Chapter 11
Eleven
Tweetie
A boyfriend? She has a fucking boyfriend? What the fuck, Aiden? He tells me she’s coming to Chicago, but not that she’s seeing someone? Not that it matters. We’re not going to be anything anyway. It’s over for us, but fuck, she killed me with that information, and she knows it. I hate that she saw my reaction.
Now she stands up there with Coach, and I’m front and center, but I’m not the only asshole in this room who’s staring at her. The only difference between me and the other unattached guys here is that I’ve had her. My hands have slowly unbuttoned her out of blouses and pants like she’s wearing today. I’ve taken her heels off after a long day or night and kissed my way up her legs. And I was the lucky asshole who found her wet and wanting.
“So, no one give her a hard time. If you do, you have Tweetie to answer to.” Coach saying my name pulls me out of my maze of memories with Tedi.
“Oh, I can handle myself. I don’t need a bodyguard.” She smiles at Coach and shakes her head.
Her laugh dies quickly, and it’s not hard to see she’s uncomfortable, which is not very Tedi-like at all. Maybe I’m the only one who sees it.
“I think I speak for all of us when I say welcome, and we look forward to helping you make this program a success.” Coach smiles at her. “She’s going to be meeting with each of you in the coming days, but I’ll let her explain it some more. The floor is yours, Tedi.”
Coach stands to the side, and Tedi takes the center stage.
“I’ve done a random selection, so you’ll all receive an email from me later today. If the time I selected is a conflict for you, just let me know. I’m pretty flexible.”
The doors in the back shut, signaling someone just walked in. Rustling in the seats sounds as the players turn to see who’s joined us.
“My dream team. Good morning.” Bud Caldron walks down the steps, patting a few players on the back, stopping at Rowan and telling him how great he looked the other night. When he reaches the bottom, he extends his hand toward Tedi. “I haven’t had the pleasure. Bud Caldron, GM.”
Tedi shakes his hand. “Tedi Douglas. I was going to stop by your office after I was finished here.”
He laughs because he’s kind of a goon. He nervous-laughs at things that aren’t even funny. Plus, he tends to only look at and appreciate the guys on the first line. Whoever is selling the most jerseys is always his favorite. The word team doesn’t seem to be part of his vocabulary, and he makes you feel about as dispensable as a napkin.
“No need. Here I am.” He holds out his hands.
Bud is tall and thin with a small beer gut that hangs over his belt. He dresses as though he never left the nineties, with wide-legged slacks, loafers with tassels, and huge sports coats. I really don’t like the guy, but he was the one calling me in Nashville, promising me he was putting together an unbeatable team, and he hasn’t been wrong. I’m at the tail end of my career, and I want to win again, not just play.
“Tedi was just telling them about the interview process,” Coach says.
“Yeah, that Gill wasn’t worth his weight in—” Coach clears his throat, and Bud waves off his comment. “Anyway, I’d like to talk to a few players and Tedi. I have some ideas. Do you mind?” Bud looks at Coach.
Coach sighs but reluctantly nods. “Fine, but I need them on the ice in a half hour. Who do you want?”
Bud turns to me and nods. “Tweetie, Rowan, Henry, and Conor.”
A few guys groan. I’m sure it’s because we’re seen as the best on the team, but we couldn’t win without everyone here.
Tedi’s back straightens. I’m sure she’s pissed off that he’s taking over her agenda, but since Bud called in the favor to get her here, she’s smart enough not to make waves. I hate that my heart still hurts when she hurts.
Bud holds out his arm for Tedi to go first, and she leads the way up the stairs. All of us have our heads down because it’s like being the teacher’s pet and everyone hates you when you’re singled out like this.
In the hallway, Tedi’s jaw is hard, and her eyes have that fire they do when she’s trying to hold in her anger.
Bud walks toward the same room she was in with Coach earlier, and now there are refreshments on the side table. Fruit, juice, coffee, water, and some bagels. What the hell is this, a timeshare meeting?
“Please help yourselves to something to eat.” There’s already a bagel with cream cheese and a coffee in front of a chair Bud sits in. Seriously, what’s it like to be a GM?
We all take a seat. My friends and I cross our arms, extending our legs, all of us on the same page with not liking Bud. Tedi also sits and doesn’t take anything to eat or drink.
Bud takes a bite of his bagel, looking around to see we’re all waiting for him to tell us why we’re here. He laughs and swallows. “No one else is hungry? Okay then.” He turns to Tedi. “There’s really no need to focus on the entire team. I’ve decided to center the campaign around a select few.”
Tedi’s eyebrows scrunch, and she stares at him as if he told her he doesn’t want to win the Cup this year. “Excuse me, Mr. Caldron, but?—”
“We did it your way, Tedi, and you sent us Gill.” He shuts her down quickly.
Her face turns red, and I’m actually scared for Bud’s balls for a second.
But it seems she’s found a way to school her nonverbal cues when she’s mad, because with a blank face, she says, “Actually, I think I’ll grab a coffee.”
“I figure you’re our stars.” He looks at all of us. “You’re who’s going to bring in the fans.”
My gaze diverts to Tedi, whose hand is shaking as she pours coffee from the carafe. She’s trying to center herself, and it’s taking all my restraint to keep my ass in this chair. She picks up a creamer, and it drops to the table. She huffs and picks it up again, fidgeting with the foil on the top.
“That’s a lot on our plate if we’re doing the brunt of the social media,” Conor says.
“If you want us to be fresh on the ice to win games, we can’t spend all our time on camera and doing photoshoots,” Rowan chimes in.
“My kid isn’t going to be a part of any of it,” Henry says.
As Bud tries to calm them, I rise from my chair, silently cursing myself the entire time. I step up to her side and take the creamer from her hands. She wrestles it back, so I stay at her side as her fingers steady, and she peels back the foil, then dumps the creamer into her coffee.
“We’re going to have a dinner. Get to know one another better,” Bud says.
Tedi and I turn around so fast, her coffee spills all over my shirt. Fuck, that’s hot. I grab the edge of my shirt and pluck the fabric away from my skin.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she says.
If it was only her and me, I’d strip it off just to show her what she’s missing out on. Fuck it, why am I second-guessing my instincts? I pull off my T-shirt, and her eyes widen at my abs.
I might be old according to the league, but there’s nothing old about my defined chest and abs.
She clears her throat and shifts her attention back to the table.
“What are you doing?” Conor says with a scowl. “Put your shirt back on.”
“The coffee was hot,” I say, and my three friends roll their eyes.
“There’s no reason I can’t get to know the players here,” Tedi says, abandoning her coffee and turning her back to me.
“It’s a distraction when they should be practicing, just like Rowan mentioned. So, let’s do a dinner. You guys bring your girls.” He looks at Tedi. “I’m sure you have a boyfriend, bring him. We’ll make it a casual thing. Once you know one another, Tedi can have a better vision for what’s going to work.”
“I actually have a vision already,” Tedi says.
“Well, it will only help it then.” He picks up his plate with the bagel. “I’m really excited about this. Once Candice makes the reservations, she’ll let you know.” He stops by me. “Tweetie.” He laughs. “Let me know if you’ll have a plus one. Surely you can scrounge up a girl to come, but only one, okay?” He pats me on the shoulder, laughing as he walks out.
The only thing that could make this dinner more awkward is if I brought a date, so that’s not happening.
After he leaves, Tedi huffs and closes her eyes.
“We’re not that bad. We’ll make dinner fun,” Conor says. “And Eloise was upset she didn’t get to meet you the other day.”
“Yeah, Ruby had good things to say about you, which is a small miracle in itself,” Rowan adds.
Tedi stares at the door.
“Can you excuse us, guys?” I say.
They all get up from their chairs, talking about Bud in not the kindest terms and how he’s going to be screwed when our line isn’t on top, which we all know can be one injury away.
They say goodbye to Tedi, and she tries to follow them out, but I lightly grasp her upper arm. “Hold up.”
She doesn’t turn toward me.
“I know this isn’t the way you work, but from my experience with Bud, he’ll give up on this in a week when some new shiny idea pops in his head.”
She yanks her arm out of my hold. “I don’t need you to make me feel better. I’m fine.”
“Well, I’m excited to meet him.” I change the subject since she’s going to keep that wall up around her.
“What?” She spins around, and her face is twisted in a “fuck you” expression.
“The boyfriend. I can’t wait to meet him.”
Her shoulders sink. “Put a fucking shirt on. What do you think this is, some Magic Mike audition?”
She storms out the door.
Now I have to decide if I want to find a date to bring or make Tedi’s boyfriend my sole focus for the night.