Chapter 8
My first official day on the job is going better than I expected.
The meeting with Sloane and Ellie about Connor’s injury didn’t last too long.
Sloane said Connor should probably miss a couple games if we want him in his best condition for playoffs at the end of the month.
Ellie wasn’t thrilled, but the Bobcats will clinch a playoff spot if they win their next game. Better to be safe than sorry.
The wild rookie from last night was here early for a one-on-one meeting with Ellie, and he asked me if we could do a morning yoga session before practice. This Jefferson kid is a real character. We’ve just finished up and he’s still lying flat on his back on his yoga mat trying to catch his breath.
“Sadie, are post-yoga naps a thing? Because I could really use one.”
Chuckling, I make my way over to him and reach my hand out to help him stand. “Aw, come on, Jefferson. I didn’t work you too hard, did I?”
I haul him up from the ground and he rubs the sweat dripping down his forehead with the back of his arm. “Fucking right you did. I didn’t expect it to feel like a full workout. But I somehow also feel like a million bucks. Make it make sense.”
Together we walk side by side out of the gym, making our way toward the training room.
“I was working areas that hockey players usually have lingering pain—your hips, shoulders, knees. But instead of exasperating the pain, those stretches should help reduce any discomfort there. It might’ve felt like a workout, but hopefully you’ll start feeling a difference with your flexibility and mobility after a few sessions. ”
Jefferson stops walking and does a few squats and high jumps in the middle of the hallway. “You know what, I feel extra limber already.”
We both laugh at his ridiculousness as we continue walking to the training room. As soon as we turn the corner, I run face-first into a hunk of muscle.
Ouch.
Warm hands grasp the tops of my arms, and when I look up and see who’s holding me, I suck in a sharp breath.
Niko’s eyes meet mine before working their way down my body. “Shit, Sadie. I’m sorry. You okay?” He scans me from head to toe once more, assessing me for injury.
I stand, unmoving. My skin tingling beneath the heat of his gaze.
Words, Sadie. Speak words.
“I’m fine.” The two words come out breathy. Way too obvious that his proximity is having some sort of wild effect on me.
We stay locked in a stare as the energy charges between us. Afraid that if I break first, I may never feel this way again. What a tragedy that would be.
Jefferson clears his throat behind me. “Hey, Cap. Didn’t know you were scheduled for treatment this morning too. Your old age causing your knees to give out on you again?”
Niko shoots daggers over my shoulder at Jefferson. The break in eye contact gives me the opportunity to take a step to the side, creating some much needed distance.
“You wanna come closer and try saying that again, Rookie?” Niko crosses his arms over his chest and straightens his back. Jefferson is easily six inches taller than me. But he still looks tiny standing in front of Niko like this.
Jefferson doesn’t miss a beat as he glides past Niko into the training room. “I’m just saying. You’re like a decade older than me. Those knees have been through it.” He plops down on the edge of a training table and rests his hands behind him.
Niko shakes his head but then shrugs his shoulders. “I’m actually eleven years older than you. But I can still out skate your teenage ass.”
The ribbing between these two makes me laugh, and Jefferson flashes me a boyish grin. “I’ll be twenty next week, thank you very much. And I can skate laps around you, Cap.”
I’m actually shocked to hear Jefferson is as old as he says. Before I can think better of it, I interrupt the guys’ chirping with my own. “Wait, you’re going to be twenty? You don’t look a day over sixteen.”
Niko throws his head back and laughs. I’m not sure what I like more, the sound he just made or the look of shock on Jefferson’s face.
“Do I really look that young?” He juts out his bottom lip, giving a whole new meaning to the term “baby face.” Niko walks toward Jefferson and clasps a hand onto his shoulder.
“Sorry, kid. But Sadie is right. You barely look old enough to drive. It’s not a bad thing. I’m sure the ladies love squeezing your dimpled cheeks, don’t they?” At the comment, Niko grabs Jefferson’s cheek before speaking in a baby voice. “You’re a little cutie-pie, aren’t ya?”
Jefferson swats Niko’s hand away but they’re both laughing now.
This is another side of Niko I’ve never seen. I’ve seen him as the overprotective dad, the burly hockey player, and last night, the relaxed, handsome guy at the bar, but I’m really enjoying this playful side to him. Probably a little too much, if I’m being honest.
Jefferson pulls his phone out of his gym shorts and chuckles under his breath. “Hey, Cap, Mack said he’s on his way. I think he was hoping to get a session in with Sadie before practice too.”
There’s a shift in Niko’s expression. The playfulness is replaced by a look I can’t quite pinpoint. Not exactly anger, maybe annoyance?
The two of them are now in a stare down, having some type of silent conversation I’m not privy to.
“Tell Mack she’s busy and not to bother.”
This comment has me quirking an eyebrow and taking a step closer to the two of them.
“Oh, I’m busy? Care to tell me what I’m busy doing? Seeing as I have nothing planned until after your morning skate.”
Jefferson sits up, leaning over to rest his elbows on his knees. “Yeah, Niko. Care to tell Sadie what she’s busy doing?” That boyish grin is back on his face, telling me he’s up to no good.
We both wait silently for Niko to respond, Jefferson’s grin stretching wider and wider by the second.
Niko reaches up and rubs the back of his neck with his hand, clearly uncomfortable by the situation he’s put himself in.
“Uh, well. I was hoping we could talk about meditation. I was reading up on it a little bit last night when I couldn’t sleep.
I guess it’s supposed to help with sleep quality?
Lord knows I can use all the help I can get. ”
There’s a hint of defeat to his voice. I think Jefferson detects it too by the way his mouth turns from a grin to a straight line. Not wanting Niko to feel embarrassed by reaching out for help, I gently squeeze his arm.
“Now, that is definitely something I can help you with. Let’s go sit down in my office.” I tilt my head to the side, gesturing toward the hallway where some of the offices are located.
Niko gives me a small smile and nods. I look to Jefferson and give him a small wave before following Niko out of the training room.
Picking up my pace to keep up with his long legs, I do my best to clear away any of the awkwardness that may be left between us after last night’s game by asking about the one thing I know will make him happy.
“How’s Sophia doing? She is such a sweetheart.”
Just the mention of her name has his eyes lighting up. Pride evident on his face. Exactly what I was hoping for.
“She’s okay. She was up before the sun so she had a rough morning. But she’s with my mom, which always makes her happy.”
I gesture to the open office door on my left. “This is me.”
“Ladies first,” Niko says while holding his hand out in front of him.
This simple act should not shock me as much as it does, but it’s been a long time since a man has shown any type of chivalry toward me. I mean, I don’t think anyone has ever opened a door for me besides maybe a random stranger at the doctor’s office.
How sad is my life? Good grief.
I walk into my office and take a seat on the yoga mat I laid out when I got here this morning. “You can take the chair. I’m usually on my mat all day anyway.”
“May I?” he asks, pointing to the pile of rolled up yoga mats in the corner.
“You want to sit on the floor instead of in that fancy desk chair?”
He walks over to the stack of mats and unrolls one before setting it down across from me. “I’d feel awkward sitting up in that chair with you down here on the floor. Where is your desk anyway?” Niko’s eyes scan my office. My extremely bare and completely empty office.
“I had them remove the desk since I don’t have much use for one anyway.
I’ll probably put a coffee table over here on the floor with meditation cushions, and line the walls with artwork.
I’m not sure if there’s any space in the arena for you guys to meditate so I’d like to transform my office into a space for that. ”
Niko adjusts his giant body and attempts to sit cross-legged on his yoga mat. He grunts and moans as he pulls his legs underneath each other. “Damn. Who knew sitting criss-cross applesauce was so tough? I should give Sophia a little more credit.”
I do my best not to laugh at him as he struggles but a snort escapes me, and he looks at me playfully. “You’re getting way too much enjoyment out of this aren’t you.”
Covering my smile, I shake my head. “Nope. Not at all.”
“Liar.”
He shoots me a smirk, and my ovaries almost burst at how sexy he looks right now. Even as he struggles to get comfortable on the floor. His biceps are bulging and his thick hockey thighs are on full display as his shorts rise on his legs as he gets settled.
Holy hell. Sitting here like this makes it impossible to clench my thighs together, so I shift on the floor, attempting to relieve some of the tightness building between my legs.
Is it hot in here?
Niko finally gets comfortable and rests his hands on his knees. “Okay, I think I’m ready.”
Taking a deep breath, I try to calm the energy coursing through my body.
“All right. Why don’t we start with you telling me what’s been going on? You mentioned not getting much sleep lately?”
Niko mirrors my deep breathing before telling me about his trouble sleeping. “A lot of it has to do with Sophia’s sleep issues. Ever since her mom took off again around Thanksgiving, she’s been struggling to sleep in her own room. She ends up in my bed almost every other night.”
Nodding along, I do my best not to show any emotion, but it’s hard not to show empathy toward this man as he explains how he and Sophia have been struggling together.
“Once she’s in my bed, she seems to be able to sleep better.
Me, on the other hand, I don’t get more than an hour or two after she joins.
She’s a restless sleeper, even on a good day.
” He shrugs, looking a bit embarrassed at his confession.
“I just don’t know how to help her. Which means, I really don’t know how to help myself.
I’m really bad at asking for help when I need it.
I know I have it much better than other single dads out there so I don’t like to complain. ”
Gosh, the raw vulnerability radiating off this man has me fighting the urge to reach out and hug him.
I can’t hold it in anymore, and before he can go on I interrupt him.
“Niko. Don’t diminish your own struggles because someone else might be struggling too.
You’re allowed to not have it all figured out.
Just because you’re successful doesn’t make you immune to the hardships of parenting.
Your problems are real. Don’t act like they’re less important because you have things that other people might wish they had. ”
Niko’s blue eyes peer into mine, curiosity coating the corners. “Where’d you learn all that parenting wisdom? Do you have a kid I don’t know about?”
I scoff at his question and then try to explain. “No, no. Not quite. But I did pretty much raise my five younger siblings with the help of a nanny growing up.”
I didn’t plan on revealing any parts of my past today with Niko. Heck, I thought I was just going to teach him some meditation techniques. But after how open he was with me, it felt easy to give a piece of myself back to him.
“That must’ve been hard. To help raise kids when you were just one yourself.”
His statement takes me by surprise. I’ve thought those words a thousand times before.
I was just a kid. Why did my parents think I could take care of five other ones?
The fact that Niko recognizes that in such a short amount of time scares me.
No one has ever understood me like that. No one but Ellie.
Unease settles in my stomach at the realization that this man can read me like a book. I’ve kept myself closed off from people, particularly men, for a reason. If I dare to let someone in again, it’s only a matter of time before they realize I’m not what they expected. That I’m not enough.
To avoid the uncomfortable conversation this discussion is headed toward, I hop off the floor and glance at my watch, pretending I’m reading a message.
“Crap. I forgot I had a meeting with Katie this morning. You think we can meet after practice?”
I feel bad for ending our session abruptly, but revealing even that small piece of myself has me headed down a rabbit hole of self-loathing. I’m no longer in the right headspace to support him right now.
Niko slowly stands from the ground and puts his hands in his pockets. I nibble at my bottom lip, fighting the nervous energy that is buzzing under my skin.
I can feel his gaze on me as I wait for him to respond. I choose to look anywhere but at him, glancing at the wall just over his shoulder, afraid he’ll be able to read through my bullshit just as easily as he read between the lines about my childhood.
“Sure. After practice works.” His voice calls my attention back to him and he looks confused, but doesn’t question my abrupt end to this meeting. “Meet you here around two thirty?”
I nod. “Yep. Sounds good.’
His eyes bounce between mine, and I can tell he wants to say more, but he just nods back and slowly walks out of my office.
Once he’s gone, I lean my head back and breathe a sigh of relief. “What the fuck was that?” I ask the universe.