Daddies on Ice (Forbidden Fantasies)

Chapter 1

TISH

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to let you go.”

I stare at Jonathan, my boss for the past couple of years. My jaw drops open and I shake my head, as if trying to get rid of a bad dream.

He nods sadly. “I know it’s not the best timing with Christmas coming up, but there’s nothing I can do. I just can’t afford to keep you on the payroll. Maybe in a couple of months…”

He lets the sentence trail off, and I know he’s just saying that to give me a little hope.

But it’s false hope and not something I want to hear right now.

“Instead of laying me off, can we just cut my hours?” I ask, desperately hoping to keep some kind of money coming in.

He shakes his head again. “I ran the numbers and tried cutting your hours, but it just doesn’t work. We have too much competition now, especially since Gordy Brothers opened up six months ago.”

Gordy Brothers.

My thoughts start swirling. Maybe they will have a job opening for me.

A twinge of guilt pulls at my insides. Wouldn’t that be disloyal to go to my boss’s competition?

I’m an accountant for Jonathan’s small food distribution company, so I don’t have to stay in the same business.

But I need something.

What will my five-year-old daughter, Becky, think when there are no Christmas presents under the tree this year?

My gut twists and I frown. She’s been through so much already, I can’t stand the idea of ruining Christmas for her.

“I truly am sorry, Tish,” Jonathan says. There’s honest regret in his voice, but that doesn’t help my situation. If only I had a heads-up.

I did, though.

As the accountant, I knew the financial situation was bad.

I should have been looking for other work, but I like it here.

Jonathan is a good boss, the pay is enough to support me and Becky, and the work is not too demanding.

Plus, he always found a way to put money into the accounts, so I kept the blinders over my eyes and figured it would all work out.

Bad on me.

“I understand,” I say with a small smile. “It’s been great working for you.”

“I wish you all the best, Tish. And if you need any references, I’ll be happy to give you a glowing one. You’ve been an excellent employee.” He hands me an envelope with what I assume is my last paycheck. I tuck it in my purse, unopened.

After that, it’s a little more friendly chitchat, then I gather my things and leave.

I didn’t have much in the office, just a pink stapler with rolling eyeballs on it, pictures of Becky, a fern that needs more care than I’ve given it, and a few other odds and ends.

I don’t even need a box to carry my things out. How depressing is that?

I guess it’s a good thing I was let go first thing this morning. This gives me time to myself before Becky gets home from her after school babysitter. Time to try and figure out what to do now.

My two-bedroom apartment is small, but it works well for me and Becky. I’m not a neat freak; you can’t go around with a white glove and expect it to come back still white.

But I’m not a slob either. Dishes are always done, beds are made, and everything has its place.

My small desk sits in the living room and is probably the most unorganized looking area of my home, but I know where everything is and the system works for me.

After setting my things down on the kitchen counter, I pause and pull the envelope out of my purse. I stare at it for a minute. This is my last paycheck.

This money will have to last…well, I don’t know how long.

At least until I find another job.

With trembling fingers, I open the envelope and pull out the blue check.

No way! My eyes widen as I look at the amount. Bless Jonathon. He not only paid me for the rest of my scheduled week, but he gave me a nice severance pay as well.

Not tens of thousands of dollars or anything like that, but more than I expected.

Setting the check on my desk, I sit down and turn on my laptop. I’ve got a few hours before Becky will be home, so now is a good time to do some job searching.

After a few discouraging minutes, I go to the kitchen and pour myself some iced tea, then return to my desk.

Prospects for accountants aren’t too great this time of year, apparently.

I see a few, but they either want way more experience than I have or pay so low I’d be better off taking a job at a fast food restaurant.

A video pops up on my notifications, distracting me.

Wincing, I enlarge it and watch the Thunderwolves, the local hockey team, skate by while an announcer explains the team is making headlines again.

“This exclusive footage goes behind the scenes, into the Thunderwolves’ locker room, and you won’t believe what you’ll see!” a perky blonde influencer says excitedly, her fake lashes so long and thick, I wonder how she can even open her eyes.

The camera view switches to the locker room where team members are in varying degrees of being clothed.

Luckily, no one is naked, but there sure is a lot of skin to look at. Bare muscles, rippling abs, broad shoulders…I shake my head and lightly slap my cheek.

Is Ash there? Leaning closer to my laptop, my gaze searches for Ashton “Ash” Frankson, my brother’s best friend and the captain of the Thunderwolves.

I don’t see his cropped blonde hair anywhere, so I focus again on the perky influencer.

The camera zooms, a little too fast, to a corner of the locker room where two teammates are arguing. They shove each other a couple of times, then the taller one takes a swing at the other.

I gasp, my hand covering my mouth in surprise. This is all they need, more bad press.

The Thunderwolves have been in the negative spotlight for a while now, first with several players getting busted for using performance enhancing drugs, then the team manager was caught embezzling money from team charity events for his own personal use.

A second later, that familiar blonde head makes an appearance, but just long enough for Ash to raise his hand and cover the camera lens, effectively blocking the fight from viewers.

“Rumor is,” the influencer gushes, “those two players were dating the same girl but didn’t know it—”

I close the video and lean back in my chair. I have no interest in petty gossip, especially when the Thunderwolves have so much more to be concerned about.

Time to return to my job hunt.

Hopefully I can find something promising before I need to pick up Becky.

“Come on, man, light the lamp!” Ash shouts at the television, telling the hockey player to score a goal.

He’s learning forward, too tense to be relaxing on my couch, a beer in one hand as he leans forward, elbows on knees as he shouts at my television.

Trent, my brother, sits on the other end of the couch nursing a beer. He shoots Ash an exasperated glance.

“You already know they don’t win,” Trent says.

When Ash is in town and isn’t playing, he and Trent like to come over to my place and watch whatever games Ash wasn’t able to see.

Ash sends Trent a sheepish look and shrugs his shoulders. “The dude can’t hold on to the biscuit if his life depended on it.”

Lucky for me, I’ve learned the hockey lingo, so I know a biscuit is sport slang for the puck.

“The goalie’s no better,” Trent adds. “I swear, his glove is like a sieve. Everything slips through it.”

I shake my head indulgently and return my attention to my laptop. Sitting here, curled up in a chair with my computer on my lap, Becky lying on the floor and coloring, and Trent and Ash watching hockey, is familiar and comfortable.

It’s been somewhat of a tradition for the past year or so and it’s what I needed after losing my job the other day.

Something to take my mind off finding employment.

I haven’t told Becky yet, but then she’s only five. She wouldn’t understand the enormity of the problem, and even if she did, I wouldn’t want to burden her with worry.

“Tish!”

I jerk my head up and realize Trent has been calling my name.

“What?”

He frowns, concern shining in his light blue eyes. “You’re a million miles away today. What’s wrong?”

Ash looks away from the TV and watches me, concern lowering his brows. “You’ve been pretty quiet,” he adds.

My gaze drops to Becky. She’s happily coloring in her book, even humming a song as she finds just the right crayons for her artwork.

She isn’t paying any attention to us adults, which is a good thing.

Lifting my gaze back to Trent, I sigh. “I got fired.”

“Fired?” Trent practically yells.

“Fired? You?” Ash says, his voice lower and full of shock.

“Well, technically, I got let go. Budget cuts.”

Neither of them say anything, the wheels turning in their heads. They both know what my job meant to me. What it meant for me and Becky.

“I’m sorry,” Ash says softly, with meaning.

I meet his brown eyes and nod with a small smile of thanks.

I’ve had a crush on Ash since the first time I met him.

What woman wouldn’t?

He’s gorgeous with blonde hair contrasting so sharply with his dark brown eyes.

He’s tall, built, and…and he’s my brother’s best friend.

Once I realized that, I knew there was no future for us. If Ash could ever see me as anything more than his little sister, that is.

“Thanks,” I finally say. I glance at Becky and the men do the same. “I’m just not sure what to do. There’s not many jobs out there, especially in December. It’s a shitty time to be looking for work.”

“I could find you something to do at my company,” Trent offers.

“Thanks, but no thanks.” I shake my head. “You’ve already got a bookkeeper and I’m no carpenter.”

Trent owns his own construction company, and while the work suits him I’d be all thumbs.

“Maybe…” Ash begins then trails off. He purses his lips together and looks off to the side, as if deep in thought. “It could work.” It sounds like he’s talking to himself, which intrigues me.

“What?” I ask. “What could work?”

He looks back at me and smiles. “It wouldn’t be an easy job, but I think you could handle it.”

My eyes narrow suspiciously. “You aren’t suggesting I clean the hockey club or something like that, are you?”

Ash laughs and shakes his head. “No, but it might be easier than what I’m thinking. Surely less messy.”

Okay, now I’m really curious. “Out with it, Ash. What are you thinking?”

“As you know, the Thunderwolves have had some bad PR lately?”

Trent barks a laugh. “‘Some’? I can’t turn on the TV or listen to the radio without something coming up about you guys.”

Ash nods with a grimace. “Which is why we need someone to take on our public relations and get the negative press turned positive. I think you’d be great for it, Tish. And it doesn’t have to be permanent. What do you say?”