Not A Chance (Heartstrings #2)

4. Indie

A little over a month into my new job with the Tempests, I finally felt like I was getting into a routine where I didn’t feel like an absolute idiot at all times.

I could see that my father had specifically chosen to push me into a communications role. With my job being dedicated to liaising between the team and the media on an almost daily basis, I was sure he imagined me coming home and taking on spokesperson duties for the family.

Right under his thumb, where he could keep me in control.

With the extent of my team sport experience peaking in high school track and field with a third-place ribbon at regionals, I was sorely unprepared in understanding the world of sports communications.

I spent my days learning the tasks under the communications manager. I was lucky to have been paired with a saint in the form of Jermaine Kenton.

He also happened to be married to the love of his life for the past thirty years. The expression on his face every time he spoke about his wife suggested that a certain kind of love could last a lifetime.

They’d also already had me over for dinner twice since I’d started with the Tempests, making me feel welcome in ways I wasn’t ready for. Warm and gooey feelings were not my default setting, even if their adorable little Morkie wasted no time in claiming my lap each time I visited.

On top of being so nice, Jermaine was an excellent boss who understood I had come into this role completely devoid of any useful sports knowledge. I was one of those people who only watched the Superbowl for the commercials and the half-time show.

After receiving a summons to his office, I gave the open door a quick knock to alert him to my presence.

Looking up from his computer, he waved me into the seat in front of his desk with a smile.

“Indie! How’s my favorite junior communications assistant?”

“Pretty good. Considering I’m the only junior communications assistant here.”

“Only a technicality, Ms. Layne,” he assured me, as smooth and charming as ever. “It turns out you’re about to move into the eye of the storm, or even a tempest , if you will.” He winked.

God, even his terrible dad jokes were more tolerable than most.

“What do you mean?” Between learning a new job and the complexities of hockey itself, my plate felt pretty full already. I wasn’t sure I was prepared to take on anything more without humiliating myself and having it get back to my father.

Failure wasn’t an option here. My stomach churned with nerves.

“It turns out Cadence, our team member who works on special features with national and international magazines, has to fly home to Montreal for a month or so to deal with a family situation. So, my dear, that means you’re going to need to step up and take over a couple of her away-game duties.” He lifted an eyebrow, his gaze assessing.

“Okay. No problem. I can do that.” I nodded, hoping I looked more capable than I felt.

Each team in the league had an in-house communications team dedicated to preparing game notes for the media, stats, and info for social media, creating posts, and so many more tasks that I hadn’t ever fathomed before.

A quick nod of approval from Jermaine was my cue to leave his office and head back to my desk.

It was a far cry from the repetitive reception job I’d left behind in California.

My phone lit up with a text from Abbie. She and Emery had been amazing about checking in on me regularly and keeping me updated with their news back home.

Abbie was just a week away from moving in with Aiden. He’d been stockpiling expensive treats to win over Mew, Abbie’s cat, in his new home. Mew was my boy since I’d taken care of him a couple of times this past year when Abbie was out of town. An avid anime fan, I’d sewn Mew a dozen or so cute outfits that he hated wearing, but he’d gone viral as a grumpy Pikachu and now had his very own Instagram account where his judginess could entertain the masses. Passing the torch of his account to Abbie was another thing I’d left behind.

Abbie

So I sort of did a thing.

Indie

Oh God. What does that mean? You’re not changing your mind about moving in with Aiden are you? Did you paint all the rooms in his house black without telling him? Did you cut yourself bangs and you are filled with immediate regret?

Abbie

No of course not! And no. If anything, it would be anime murals on all the walls. Could you imagine! And no. The Great Bang Experiment of sophomore year in high school cured me of bangs for the rest of my life.

When you use those examples, my “thing” might not be so bad. Promise you won’t be mad…

Indie

Geez. Never has any message in the history of messages ended well with those words.

Abbie

Okay, so I was on Instagram looking at all things Toronto. I wanted to find out some cool stuff for Emery and me to do if we are able to visit. And you know how I got Mew from a cat rescue out here? Well, there’s an awesome group in Hamilton, ON who rescues small dogs from Texas and brings them up to Canada for adoption. I checked it out and it’s less than an hour from you.

Indie

Okay, so you’re a sucker for animals. We knew this already. What did you do?

Abbie

Wellllll, I may or may not have filled out a foster dog application on your behalf. And before you start, remember, I know your number one secret wish is for a pet. You definitely don’t hide the fact that you turn to mush whenever you see a puppy of any size.

Indie

Excuse me, what? I definitely don’t go all heart-eyed over puppies. What are you talking about?

Abbie

Wait. Did you actually think you were hiding all the gooey-goodness on your face all these years?

I absolutely had. I was mortified. Even more so with the heat that filled my cheeks as I imagined what I looked like with a mopey expression whenever I saw someone out with their new puppy.

Abbie correctly interprets my silence as agreement.

Abbie

OMG, you did! Too funny. I promise I won’t tease you about it if you forgive me for what I’ve done. There’s a crazy amount of puppies being abandoned right now. Anyway, older dogs aren’t as easily adoptable, and when I saw a post for this little one on Instagram.

( She sends a picture of a small gray animal that might have been a dog. Except it’s bald with overly large ears. Its little lips are turned up in a kind of curl on one side. Not quite a snarl, maybe a sneer? Unfortunately for me, it’s damn adorable.)

Indie

Wtf is that?

Abbie

Isn’t she super cute?! Her name is, unfortunately, Gizmo. They leaned hard into the whole Gremlins 80s vibe. And yeah, the bald thing. She has alopecia because of her specific coloring. It can be a thing.

Indie

Why would I foster this little creature exactly?

Abbie

Because she’s been waiting in Texas for months and people are picking the puppies. But more than that, you are going to go through caregiver withdrawals soon and this will give you something to look after.

Indie

I have no idea what you are talking about.

Abbie

Riiiiiight. So it’s not like you take it upon yourself to smooth over situations when shit hits the fan for me or Emery. And you definitely weren’t the one to tell Aiden off, risking your job, when he had his head up his ass. Nor did you single-handedly annoy the shit out of every independent gallery owner to get them to give Emery her first showcase when we were 18?

I had done those things. What was so wrong with wanting my friends to be happy? It filled the vast chasm of emptiness inside me for a little while. I only loved two people in this world, and I would be damned if they were unhappy, and I could do something about it.

Abbie

Do I need to keep going?

Indie

No. Please, don’t. FINE. I will do it if you just stop talking about it.

Abbie

Great! I knew you’d think it was a good idea. It’ll be fun. You’ll get to buy her a whole bunch of cute stuff. That dog is going to need a whole wardrobe for winter! (heart eye emoji)

Indie

OMFG. You are the worst. How are we friends, again?

And that’s how I’d ended up at not one but two pet stores on the way home from work, going completely out of my way for a dog I hadn’t even met.

After I’d carried too many bags up the steps of my apartment building, feeling too edgy to wait for the elevator, I reached my apartment door. With both arms full, I dug blindly through my purse for my keys .

It wasn’t until I heard the footsteps coming my way down the hall that I realized someone else was in the hallway with me. Other than a couple of people in the mailroom downstairs, I hadn’t seen another soul since I’d moved in.

If I had a new neighbor, I wasn’t in the mood to make nice. My mind still spun with nerves and excitement about getting a dog, even a temporary one.

In my rushed effort to get into my unit, my key jammed because I hadn’t put it fully in the lock before I started turning.

The footsteps halted at the door diagonally across from mine. Shit. I was going to have to say hello or risk looking like a jerk.

I braced myself to force some sort of cordial expression on my face. I pushed the too-heavy bags against the door for support before I angled my body in a way that allowed me to catch a glimpse of the person who stood about ten feet down the hall from me.

“Rocky?” A voice choked on what might have been a surprised cough.