of accountants that will report directly to you. You can keep your own clients or they can be moved to other colleagues.”
“Wow. Umm.” This is what she’d been waiting for and her words failed. She’d worked so hard to get here, and instead of jumping up and agreeing, something held her back.
“So you’ll take the position?” Alan asked, just as his door opened, and Kevin poked his head in.
“Ready for lunch, Dad?” he asked, taking in the room. “What’s going on?”
“Kevin, now is not the time. Please wait in the hall, and when I’m done, we can go to lunch,” Alan admonished.
“Let me guess. She’s getting promoted?” he sniveled, ignoring his father, and glaring at her. What the hell was this asshole’s problem?
“Excuse me,” she bit out, clenching her fists and attempting to keep her temper at bay.
“Dad. You know she’s screwing Robert’s nephew, right? Trying to sleep her way to the top,” Kevin said.
Penny gasped. “How dare you imply that I have not earned this position,” she said.
“What position were you in when you earned it?” he asked, pure malice in his voice.
“I don’t know what I did to make you hate me, but I’m done trying to figure it out. And the entire office is aware that I am dating Robert’s nephew. And my personal life has nothing to do with my professional life,” she said, trying to remain calm while itching to stab him with a pen.
“Sure it doesn’t. When I’m in charge, your behavior will not be tolerated,” Kevin said.
Alan’s eyes widened, and Penny could only be grateful that Alan was witnessing his son’s horrendous behavior.
“When you’re in charge? Planning my retirement a bit prematurely,” Alan said, his eyes hard.
“But—” Kevin started.
“No. Your mother convinced me to give you this job, and while I would love nothing more than to pass it down to you, eventually, your behavior today makes me question why I thought this would be a good fit. Penny has worked hard for this company for years. Well before she probably met Ethan. We’ve been looking to promote her for some time, and it has nothing to do with whom she might be dating. You could learn a lot from her, but I have a feeling all you’ve given her is grief.”
“But she’s—”
“You called in sick on Friday. Came in late today. And treated your new manager with complete disrespect. Now go home and think about how you can be an asset to this company you think I’m just going to hand over to you.”
Kevin spun on his heel and stormed out of the room. Penny almost felt bad for the dressing down Kevin had received from his father. Almost!
“Penny, I am sorry that you’ve had to deal with his complete unprofessionalism. Alan, we need to have a conversation if he can even have a place here. I know you are trying to please Susan, but this is too much,” Robert said.
“Yes, we will. I’m extremely sorry on behalf of my son, Penny,” Alan said as he turned to face her, embarrassment clear on his face.
“Thank you for supporting me,” she replied, unsure of what else to say, especially since that outburst had made her decision for her.
“I do hope you take the position. I will make sure he is assigned to another manager,” Alan said.
“While I have loved working here over the years, and have worked for this promotion, I’m going to turn it down.” She rose from her seat. A mixture of panic and exhilaration rushed through her, but this was the right decision. The only decision.
“Wait. What?” Robert asked, his focus back on her.
“There will always be questions, the rumors, the doubt. And why did it take so long for you both to realize that I deserved to be promoted? I’ve brought in more clients than anyone else, and my error rate is miniscule.” Her confidence flowed through her. She was going to resign, and she was going to be okay with it. Happy, actually.
“Ignore the gossip. It means nothing. You are a highly-valued employee, and it was our oversight waiting this long,” Robert said, his expression calm, but his voice held the faint tremor of panic.
“I’ve thought about it for a long time, and I’m tendering my resignation. I’ll have a letter on your desk within the hour.”
“Penny, you don’t need to do this,” Robert said, the tremor in his voice growing.
“Yes, actually, I do. I want to go out on my own. I will not poach any of your existing clients, Ethan included. I am fully aware of the non-compete clause in my contract, and I’m fully prepared to start my business from scratch.” She was surprised at how calm she sounded, and how peaceful she felt.
“Is there anything we can do to convince you to stay? I’ll gladly fire Kevin,” Robert said.
“Y
es, Penny, you are our best employee. What can we do to convince you to stay?” Alan asked, looking chagrin, as well he should. Kevin was an entitled, spoiled brat, but she wouldn’t tell his father that. It wasn’t her place.
“Nothing. It’s been a pleasure working here for the last six years, but it’s time for me to move on. I’ll give you the standard two weeks, unless you want me to leave now?” she asked.
“No. Two weeks is fine.”
They both looked shell-shocked, and she couldn’t blame them. She’d had no intention of dropping the bomb today, but the moment had felt right, and now all she wanted to do was find Ethan and tell him. And tell him what an idiot she was and how much she loved—and trusted—him. But that would happen tonight at the game.
“I’m going to go back to my office then. Thank you again for the opportunity. I’ll make sure each of my files has very detailed notes for the next accountant.” With one last nod, she exited Alan’s office.
“What the hell just happened?” Lexi asked, poking her head into Penny’s office ten minutes later.
“I just got the promotion…and then I quit.”
“I’m sorry, you what?” Lexi asked, plopping down into the chair on the other side of Penny’s desk.
Lexi’s rage grew as Penny told her what had happened with Kevin.
“Holy shit. But do you really have to quit?”
“You know it’s for the best. And I’ve been thinking about this for a while now.”
“I’m really proud of you, Penny. Don’t let them convince you to stay,” Lexi said with a smile.
“I won’t.”
“So, are you nervous for tonight?”
“Nope. I’m ready to fight for what’s mine,” she said. She was totally lying to herself, and her nerves came back in full force. But in a few hours, she was going to prove to Ethan how much she loved him. He’d stopped texting yesterday, and she tried not to think about what that meant. The ball was in her court and she was running with it. She was going to get everything she wanted. She refused to hold back on her dreams any longer.
Chapter 25
Ethan skated out onto the ice, focused solely on the warm-up puck currently on his stick. He would not look up into the stands, searching for the woman who refused to respond to his texts. He had a game to play, he had to prove to everyone that he deserved to be here. That he could help his team edge closer to the playoffs.
They were currently in the second wild card spot, but Edmonton, the team below them, was only two points behind the Strikers. One measly game could change the standings since Edmonton had games in hand, and they were playing tonight against a flailing Vancouver.
Cheesy skated up to him, shooting a practice puck on net, sinking it behind Gally. “How are you doing tonight?”
“Fine. Just want to get started and beat Tampa tonight. Keep Edmonton on our heels,” he said, dropping down to stretch his hips. The left side was sore from a hard hit into the boards the other night.
Cheesy sank down next to him, twisting at his waist to loosen up. “You sure?”
“Yeah. I’m good.” He couldn’t stop himself from scanning the lower bowl, looking for Penny, but the seats next to the penalty box, her favorite, were filled by someone else, and he didn’t see her pressed against the glass, book in hand. He refused to acknowledge what that did to his heart.
He bit back that thought. He had no time for it. He had a game to win. Teammates to support.
As the puck dropped twenty minutes later, Ethan easily won the face-off and focused on the game. Everything else had to be pushed aside. The game—and his love for it—was all that mattered right now. He was living his dream, so why did it feel hollow?
***
“Great first period, boys,” Cheesy said as they headed down the tunnel toward the locker room at intermission. One down, two to go. They were up one to zero thanks to a goal by Dom ten minutes in. Ethan might not have any points yet tonight, but his game was back. His focus sharp and determined. Tonight was going to be a good game, even if their lucky charm was absent.
None of the guys had said anything, and he’d stopped looking for her after his third shift. He’d really thought she’d show up tonight. It pissed him off, but he channeled his anger into his playing, and it’d paid off so far.
“I see the good luck charm is back,” Cheesy said. Ethan spun around, following the direction of Cheesy’s pointing finger.
How had he missed her? She held that damn book to her chest, a tentative smile on her face, her cheeks pink, as she nibbled on her lip. What did she have to be nervous about? She knew exactly how he felt. Him, not so much. But this had to be a good sign.
“Hi,” she said, her voice soft.
“What are you doing here?” His tone was unintentionally harsh, and she flinched. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out that way.”
“Umm.” She dropped her gaze and tucked an errant curl behind her ear, then rolled her shoulders back and looked up at him, her gaze no longer tentative. “I came to apologize for last week. To tell you I miss you and I’m sorry.”
“I missed you, too,” he couldn’t stop himself from saying.
“For fuck’s sake,” he heard Bugsy mutter as he brushed past Ethan, “you have ten minutes, Harty. We need our good luck charm, so fix whatever shit you caused and make her happy.”
Penny’s awkward laugh rang through the tunnel. “It’s actually me who has to apologize. Ethan’s been nothing but perfect.” There was a wistful tone in her voice and a few of the guys who’d stayed to watch the show chuckled. Shit. He’d get ribbed for this for a while.
“Let’s grab an office and talk,” he said, steering her away from his teammates.
“Nope. I’m doing this right now. I love you and I’m sorry. And I should’ve said it earlier, as soon as I knew, but I was scared. Hell, maybe I fell in love with you in Italy. I definitely gave you part of my heart all those months ago, and now I want you to have the rest of it.” She rushed toward him, her voice lowering. “If you still want it.”
He pulled her into his body–she’d have to deal with the sweat–and he dropped his gloves, needing to touch her face. He cupped her cheek, and leaned down, further than usual since his skates added extra inches. “Of course I do,” he said, then sealed his lips to hers.
Her hands snaked around his waist, the sound of her book hitting the ground echoed through the hallway, mostly muffled by the sounds of clapping and a few woo-hoos.
“Get a room,” Baz called out, and the guys laughed.
He broke the kiss on a soft groan, wishing he could take her home right now, but he had fifteen minutes left before the next period.
“We’ll be right back,” he said, towing her toward an empty office, shutting out the catcalls as the door slid shut.
“Sorry, maybe there was a better place to do this, but I was late to the game, so I couldn’t get you before warm-ups, and I wanted to tell you in person, and I should’ve texted you back or called or—”
He cut her off. “No, this was perfect. God, I missed you,” he said, sinking his hands into her hair and pulling her close again. “But you can’t run again. I’m not perfect, and no relationship is easy.”
“I know. And I’m sorry. I panicked, but I trust you and love you. I’m not running again, I promise. I love you more than anyone else in my life. You brought me back to life and helped me realize what I want is you. With all my heart,” she said, and he crushed his lips to hers.
When he broke the kiss, he whispered against her lips, “I love you, too. Even if you drive me crazy.”
She huffed out a laugh. “The feeling is mutual. Do you have to get back to the locker room now?”
“Probably,” he said, straightening up. “Sorry, I got you sweaty.”
“I don’t care.”
“I see all the flags are gone,” he said, motioning toward the book she’d dropped down on the table.
“Yes, and I’m still here. I’m sorry, I don’t know why I
said that,” she said, gripping his hand.
“It’s fine, Penny,” he said, squeezing her hand back. “But now what are you going to work on, if you’ve become a hockey expert?”
She pulled a small book out from the middle of the hockey book. Green flags decorated this one.
“I have a new list,” she said, showing him the cover.
Twenty-two ways to show Ethan that I love him. And it had a picture of her wearing his jersey and blowing him a kiss. He was man enough to admit what that picture did to his heart. Not to mention how freaking hot it was.
“Did you make this?”
“Yes. I’m not a total expert on showing you how much I love you, but with each task, I get to remove a flag,” she said, her cheeks bright pink. He snagged the book from her hands.
Her words warmed him down to his toes. This was what he’d always wanted. Sure, there’d been bumps he hadn’t anticipated along the way, and he hadn’t been looking for her, but now that she was truly his, he was never letting her go.
“And what exactly are these tasks?” he asked with a grin as he flipped through the pages.
Penny’s cheeks heated again as that crooked smile she loved so much grew. Yes, she’d listed a few naughty items. More like love coupons. Not actual pictures or anything, but his grin made her belly flutter.
“We can get to that later,” she said, snagging the book from his hands. “You have a game to finish.”
“I still have a few minutes,” he said, tugging her closer. She sank into his embrace, tilting her head up to meet his kiss as he surrounded her. Why had she ever doubted him? Every nerve disappeared as he consumed her mouth, his tongue tangling with hers. She dropped the book to the table, and his hands gripped her waist, lifting her.
She wrapped her legs around his hips, and he groaned against her mouth. She wished they could go home now so she could show him just how much she loved him.
A knock on the door broke them apart.
“Five minutes left, Harty,” a voice called out.
Breakout (San Francisco Strikers Book 1) Page 25