Chapter 44
Chapter Forty-Four
Riley Thorne signs with Gordon; trouble over at the Yates Group?
Riley Thorne, expected to be high in the draft for the PWHL next year, has signed with The Gordon Group after a summer of being pursued by agencies big and small.
Daughter of legendary Athenas center, Cassie O’Brien, and former D-man, Mike Thorne, Riley had been considering a working relationship with a smaller outfit like Lauren Yates’s newer boutique agency, but eventually decided that a more established firm would work better for her career.
“We’re thrilled to have Riley on board,” CEO Tommy Gordon said.
“We have the resources and drive to make sure her goals are met while also ensuring the personal touch. Smaller agencies might claim that as their primary benefit, but without the trust, those agent-client relationships will always suffer.” Generic platitudes from Gordon, or a dig at someone else in the industry?
Thorne’s decision to go with Gordon is surprising as she had expressed great admiration for Lauren Yates, who has a solid reputation for nurturing female talent.
But word on the ice is that Yates has lost several clients in the last couple of months, and while the reasons might be unclear at this time, what is increasingly evident is that Yates can’t rely on her connections to the Chicago Rebels organization to keep her business afloat.
-@ Coby “Big Dog” Dawson, ESPN
Lauren
On Saturday, I woke up feeling a little blue because I wouldn’t see Alexei today.
Ridiculous, I knew, but I had become used to his firm hand when it came to fixing up my house—as well as his even firmer hand in teasing delicious orgasms from my needy body.
But the weekends were for him and his father.
I didn’t know how he would manage once the season started, but I was also resolved to ensure he had Team Nazarov in place.
The Rebels fam was large and generous, and I would use it for good.
It probably wouldn’t hurt to pick up some cinnamon rolls and deliver them in person. Who would object to Ann Sather’s sweet treats? I was contemplating the errands I needed to run today, including prep for the call I had scheduled with Arkady Volkov on Tuesday, when I heard a knock on the door.
Alexei and Sasha stood on my stoop.
“Hello, you two! What a nice surprise. I was just thinking about you.”
“I hope so. Papa, you remember Lauren?”
“Of course. Wonderful skater, always winning.”
“That’s me. Winning is my middle name. Come in, come in.”
Alexei settled his dad on the sofa in the freshly painted living room.
“Maya suggested that I should take him more places. I think I have been concerned that he would throw a tantrum or hurt himself if I stepped outside the routine. I know the boys are working on the deck today and I thought that maybe we could—”
“Set him up with a puzzle in the garden?”
He raised his shopping bag. “How did you guess?”
“I have a new one for him.”
He stared at me, that cool blue gaze warming with each passing second. “You have a puzzle for my father?”
“There’s a toy store in Riverbrook and they carry some with bigger pieces. This is a Chicago-themed one, so I thought maybe—”
I didn’t get a chance to finish as Alexei had taken me in his arms and buried his face in my neck. He remained silent, holding me tight, and I happily stayed with him, absorbing the tension that he had been living with for so long.
“Thank you,” he said gruffly into my hair.
“Of course. And if you like that, just wait until you hear my other idea.”
“If it’s anywhere near as good as that one, then I’ll be very generous with the orgasms later.”
“Orgasms,” Sasha murmured, which sent both of us into peals of laughter.
Alexei stood on the edge of my destroyed deck, gazing at the scene in the backyard. We had set up a table away from the house, where it was a little quieter and out of harm’s way. A battle for the ages had just commenced.
Sitting across from Sasha was Dante Moretti, former Rebels general manager, and the only person I knew who played chess and looked like a movie star-slash-supermodel while doing it. They had been locked in for the last thirty minutes, and from what I could tell, the game was coming to a head.
“How will he feel if he loses?”
“As long as he gave it his all, he should be okay,” Alexei said. “But then I don’t know him as well anymore.”
I nudged his shoulder. “I think it’s good you brought him here. It’s good for both of you.”
“Perhaps you just like to have someone doing all the hard work.”
“Can’t say I object to watching hot hockey players getting sweaty on my behalf.”
“Watch it, zhena. You don’t want to see me jealous.”
“Zhena?” Rosie had just come around to the back of the house. “Is that a nickname?”
“Yes. From college,” Alexei said lazily. “Your father is a lifesaver.”
“Are you kidding? He loves having someone who can actually play. I was a terrible student.” She looked up at me, her eyebrows angled together in a V. “So, you two are a thing, huh?”
“We’re old friends,” I said.
“Nice.” She held up a bag. “I brought cupcakes and worker bees.” Esme and Adeline had just come down the path, with Adeline hauling her guitar. She made her living singing songs for kids at the Chicago School of Folk Music.
I turned to Alexei. “Did you put them up to this?”
“We still have the second and third bedrooms to paint, so why not make a party of it?”
Five minutes later, I came downstairs from showing the girls where to start to find Conor and his dad, Theo, dragging what looked like a mini spaceship to a spot behind my deck.
“What’s going on?”
“I have an extra grill, and Gunnar said you didn’t have one yet, so I figured no home is complete without one. You could buy a new one, but this one is perfectly fine.”
Conor snorted. “Or at least it was until we bought him the Genesis S-435 for his retirement.”
“I’ve seen that thing. It’s like something out of Star Wars.”
“This is its baby brother. A perfect entry level grill for the woman who might, well, never grill.” Theo frowned, probably not enjoying where that sentence landed.
“I will use it! Can’t wait until we have, uh, better weather.” I looked up. Not a cloud in the sky.
“Or we could set it up now?” Theo said. “Make sure it’s in good working order and maybe feed the hungry workers.” Plan decided, he turned to his son. “Connie, we’re going to need a tank of propane and enough food for—”
“Twenty,” Alexei said.
“Twenty?” I looked around. “There are fewer than ten people here.”
He shrugged. “Better to have more than not enough. It will not go to waste, especially with these appetites.”
“What about your dad? Will he be okay with all these people?”
“I will keep an eye on him.”
Alexei had called it on the numbers. By lunchtime, Elle and Landon had arrived, soon followed by Jason, Franky, and Cammi, then my sister and Gunnar.
A little later, Vadim Petrov and his wife Isobel Chase made an appearance along with Rosie’s other dad, Cade.
Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” played from Conor’s iPhone speaker setup, and the scents of grilling mixed with deck varnish perfumed the air.
Rosie took a seat in a camp chair beside me. “Seriously, what’s with you and Nazarov?”
“They’re doin’ it.” Conor’s uninvited take on whatever he thought he knew about Alexei and me.
Rosie narrowed her eyes at him. “Did I ask you?”
“No, but I figured you’re not going to get a straight answer from LoYo. She’s too slippery for that.”
“True.” I took a sip of my Aperol Spritz, prepared by Landon who had a knack for mixology as well as dating app creation. “That’s what they called me on the ice—Slip n’ Slide.”
“Really?” Rosie frowned. “I think I would have remembered that.”
“Just kidding. But to answer your question, Alexei and I are not doin’ it. We are just friends.”
Conor winked at me. I ignored him and looked over at my husband—guilty!
—who was currently making sure his dad was eating one of the sliders Theo had grilled up.
Watching him gently see to Sasha’s needs filled me with such tenderness towards this man I had known all these years.
But I hadn’t known him, really. Not like this.
That boy I met in college would always have my heart. But this man—my secret husband—had captured my soul. I liked to think we had both grown since those days. That we could approach this relationship with honesty and a maturity borne of years apart. Hearts open and ready for whatever came next.
I was still in love with Alexei Nazarov, and I wanted to travel this road with him.
I caught his eye and couldn’t help the smile that touched my lips. There was no reason to feel this happy, especially given my professional woes. But having my friends and family around me definitely took the edge off those problems.
“Anyone need a drink that doesn’t require more than one ingredient?” I stood, resolved to be a good hostess. Everyone had provided their work with no expectation of return, so it was the least I could do.
“I’ll take a Corona if there’s one going. Zhena.” Conor waggled his eyebrows.
“Zhena? Alexei called you that before.” Rosie turned to Conor and snapped, “What does that mean?” These two had been bickering for as long as I could remember. Now my secret marriage was giving them new fuel for whatever they had going on.
“Just some nickname I heard. A Russian nickname.” He grinned at me, sly as a fox, making it clear he knew something was afoot. Conor had an annoying habit of figuring out everyone’s secrets, usually through a mix of gossip mongering and canny detective work.
I shot daggers back at him, to which he laughed and returned to poking at Rosie.
In the house, I walked around, opening windows to air out the smell of paint.
In the last few weeks, it had transformed into something familiar and comforting.
The girls had done a great job in the bedrooms, and it looked like someone had even painted some fun florals on one of the walls. No idea who.
As I exited the master bedroom, I ran into Alexei.
“Oh, hello.”