Chapter 11
ELEVEN
KENNEDY
IN YOUR DREAMS, PRETTY BOY.
Every deep breath I took proved to be useless, but I kept doing them as I placed my sweaty hands against the flat surface of my white desk to center myself.
That meeting had not gone well.
Henry was, shockingly, a natural actor. Me, on the other hand? I was surprised I managed not to choke with my own saliva in the process.
Val opened the door of my office and shut it quickly. “Kennedy Jones, where the hell have you been?”
“Why, yes, Val. Please, do come in.” I rubbed my temples with a sigh. “Ugh. Sorry. It’s been a morning.”
“Why did I just hear Mac say you’re dating Henry Anderson?”
I left-clicked my mouse to bring my computer to life and looked over a few emails. “For being the HR director, he sure loves to gossip,” I mumbled.
“So, it’s true?”
“The truth is complicated.” I winced. “And I don’t want you to become an accomplice, so the short answer is yes. Henry and I are dating.”
She looked stunned. “Since when do you call him Henry?”
“Considering we’re an item now, it would be weird to keep calling him by his last name.” I laughed.
“Oh, God.” Val gasped. “You’re being serious.” She took a seat on the edge of a chair. “You need to tell me everything.”
“Not happening. I’m not dragging you into this.”
Val’s green eyes remained locked on me, but I typed out a quick email, choosing to ignore her.
I loved Val, and she was there for me when I needed a friend the most, but there was no way I was going to tell her why I was doing this. I still couldn’t believe I succumbed to a new level of patheticness, and I didn’t particularly want anyone catching wind of it.
“Do you know what’s happening with the main rink schedule?” I asked. “I had the kids scheduled for Saturday, and it’s not there anymore.”
She tilted her head. “Did you check with Christopher?”
Christopher was the director of operations for the Strikers. And did a half-assed job most of the time, too. But the worst part of it all? He was best friends with Matt.
And this situation had Matt Smith painted all over it.
“He’s not in today,” I groaned as I quickly started typing an email to him.
“Can we get back to the very important topic of you and a certain hockey player?” Val asked.
Before I could reply, a knock on the door interrupted us as Matt’s head popped in.
Great. Was IMing not a thing anymore? The last thing I wanted to do was to deal with him in person.
“Ah, lovely use of resources. Just two best friends gossiping,” Matt quipped, a hint of sarcasm lacing his tone.
Val was still facing me, so she rolled her eyes, then stood and turned around, a fake smile plastered over her face.
“Always so lovely to see you, Matty.” Valentina was too nice for her own good.
Sometimes, I wished I were as pragmatic as her.
She turned to face me. “I’ll talk to you later.
” With that, she quickly strode out of the office and mouthed, Good luck.
I interlaced my fingers and rested my hands on my desk. “What’s up?”
He waltzed into my office like he owned it and shut the door then casually sat, even though I hadn’t even invited him in. “I wanted to let you know I switched the main rink schedule. I need it for a photo op with the AHL team.”
I reared back in my seat with a frown. “The rink is first-come-first-serve, and I had that scheduled for a while now. The press is going to be here. I need that rink. You know how this works. You can use the smaller one.”
It had taken me almost a month and a half to plan this. And fuck him if he thought I was going to let him walk all over me.
He leaned back on the chair with a smug grin. “That does suck for you, but it’s not my problem. The rink is mine now.”
So this was how he wanted to play it? Fine by me.
“How you managed to switch the schedule without speaking to me, I don’t know.” I feigned innocence. I knew damn well he and Christopher were in cahoots. This was, unfortunately, not the first time this had happened. “But I’m going to need it back.”
“Better luck next time. It’s not going to happen,” he said, casually.
“I’d hate to go to Brad and bring him up to speed on this unfortunate situation.
” A coy smile played on my lips. “I have screenshots and evidence that I scheduled the rink first. Next time, you can come to me and I’d be glad to be more accommodating.
” I stood from my chair, placed my hands on my desk, and leaned forward slightly. “That’d be all.”
“You’re going to run to Brad like a little girl and complain?” He scoffed. “Let’s see how far that gets you.”
“Fine. I won’t go to Brad, but believe me when I say, I’ll get that rink back one way or another.” I strode to the office door and opened it. “Now, if you could please see yourself out, I have a lot of work to do.”
“This attitude of yours won’t get you very far in an industry that’s already very difficult for you to work in.”
I don’t know how I managed to keep my face cool. There was no way he had said something so ridiculous to my face. Again. He was the one who waltzed into my office with a smug grin and a sucks-to-suck attitude, and somehow, I was catalogued as the rude one in this torture of a conversation. Figures.
“What exactly are you implying?” My voice was laced with amusement.
He stared over his shoulder with a knowing smile. “You’re a smart girl, you can figure it out.”
“I think it’s time for you to go.” I opened the door wider.
Matt stood from his chair, eating the distance between us in a few slow strides as he stared at me, trying to intimidate me.
He was going to have to try harder. Two could play at this game.
After a few moments, when he finally realized his staring contest was doing nothing to intimidate me, he stepped out of my office.
“Oh, and Matt?”
He stopped dead in his tracks and stared over his shoulder with a blank expression.
“Let this be the last time you reference me as a little girl. I have a name. Use it.” My voice was tight and to the point. “Have a great day!” I finished, a bit too chipper, then closed the door and muttered, “Dick.”
I had been putting out fires all day. What happened in Anthony’s office that morning was a piece of cake compared to everything else.
My inbox was flooded with different sports media agencies wanting me to comment on the rumors of my relationship with Henry. We worked quickly, and Anthony finally made an official statement, confirming it wasn’t a publicity stunt.
The biggest problem I had on my mind when I woke up was figuring out how I was going to survive Evelyn and David’s anniversary party, and how I was going to face Joe and his new girlfriend without looking like a total idiot.
Because knowing Joe, he’d love nothing more than to rub it in my face.
It was immature, and I wanted no part of it.
Still, I had to put the situation at the back of my mind. My personal dilemma was child’s play compared to the mess I got myself in at work.
I sent one last email for the day and turned off my computer with a tired sigh.
I loved my job, and working my ass off to get the promotion was the only thing holding my life together. Another part of me, though, ached for something, and I didn’t know what it was.
Well, that’s half a lie. I knew. I was fucking lonely, and the thought made no sense, because don’t get me wrong, breaking up with my ex-fiancé was the best decision for me. I didn’t regret it, not one bit. But I couldn’t help but wonder, was this it for me?
What was I saying? Of course, it was. Who in their right mind wanted to be with someone who, more than anything, loved being headstrong by nature? I wore my stubbornness like a shield, knowing full-well it was what was ultimately going to push anyone who tried to get close away.
What are you even saying, Kennedy? You should be happy. You have a good career, you’re making shit happen. You got out of a—let’s be honest here now— toxic relationship. Stop overthinking shit.
When I opened my office door to leave for the day, I found Henry with his arm half-raised in a fist as if he was about to knock.
He startled. “Oh, hey.”
“What are you doing here?”
He leaned against the door frame with a smirk, casually tucking a hand in one of his pockets. “I figured you needed a ride home since I drove you here today.”
Home. Why did that word make me so nervous?
“Oh, right.” I shook my head. “That’s okay. Val could have taken me home.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Afraid to be alone with me, Jonesy?”
The palm of my hand met his chest, and I pushed him out of the way so I could get out of my office and lock it. “You wish.”
He scrubbed his jaw then licked his bottom lip. The move was so stupidly sexy, it instantly annoyed me. “Do I make you nervous?”
I locked my door with a scoff, and though my pulse spiked at his husky words, I still managed to say, “Shut up, Anderson.”
He caged me against the door with a low laugh and leaned over until our faces were level. “You didn’t answer my question.”
I refused to meet his stare. I could still feel it, though, burning my cheek like a live wire just beneath my skin, causing a chill to run down my spine. “You’re so damn cocky, it’s repulsing.”
He gripped my chin between his thumb and forefinger, lifting my face to meet his ocean-blue irises. The slight pressure of his fingers against my skin was unbearably hot, but I welcomed it. “I think you find my cockiness hot.”
Oh. If he wanted to play, I was game. He was about to learn that backing down wasn’t part of my vocabulary.