Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
AUSTIN
I was standing on one leg to stretch my quad when my cell phone rang, startlingly loud in the silence, and I jolted in surprise and had to stumble to catch myself before I tipped off balance.
Who the hell was calling so early on a Sunday morning?
I looked out the window as if to confirm that it was, in fact, still early. The sun was up, but the light outside was low and filtered through heavy gray clouds.
I leaned over to check the caller ID. It was an unknown number. I debated letting it go to voicemail but decided that if whoever it was had made the effort to get my number rather than go through my usual points of contact—Gus and Jane—then it was probably important enough for me to answer.
I slipped my foot out of the resistance band and hung the band over a railing along the wall, then mopped the sweat off my forehead with an exercise towel as I connected the call.
“Is this Austin Harris?” a male voice asked. It was oddly familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it.
“Yes.” I wasn’t going to give him any more than that until I knew who I was dealing with.
“Great, this is Stephen Robertson.”
“Oh?” My gut flipped over. Why was the team manager calling me early on a Sunday morning? “It’s nice to hear from you, Mr. Robertson.”
He laughed. “Please, call me Stephen.”
“Okay, Stephen. How can I help you?”
“Are you free this morning to come into the office for a meeting?”
I checked the time on my wristwatch. It was a little after eight. I didn’t have any plans for the day other than reviewing game footage from yesterday and working the kinks out of my sore muscles.
“I can.”
I hated how nervous I sounded and inwardly cursed myself for letting my anxiety show.
Then I cursed myself again for letting myself buy into Dad’s narrative that a good player kept their emotions under wraps.
Unfortunately, after eighteen years of conditioning, it was hard to break old habits despite being free from his control for more than a decade.
“Excellent. Is ten o’clock too soon?” Stephen asked.
“That depends.” I patted the damp hair at the nape of my neck with the towel to take the moisture out of it. “Do I need to bring my agent?”
If this was going to be something bad, I’d need my support system with me.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t bother,” he said, with what sounded like a grin in his voice. “But you’re welcome to invite him if you’d like to.”
“I’ll see if I can get a hold of him. Otherwise, I’ll be there in an hour.”
“See you then.”
We each said goodbye, and Stephen ended the call.
I collected the resistance band again and used it to stretch my other quad, then finished up in the gym and took a shower.
By the time I entered the living area, Jane had already prepared breakfast and was eating on her own at the breakfast bar.
“I just got a call from Stephen Robertson,” I told her, grabbing the eggs and oatmeal from the kitchen counter and dragging them around to join her. “He’s asked me to come into his office at ten.”
Her eyebrows drew together. “What for?”
I shrugged. “No idea.”
“Have you told Gus?”
“Not yet.”
She tapped on the tablet that was positioned in front of her. A moment later, she said, “No answer. I’ll send him a message.”
We shared our meal in a peaceful quiet. Jane finished first and cleaned up after herself, then grabbed my plates when I’d scraped the last of my breakfast out of them and washed those too.
I went to my bedroom and changed into something more professional for my meeting with Stephen. I always found it was better to overdress for these situations than underdress. Team management liked players who dressed sharply and took all aspects of their job seriously.
I tried Gus’s phone but also had no luck. When it was time to go, I backtracked to the living area and found Jane waiting with a bag at her feet and her phone in her hand.
“Still nothing from Gus,” she said, continuing to tap on her phone without looking up. “Which means I’m coming with you. We don’t know what this meeting is about. You might need backup.”
I hesitated. I’d asked Stephen about whether I could bring Gus, but I’d never mentioned Jane. “If he asks to speak privately, I’ll need you to wait outside. Especially since you’re not officially my assistant anymore.”
She nodded. “No problem.” She held up her keys. “I’ll drive?”
“Go for it.”
We drove to the stadium, parked in the half full lot, and made our way inside. A recreational league was using the ice for a social game, and a few friends and family members were clustered around the outside of the rink, but otherwise, the stadium was empty.
Jane and I walked up the stairs together, keeping pace with an ease that came from doing the same thing a hundred times before. The corridor smelled of bleach. It must’ve been cleaned after the game last night.
We passed the team meeting room, where I noticed that a couple of comfortable-looking beanbags had been deposited, and carried on until we reached the manager’s office. A new plaque hadn’t been added to the door yet, and the screws were visible where the previous one had recently been removed.
I knocked and waited for Stephen to invite me in. When he responded, I tried the handle and found it open.
Stephen sat behind his desk, dressed more casually than the last time I’d seen him, although he still had a pair of designer sunglasses perched on top of his head and a chunky wristwatch that probably cost more than five figures.
He glanced up and smiled. “Austin, good morning. Have a seat.” He spotted Jane behind me. “Feel free to come in too. Jane, isn’t it?”
His tone said that it was a question, but the knowing gleam in his eyes said that he already knew the answer.
As we stepped inside, footsteps came down the hall behind us. Coach Dunn sauntered in, his hands in his pockets, and dropped onto a chair near the end of Stephen’s desk.
“Sit.” Stephen gestured at another three chairs lined up against the wall.
I carried two over and positioned them so that we were sitting in a slightly squashed circle, all able to see each other. I sat on one and Jane took the other, immediately opening her bag and pulling out her tablet.
“What’s this about?” I asked, the writhing nerves in my gut getting the better of me.
Stephen took the sunglasses from his head, pulled a cloth from the pocket on the front of his button-down shirt, and started cleaning the lenses. “We heard there was some trouble brewing at Rinkside last night.”
My heart sank. How had they known that? I thought I’d headed it off before anything serious could happen.
“We also heard that you got everything under control like a pro.” Stephen set his glasses on the desk and crossed his legs. “Is that true?”
I didn’t know exactly what to say. On the one hand, I wanted to look good to them, but on the other, I really hadn’t done that much. “All I did was deescalate the situation and distract the people involved by sending them over to play a game of pool.”
Coach Dunn nodded. “That’s more than anyone else did. That kind of calming influence is exactly what the team needs this season.”
My chest lightened. This was good, right? “I’m just glad I could help.”
The two men exchanged a glance. Stephen spoke, but it was clear the message was coming from both of them.
“We’ve talked, and we’d like to offer you the captain’s position on a trial basis.”
My heart skipped a beat, but I tried not to let it show on my face. “I’d really like that. How would the trial work?”
“You’ll be assigned as acting captain for the next month.” It was Coach Dunn’s turn to talk. “If we like what we see, then we’ll make it official. But—”
Uh-oh. I didn’t like the look on his face. Was the other shoe about to drop?
“—you’ve only got one season left on your contract.”
There it was. The other shoe.
“While this month will be your trial run for the season, you can consider the season itself to be something of a trial run to determine whether we continue your contract. If it works out, and we’re pleased with how the team performs, then we’ll extend your contract for another three years and guarantee you the captaincy for next season. ”
Sweat sprang up on my palms, and I wiped them discreetly on my pants, then swallowed to wet my throat before forcing myself to ask the most important question.
“And if you aren’t impressed with my performance this season?”
Stephen shrugged. “Then you’re out.”
My heart hammered, and not in a good way. “Not to sound conceited, but I’m one of the better players on the team. Surely, it would be for the benefit of the team to keep me around anyway.”
I tried to meet Coach Dunn’s eyes, knowing that he must realize this, but his gaze was locked on Stephen.
“We can’t rule out the possibility that we decide to renew your contract,” Stephen said, fiddling with the frame of his glasses.
“But Mr. Trent is willing to bring in players from other teams who could be suited to the role. He wanted to try someone from within the team first, but if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. ”
“I see.” A complicated knot of emotions tingled in my gut.
I had a chance to be captain. This was a major career goal of mine and it was within reach.
But it was a lot of pressure too. We all knew that the team was a mess, and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to pull off the miracle they were looking for.
Was I a good player? Yes.
But was I a people person? Not really.
I could see enough to be able to guide players to improve themselves, but whether I actually had the communication skills to persuade them to try was a whole other matter.
“We have one other condition,” Stephen said, glancing down at his watch as if he had somewhere else to be.
As if anything could be as important as this.
He cleared his throat. “We understand that there has been a romantic development between you and Jane. We’re happy for you, but it isn’t a great look for our captain to be dating his assistant. ”
The knot in my gut pulled tighter. Oh, shit. Was the very thing that Gus believed would help me the thing that got in the way?
“She’s not my assistant anymore,” I protested. “She’s been studying to be a speech therapist for the last couple of years, including while she worked for me, and now she’s doing that full-time. I’m supporting her, and she’s helping me out, but only in a personal capacity.”
Stephen clapped. “Great. That’s a relief. We’ll release a statement to that effect so that no one can claim workplace harassment.” He turned to Jane with a conciliatory expression. “Not that I think you’d do that, of course.”
“Of course,” she murmured, her tone belying her feigned nonchalance. She didn’t like the subtle implication that she might turn on me.
“So, do we have a deal?” Stephen asked.
“Yes. Absolutely.”
Coach Dunn stood and extended his hand toward me. I took it and gave it a firm shake.
“Glad to have you on board,” he said. “I think you’ll be a real asset in getting the team where we want to go.”
“I hope so.”
God, did I ever. If I fell short, it sounded like I could kiss my career with the Chaos goodbye. I’d wanted to become captain since I’d been a rookie, but I’d never expected the position to come with such hefty strings attached.
He turned to Jane. “Once again, I’m sorry I was a bit gruff toward you in the past. I’m thrilled to hear about you and Austin. That’s exactly the sort of positive, exciting news we need to create buzz about the team. Austin Harris, dating Pete Wright’s daughter. It’s perfect.”
Beside me, Jane stiffened, and I wanted to be pleased with his reaction, but I couldn’t help recalling the conversation we’d had about how people had tried to use Jane because of her family. Coach’s words, while well-intentioned, had no doubt reminded her that I was doing the same thing.
Damn it.
Coach Dunn grinned wider. “Hell, imagine if you get married. He’ll be part of a hockey dynasty.”
Okay, that was enough.
“We’ve only just started dating,” I reminded him pointedly. “We’re nowhere near marriage.”
He sighed but was still smiling. “Let a man dream.” Sliding his hands into his pockets, he added, “Speaking of wives, mine is waiting for me to get home, so we can eat lunch.”
Stephen waved toward the door. “By all means, go. See you here tomorrow. You too, Austin. Enjoy your Sunday.”
I rose to my feet, my heart light enough to float away, while my gut was threatening to hit my shoes. It was a complicated feeling.
Jane tucked her tablet away and stood too. Together, we followed Dunn out of the office and into the corridor. He jogged down the stairs, but we lagged behind.
“I have to call Gus,” I said. He’d want to know immediately.
She gestured for me to do it. I withdrew my phone from my pocket and made the call.
“Why are you calling me on a Sunday morning?” Gus asked, sounding half asleep.
“Guess who’s the new team captain.”
“What?” He was wide awake now. “Seriously? If you’re messing with me, I’m going to be mad.”
“Seriously.” I explained the situation, including both their offer and their ultimatum.
“Well, damn,” he said in summary. “You’d better do a good job.”
Jane snorted, apparently able to hear him despite the fact the phone wasn’t on speaker.
“We’ll have to celebrate. I think this calls for an all-new poster on my wall. How does you in your captain shirt sound?”
I groaned. “Like you’re either trying to stroke my ego or your own.”
“Let me have it.”
I sighed. It did no harm, so he could replace the poster if he wanted. It wasn’t like I had to look at it every day anyway.
We finished up the call, and Jane and I made our way down the stairs and out the front of the building. The social hockey game had ended, and another was about to get underway.
A speck of water landed on my face as we crossed the parking lot, and I tilted my head back to see if it was raining. There might be a little on the way, but it was hard to tell for sure.
We got into the Range Rover, and as soon as the door shut behind us, I turned to Jane.
“Are you okay?”
“Fine,” she gritted out, clearly lying.
“I’m sorry—”
“Just don’t.” She gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I know the deal. There’s no need to talk about it.”
My pregame playlist started, and she turned the volume up. We drove in silence and, despite her words, I couldn’t shake the sense that she was upset. I just didn’t know what to do about it.
I was failing her, and she wasn’t even my real girlfriend. Because of course, I couldn’t keep even a fake one happy.