Charm on the Rocks: A Slapshot Prequel (Slapshot Prequel Trilogy Book 3)

by Heather C. Myers

  Madison was always amused by Amanda’s stories, especially when they involved a good amount of gossip, but she knew she could never be Amanda. Madison wasn’t exactly a party girl and she rarely if ever drank, save for maybe a beer every now and then. She didn’t take on more than she could handle when it came to her job and school work. Instead of having tons of friends, Madison had Amanda and Rhine and Stephanie from back home. And possibly her two younger sisters, if they counted. Yet somehow, the pair of the redhead and the brunette seemed to work. Amanda never pressured Madison to party or to drink and Madison never teased Amanda for her flightiness.

  “What are we doing here, exactly?” Madison asked once Amanda had finished her story about how she smiled and waved at her ex, but refused to go up and speak to him due to the fact that they only broke up a couple of months ago, and while she wanted to be the bigger person, she also didn’t want to revert back to the pain she experienced immediately after the goodbye. “We don’t have a game until tomorrow, right?”

  “I don’t know,” Amanda said. “Surprisingly enough. All I know is that while technically, Lara called us all together, Katella’s actually going to be running the meeting.”

  “That’s what I don’t get, though,” Madison murmured. “Why? She’s not the owner, and besides being Seraphina’s sister and Peters’ girlfriend, I don’t understand how she has any authority on calling a meeting.”

  “Ooh, someone has it out for her,” Amanda said with a grin.

  “No, that’s not it at all,” Madison said, shaking her head. “I don’t even know Katella. She actually seems really nice. I just don’t get why we’re here. Did we do something wrong?”

  “You need to calm down, Mads.” Amanda gave her friend a pointed look. “Seriously. Who cares? The only thing I might get upset about is the fact that the gas is so expensive right now. What’s the problem anyway? Got a hot date?”

  Madison laughed at the ridiculous claim, but that didn’t stop her face from turning red.

  “Spill,” Amanda said, pouncing on the telltale blush. “Right now. Is he a player? Oh my God, is it Alec Schumacher?” She whispered the last part, ensuring that the surrounding Girls didn’t overhear.

  “What?” Madison asked. “Oh, God no. No. It’s definitely not Alec Schumacher. Why would you say it’s Alec Schumacher?”

  “I don’t know,” she replied, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s just, he always seems to find a way to interact with you, even though technically, he’s not supposed to. Be careful. I already told you about his reputation but...” She let her voice trail off and took a step closer to Madison so Amanda’s pink lips nearly reached Madison’s ear. Whatever Amanda was about to say was going to be big. “At the end of the last season, Faye hooked up with him.”

  “Faye?” Madison whispered, surprised. “The captain?”

  “Shhhh!” Amanda looked at the person they were talking about, but as far as the two girls could tell, Faye didn’t overhear them. She seemed to be wrapped up in her own conversation with two Girls Madison recognized as Erica and Kim. “Yes. Nobody’s supposed to know about it. I only know because, well it’s a long story, but to shorten it, she was hoping for something more serious, he wasn’t, and somehow I was in the only other Girl in the locker room when they ended things. Faye looks really strong and is no doubt definitely a bitch, but when she told me everything and I comforted her, she seemed... broken.”

  “But I thought everyone knew his reputation,” Madison said. “Shouldn’t she have known better?”

  “Well, yeah, but every girl wants to be that girl, you know? The girl that gets a guy to commit or to get off drugs or to get over himself. Rarely does it ever happen, and that’s what heartbreak is all about. But for whatever reason, Faye truly believed she could be Alec’s One, and he pretty much rejected her.”

  “When you say hooked up...” Madison let her voice trail off, but she didn’t have to finish the sentence for her question to come across.

  “Yeah, they had sex,” Amanda said with a curt nod. “The thing is, Faye admitted that Alec told her that he wasn’t interested in anything serious but Faye thought that after they did it, he might change his mind, you know? When Alec stopped taking her calls, she went over to his place and confronted him, only to find him with another girl. Not a Gulls Girl, mind you. But still.”

  “I mean, yeah it sucks that he likes to play the field, but at least he was upfront about it.” Madison crossed her arms over her chest. “I feel like girls sometimes think guys play games with them or will change their mind, but when they say something, I always tend to believe it. It’s high school all over again. I don’t have any patience for mind games. I feel like they’re a waste of time. It was stupid for Faye to have sex with him after he told her he wasn’t interested in anything serious, and she had no right to go over to his house. They weren’t ever exclusive.”

  “No, I agree,” Amanda said. “But that’s why I say be careful. Listen, I’m as romantic as the next person. I think one day, Alec’s going to meet that girl and he won’t know what to do with himself. But he has a history with the Girls, and even more than that, he has a history, albeit a very short one, with Faye. She doesn’t seem to like you all that much anyway, and you really don’t need to give her another reason to increase your ranking on her shit list.”

  “Trust me, I am not interested in Alec Schumacher,” Madison said. “Actually, I met this guy in my social psychology class.” Madison went on to tell her friend how she and Brady met, how they had a connection, and how silly she felt at the way her body reacted to his mere attention. “I don’t know. It’s too soon to say what’s going to happen, but...” She felt herself blushing once again. “But I hope something does, you know?”

  “He sounds like one of those rare species you don’t believe in until you actually see them,” Amanda said. “Like Big Foot. Or the Loch Ness Monster. And no one believes you because they haven’t seen it for themselves. Wow, a hot guy who seems super sweet, reads literature, and sat right next to you. It was like he chose you. You have to keep me informed about what happens, okay? Promise?”

  Madison threw her head back and laughed. Despite the fact that she and Amanda were pretty much polar opposites, she loved having a friend like Amanda to talk to. It helped her keep things balanced and also offered her another viewpoint on an issue, one she might not have previously considered. And it was always nice to have a bubbly friend she could discuss boys with.

  At that moment, Lara Stinson walked in wearing her usual black. A respectful hush came over the Girls.

  “Sit, sit,” Lara said, gesturing with her hands. The Girls followed her instructions, taking a seat in the crimson-carpeted meeting room. As they did so, Lara turned and began to wipe away plays Henry Wayne had scrawled out probably during intermission during the previous game. “Girls, let me start by thanking you for being here, especially with so little notice. Katella Hanson should be here soon, and then we’ll officially get started.”

  As Lara finished her sentence, Katella herself walked in. She gently closed the door behind her and walked to the front of the room. Madison noticed that she seemed dressed for work. Maybe she had just gotten off and rushed over here to give this meeting. The bun her hair was in had loosened, causing stray locks to frame her face. She wore a high-waisted skirt with a small slit in the back and a long-sleeved collared white shirt. She looked beautiful but exhausted, something Madison didn’t blame her for. On Katella’s feet was a pair of worn black flip flops, the only piece of her outfit that seemed mismatched.

  Madison smirked. In all likelihood, Katella had taken off the heels she probably wore to work and slipped on the sandals to make sure her feet didn’t continue to ache after eight hours on the job. Comfort in lieu of fashion. Madison’s kind of girl.

  “Sorry for my lateness,” Katella said, turning to the sitting Girls. “I’m not usually late, but PCH is horrible right now.” The Girls nodded or murmured their assent. “Okay, so let’s get
this meeting officially started. Firstly, thank you all for coming. Sorry this is on such short notice. In all actuality, this meeting should have happened sometime last month, but what with everything that had happened, that is happening, it got pushed back and it got pushed back again and then again. Somehow, this date and time managed to work, and for that, I’m grateful. So again, thanks.”

  Madison had to hand it to Katella, even though the young woman touched upon her grandfather’s death, her voice didn’t shake. Her eyes seemed to turn a blue-green color, but besides that, she really managed to keep it together. If something like this had happened to Madison, she’d probably be the same way, except maybe not as eloquent as Katella.

  “I know you’re probably wondering what this is about,” Katella began, and then turned to the white board. With her left hand, she began to write out the words Season Activities. “I guess before we discuss that, I should give you some quick background on me and what I do. My name is Katella Hanson, and I am Ken Brown’s granddaughter, Ken being the owner of the Gulls. Former owner, I should say.” There it was. A crack. Vulnerability. But then, just like a magician made rabbits disappear, her sadness was gone. “I apologize. Now my sister, Seraphina, is the owner. I have my own company that focuses on doing charity events for various corporations, celebrities, and sports teams, including the Newport Beach Seagulls. As such, I coordinate the event, what happens, who shows up, the theme or the message of the event, the venue, the catering, the music if there is any, that sort of thing. Normally, after every hockey season ends, I sit down with my grandfather and we discuss the events we want to do next season. What charities do we want to support? What should we do differently? How can we involve fans from all financial backgrounds? How can we incorporate the team players more? That sort of thing.

  “Well, I wasn’t able to do that last season with my grandfather due to a conflict in schedule, and I never got the chance to.” Another pause. Madison watched as Katella gritted her teeth, as though she had to physically force herself to carry on. “I managed to throw a real shitty ‘Day at the Beach’ together last minute because I was already working on the idea due to it being the first event the Gulls throw. By the way, let me apologize for the unoriginal concept of that event. Normally, there’s something more unique about it, even if it’s just the title.” More chuckles, more smiles. Katella seemed to have an easy time getting people to like her. “Well, besides that lame attempt at a charity event, there really is nothing left in the plans when it comes to these events. We have acquired four dates throughout the season to throw these events. Here, I’ll write them out.” She turned and wrote out Saturday, October 30, Saturday, January 28, Friday, March 18, and Thursday, April 7.

  When she finished, she set the marker down on the banister and wiped her hands together. “Which is why I called this meeting,” she continued. “I understand that you’re all required to be at these events in order to show spirit and to get the fans pumped. To make people feel welcomed. And I thought that since you’re going to have to encourage excitement, you guys should be excited to be there as well. As you know, I have my hands tied with a lot of stuff but even so, these events are in my top three, priority wise. It’s just, I want you guys to have a say in what we do. I want you to help me coordinate. I promise that school for you guys will remain the most important factor in your life – after family of course – but I want to be upfront and say that this may mean there will be more meetings like this one called throughout the season since we’ll all be working together. However, I promise that unless something serious happens, I’ll be here and I’ll get everyone food, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner. So food will be taken care of; I just need you guys to get here. If you can’t make it for whatever reason, please let either me or Lara know as soon as you can.”

  Faye raised her hand and was promptly called on. “Do you know when these meetings will be so we can make sure we’re able to come?” she asked, her voice sweet.

  Madison and Amanda shared a look.

  “No, because it honestly depends on the Gulls’ season,” Katella replied. “But for now, let’s go with every Tuesday night at seven o’clock. If there is a game or an event or something along those lines, we’ll reschedule.” She knelt down and grabbed something out of her bag. “Here. I’m passing out a clipboard with a sheet on it. I need every Girl to give me your full name, the phone number I can best reach you at, and the e-mail address you check on a constant basis. Most likely, if I have to reschedule or have to call an unscheduled meeting, I’ll shoot you guys an e-mail, so please make sure you check on a fairly consistent basis.”

  Katella handed the clipboard to Erica, the Girl closest to her, and stood back up. “Now, when I say I need your help, I really mean it,” she said with a smile. “I would love to hear your suggestions about what we should do for the remaining four events. Obviously, there’s the traditional A Night Out with the Gulls, where we went out The Canary and everyone dresses up and people get a chance to meet the players in October, and then there’s the Casino Night on April seventh. But we need two more ideas, and we need ideas for catering, dress code, games and activities, that sort of thing for every event. I’d like all of you to go home tonight and jot down suggestions that come to you. We could do a day at Disneyland, a fashion show, that sort of thing. But remember we have an event coming up next month that we need to figure out. I think there’s an away game next Tuesday, so let’s plan to meet Monday night, here, at seven. If anything comes up, I’ll let you know. If you have any questions, let me know. I’ll be here for another fifteen minutes or so. Again, thank you for coming.”

  Madison, along with the rest of the Girls, all stood up. Some chatted rather amiably while a few seem annoyed at the extra work they have to participate in. Interestingly enough, Madison found that she was looking forward to putting her two cents in something as admirable as a charity event. In fact, she had an idea tittering around in her mind, but it had nothing to do with charity and it didn’t coincide with the four dates Katella had written down.

  “I’m going to take off,” Amanda said, squeezing Madison’s arm. “Keep me updated on the whole B situation, if you know what I mean.” She winked and gave her friend a thumb’s up.

  Madison chuckled, rolling her eyes. “Absolutely,” she said before turning and heading over to Katella. The blonde was wiping down the white board, and Madison was surprised no one else ventured over to her.

  “Excuse me?” she asked, shocked at how timid her voice came out timid. Katella turned and when she saw Madison, she offered the brunette a warm smile. “I’m Madison Montgomery. This is my first year as a Gulls Girl. I know that you’ve probably heard this a thousand times, but I’m sorry for your loss. I heard a lot of admirable things about Ken, about your grandfather, and I was thinking...” She paused in order to catch her breath. Madison had no idea why she was talking so fast; it wasn’t like she was talking to Brady or someone like that. But Katella seemed friendly. Maybe Madison wanted the older woman to like her. Which was ridiculous unto itself. “Um, this isn’t actually a suggestion about an event or anything like that, but I was thinking that maybe there was an event that the fans could participate in to honor him.” When she finished, she sucked in air, waiting for Katella to respond.

  “That’s actually a really good idea,” Katella said after a long moment. She paused and then looked Madison in the eye. “Madison, right? Did you know my grandfather at all?”

  “I only met him once,” Madison replied. “During the interview process. I remember being surprised when he requested my transcripts.”

  Katella smiled a nostalgic smile. “Yeah, he liked to be involved in everything,” she said softly. It looked as though tears were going to form in her forest green eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. “Madison, I think that’s a good idea. I know a lot of people would love to be a part of doing something to commemorate his memory. Maybe you could think of how to do that and let me know next meeting? I’ll de
finitely write down some ideas, too.”

  Madison nodded and smiled. After wishing both Katella and Lara good night, she headed up the stairs. It felt as though this was a new chapter in her life that she was looking forward to.

  Chapter 6

  Madison didn’t remember ever feeling this happy before. No, scratch that. Happy wasn’t the right word. Light. Carefree. Yes, those worked much better. She felt light and carefree and, as a result, she felt happy. God, she probably looked like the biggest idiot ever, what with the silly smile that had been plastered to her face ever since she got out of social psychology. Oh, well. She would need that smile tonight when she was out on the ice. Another preseason game was scheduled, and right now, she was walking into Sea Side an hour before the game started for the usual pre-game meeting.

  After she headed below, Madison suddenly noticed a commotion going on. Did the protesters manage to get to the locker rooms? There was no way. The smile slid off her face and her eyes searched the crowd furiously, looking for Amanda or at least someone she recognized. Something was wrong but she wasn’t sure what it was.

  When she saw Alec, half-dressed for the game, she pushed through the crowd to reach him. “Hey,” she said, getting his attention by placing her hand on his forearm. When he locked eyes with her, momentarily distracted by the commotion, she asked, “What’s going on?”