ShouldveKnownBetter

by Cassandra Carr

  She closed her hand around the key as if Karen might try to snatch it back. “I will. Thank you, Karen. You’ve been very nice.”

  “Welcome aboard. The water can get choppy, but don’t let the guys overwhelm you.” She threw Sarah another wink and left.

  Sarah skirted the desk that monopolized the room and a credenza on which a video machine rested to sit in her desk chair.

  I’ve arrived.

  Now she just had to convince them to let her stay.

  ****

  Sebastian lugged the last of the boxes up the porch stairs then collapsed on one of the pieces of patio furniture scattered throughout the space. One of the things he loved about Buffalo was the old, rambling houses in the city. Most had wooden front porches set with columns of all different types spanning the entire house. Many were done up in funky colors—too–purples, pinks, reds, bright greens. He’d heard it described as “gingerbread style.” Though he wasn’t sure what that meant, it was kind of cool and different.

  “I had no idea I had this much stuff.”

  His teammate and friend Rob D’Amico plopped down beside him and snickered. “You’re a pack rat, dude. Admit it.”

  “What’s a ‘pack rat’?”

  “I keep forgetting you don’t know what the hell I’m talking about half the time.”

  Sebastian was used to Rob teasing him about English being his second language, so he motioned to get on with it.

  “A pack rat is someone who collects stuff, who can never throw anything away. Which, by the way, is a bad thing for a hockey player who could be traded at any moment.”

  Sebastian grinned. He wasn’t the type to be constantly worried about being traded. Why do that when you could embrace and enjoy life? “I like my stuff. It makes me more comfortable here.”

  Sebastian missed his family back in Quebec, of course, but had inherited his mom’s perennially sunny attitude, finding ways to keep his roots in his heart while still going out and making his place in the world. He was finally starting to fit in somewhere. His skill level had outgrown the AHL and he was confident he could be an asset to the Storm. Now he had to convince the coaching staff and management he was ready for the show.

  A smirk creeping up on his face, Rob glanced around then back at Sebastian. “Apparently.” He stood. “Let’s get everything into the house. I’m in the mood for a nice, big, juicy steak. You’re buying.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Sebastian grumbled, but got to his feet then grabbed two boxes and juggled them as he approached the front door. He wasn’t really mad. Truth was, he couldn’t wait to get settled. With any luck this was where he’d be living all year.

  From behind him, Rob said, “Hey, I never asked. How’d your meeting with Jon and Keith go yesterday? Anything interesting?”

  Sebastian dropped the boxes in the living room and turned to his friend. Shorter than Sebastian by a couple of inches, with his barrel chest and overall stocky build Rob still put fear into the hearts of opponents. Off the ice, you couldn’t find a greater guy, though Sebastian would never admit that. Rob’s head was big enough already. “Actually, yeah, but not at the meeting.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Sebastian recalled his initial meeting, if you could call it that, with Sarah. Even now, his body still tingled from where hers had pressed against him. That was something he’d definitely like to experience again. Sarah wasn’t his usual type—young, carefree, and out for a good time—but he found himself drawn to her nonetheless.

  “When I got to the arena, this girl, well, this woman, ran into me. Like checked me ran into me, and I had to grab her so she wouldn’t fall. I didn’t think much of it until I saw her again, coming out of Keith’s office. Karen introduced us, and you’ll never guess who she is.” He paused for a beat. “Our new competitive analysis person.”

  Rob’s eyebrows shot up. “A woman?”

  Sebastian dropped into one of the chairs scattered around and nodded. “Yep.”

  “I mean, not that I don’t think a woman is capable of doing the job, I’m just surprised they hired one.” With a shrug, Rob sat. “Actually, I’m surprised they hired anyone. The NHL is running the team right now until the sale is final and I would’ve figured they’d have instituted a hiring freeze.”

  “Me too.”

  “What happened to Doug?” Rob frowned. “Did they fire him?”

  “I have no idea.” Sebastian didn’t even know who Doug was. “But dude, she’s hot. And older.”

  That would get his friend’s attention. Rob loved women, all women, and they loved him right back. Sebastian admired how comfortable Rob was with women. It wasn’t like Sebastian had never dated, but it was as if Rob could crook his finger and women came running. Sebastian wasn’t sure what it was about Rob that attracted so many women, but wished some of it would rub off on him. Sarah seemed as if she’d be a tough one to charm using his usual methods.

  “Rrr-eeeal-ly…” Rob strung out the word to three distinct syllables, and Sebastian smiled. He’d known that would work. Rob was so predictable sometimes. “So tell me about her? How old do you think she is? Come on. I need details.”

  Sebastian chuckled. “Her name is Sarah. She’s a tiny little thing. Comes up to here.” Sebastian indicated a spot in the middle of his chest. “She has all this wild hair. It’s sort of dark red, I guess. I don’t know how old she is, but she’s definitely older than either of us. Maybe in her thirties.”

  An older woman. The idea of dating an older woman was exciting for some reason.

  “Huh. Wonder if she can do the job?”

  Sebastian shrugged. “I don’t see why she could not.” Sarah seemed smart. He could see it in her eyes, and that was incredibly sexy.

  “Interesting. I guess we’ll see soon enough,” Rob answered with his trademark smirk. “Well, let’s get the rest of your crap into the house. I’m hungry.”

  Chapter Two

  Sarah rearranged the paperclips in their holder, straightened the notes scattered across the top of her desk, and then pushed to her feet. She had spent weeks organizing her office—even though it would never last with her working habits—doing preliminary scouting with Doug, and waiting for this day. It was mid-September and time for training camp and to formally meet the players. She’d been introduced to a few in passing but hadn’t had a chance to interact with them. The time to sink her teeth into the job and get her hands dirty had arrived, and she couldn’t be more excited.

  She slunk into the cavernous meeting room filled with rows of chairs and a podium in the front along with a white board and projector screen, and attempted to smooth down her hair. It simply refused to behave in humid weather. Putting it up would’ve been a good idea since, compared to these guys, she was a lump of nerd, and Medusa-like hair didn’t help her confidence.

  Tasha, her cat, had been needy that morning, and feeling so guilty about the time she’d be away in the coming months, Sarah had sat and cuddled with the animal. Tasha had been with her for four years now and was the closest Sarah had come, and likely would ever come, to having a child. She’d meant to grab some bobby pins and a clip before running out the door, but when she’d glanced at the clock and seen the time, that thought had flown out the window.

  It was too late now to worry about it. She dropped her hand. She had bigger fish to fry.

  Sarah tried to read the atmosphere in the room, shooting her gaze from place to place. All eyes focused on her as she scooted to the back corner and took up residence, ignoring the stares as they examined her like a bug under a magnifying glass. Her appointment had been mentioned in an e-mail to the players, but from the varying expressions, it was difficult to tell what she was in for.

  Keith and Jon walked into the room. The meeting began and everyone gave their attention to the two men. While the team listened to the preliminary information Keith and Jon went over, Sarah rehearsed in her head what she wanted to say.

  “Sarah?” Keith called and she startled, heat suffusing
her face. With a gentle smile, he motioned her forward.

  As she walked toward Keith, forty pairs of male eyes assessed her from head to toe and her blush deepened. “She’s our new consultant?” one of the guys in the front row asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

  Great start. I’m beet red and the players are incredulous.

  “Yes,” Keith said. “This is Sarah Jenkins. As we explained in the e-mail, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Cornell before coming here. Her specialty is statistical analysis.”

  He paused a moment to let the undercurrent of chatter die down then continued. “Sarah was hired by the NHL to help us out.” Keith had said it matter-of-factly, but there was no mistaking the meaning behind his words. This hadn’t been their decision.

  Awesome, the whole team knowing that isn’t going to help my case. If they were already skeptical, which it was obvious they were, knowing her appointment hadn’t been Jon’s or Keith’s idea would only make this more of an uphill battle.

  “Because of that, we’re using Sarah as, let’s say, an experiment.” More murmurs went up from the guys and Keith motioned with a slash of his hand for everyone to settle.

  He’s basically saying he doesn’t know if I’ll be of any use to the team or not. A ringing endorsement.

  Maybe she’d been wrong about Keith being the easier one to win over. That made Sarah more determined than ever to prove herself.

  Jon stepped up. Like most coaches in the NHL, he was an ex-player. He still worked out, and it showed in his large biceps and broad chest. His hair was cropped close to his head, and he, like the other on-ice coaches, wore a warm-up suit. His famous hardened gaze swept the room and the players snapped to attention with military-like precision.

  It was obvious why Jon was a head coach. He had the perfect demeanor for it. The man had been a bruising defenseman for Philadelphia during his playing days, and his attitude still held that cocky self-assurance.

  “Sarah will work with Doug analyzing both our team and other teams by doing in-person and video analysis. Everyone has that stuff these days, but what she’s proposing has never been done in the NHL before.”

  Considering his attitude toward her before now, Sarah almost fell over hearing Jon defend her.

  “It might not work, and I’m the first to admit I have my doubts, but we’re going to try it. Sarah will spend time in the video room, attend practices, and be in the press box during games. She will meet with us and use her knowledge and experience to give us an edge over our opponents.” Jon turned to Sarah and motioned toward the guys.

  It was time for her to speak. I deserve this chance. I deserve to be here.

  After taking a deep breath, she said, “Hi, guys. Just to give you a little more background, I was born and raised in Rochester, and I’ve been a hockey fan all my life. I rooted for the Storm growing up, then went to Cornell and continued to follow the team while I got a PhD in applied mathematics. Yes, I’m a math geek.”

  She smiled when they chuckled. Some of the weight lifted off her shoulders. So far, so good. No one’s thrown me out yet at least.

  “I’ve never played, but I know the game.” For the first time, Sarah noticed Sebastian sitting in the second row. She’d been deliberately stopping herself from searching him out, not wanting the distraction of a man she found entirely too attractive for her mental well-being.

  Sebastian smiled, his eyes glowing with warmth. Male interest was plain in their brooding depths.

  Her breath caught. Wow, I wasn’t wrong when I met him. He’s interested.

  Shaken, she ended her speech with a simple, “I’m looking forward to being a part of a winning season.”

  “All right, enough of this admin shit. Let’s get our asses out on the ice!” Jon roared.

  The guys started filing out. The captain, Ben Gerber, and a few of the others approached her and formally introduced themselves. She greeted each, shaking his hand and smiling. Ben asked a couple of questions about her plans and the players standing nearest gathered to listen while she briefly described some of her work with the Cornell hockey team and how her findings would translate to the NHL.

  As she spoke, one of the players on the periphery leered at her. Gross. In the back of her mind she’d known it might be a possibility she’d encounter someone like him, but facing the reality on her first day with the players was discouraging.

  Ben and the others left, and the man stepped forward, taking both of her hands and invading her personal space. He had an appearance she identified with Russian and Scandinavian players: pale skin and gray eyes, a heavy brow and high cheekbones. His smile was just a little too predatory for her comfort and she wasn’t sure how to react. She didn’t want to call unnecessary attention to herself.

  He pulled her even closer then kissed each of her cheeks. “Welcome. I am Jaroslav. You are beautiful woman. You will go on date with me.”

  Sarah frowned. What a pig. And nice line. Does he expect me to believe he thinks I’m beautiful? I’m a dork with a PhD. He probably hits on anything with breasts. She yanked her hands away. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I work for the team, for one thing.” She glanced around, hoping Jaroslav wasn’t going to cause a scene. The last thing she needed was for the guys to think she was easy prey. She was no one’s prey. In the past she’d let her guard down, and had learned her lesson well.

  Sebastian strolled toward her, and she smiled, glad to have an excuse to get away from Jaroslav. Leaving the jerk standing there, Sarah approached the younger man. “How did I do?”

  “You did well. It’s hard being new. I should know. I'm still considered new since I haven't cracked the main roster yet. Been invited to the training camp before though, and been playing in the AHL while I wait for my chance. This is my third time…”

  He was babbling, and despite wanting to stay professional around him, Sarah could admit to herself it was pretty damn cute.

  Sebastian glared at someone over her shoulder and she pivoted to find him and Jaroslav engaged in a stare down. Great, I might already be turning teammates against each other. That’s not gonna help my cause. Sebastian didn’t capitulate, instead moving closer to her.

  With narrowed eyes and a thunderous expression, he continued to play the game of “who will blink first” with the older man. Sarah shivered. The idea of guys like these two powerful men squaring off was a scary proposition. After another glare in Sebastian’s direction, Jaroslav skulked from the room.

  Sebastian met Sarah’s gaze. She jerked her chin toward the door. “Thanks.”

  “What is up with him?”

  He didn’t get the new toy he wanted. “Who knows?”

  “So do you want to run screaming yet?”

  Sarah loved Sebastian’s somewhat stilted English, which sounded adorable rather than odd. Add a beautiful smile along with his many other fine attributes, and Karen’s assessment was right, he was a dazzler. “You don’t scare me.”

  Liar, liar, pants on fire…

  Sebastian winked and Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. “Just be yourself and you’ll be fine, you know? They’re not really all that scary.”

  Sarah thought back to Jaroslav. She’d have to watch her back with him. Her gut told her not to trust him for a minute.

  Another man joined them and grinning, held out his hand. He was shorter and stockier than Sebastian. “Hi, I’m Rob D’Amico, Sebastian’s roommate and quite obviously, the handsome one in the house.”

  Liking him immediately, she laughed and shook his hand. “Hi, Rob.”

  “So you’re gonna astonish us with all kinds of complicated math stuff, huh? Contrary to popular belief, hockey players are pretty smart, so bring it on. Well, I’m pretty smart.” He jerked a thumb toward Sebastian. “I can’t speak for my roomie.”

  Sebastian punched Rob. “Wow, two mean things in a row. Besides, you’re the one who likes to watch cartoons.”

  “Cartoons are awe
some. Maybe my taste is just more refined.”

  Sebastian snorted. “Or way less.”

  Sarah threw her head back and laughed. “Wow, tough crowd. Despite how intelligent you obviously are, I’ll try to make things easy for the team.”

  Rob grinned and Sebastian shook his head. Rob would be good to lighten the team’s mood. Sarah imagined he was popular in the locker room. He didn’t take himself too seriously.

  “Come on,” he said to Sebastian. “We’d better get out on the ice before Jon decides wind sprints are a great way to open camp.”

  “Ugh, no thanks.” Sebastian waved as they loped from the room.

  Doug said good-bye to one of the staff members then approached.

  She gave him a rueful grin and wrinkled her nose. “I hate public speaking. I felt like such a dork. ‘Hi, I’m the math geek.’”

  He laughed with her. The moment they’d met she’d known they would get along well, and he hadn’t proven her wrong yet. “You did fine. They’ll come around. Some of them are just a little skeptical about a woman who’s never played hockey, doing this kind of work.”

  “A little? Well then, that’s all right.” She let out an indelicate snort. Running a hand through her hair, she mentally reminded herself to get some hair clips to keep in her office. “Just gives me something to work toward. So what’s next?”

  After a few twelve-hour days sifting through video with Doug, Sarah feared she’d never see straight again. Her neck, back, and shoulders were killing her from all the time she’d spent huddled in the uncomfortable chairs in the video room. Even though they’d reviewed video at least a couple of hours a day since shortly after she started, the days of just watching video were brutal, and they hadn’t yet finished going through tapes of each Storm player. Then they’d move on to the divisional opponents. The rest of the Eastern conference would come next, and last would be the remaining teams in the NHL.