21. Taking Care of Business #2
Cassie clicked her pen against the table, considering.
“A few stand out. GoGo Narrative, for one. We already handle their print and AV needs, and they’ve been looking into ways to create more interactive content.
I know you and Kellan discussed Jensen Productions—I agree they are one we should approach early.
And there are a couple of smaller, local outlets that want to develop their social media presence. ”
Alex’s lips twitched, their voice tinged with something close to admiration. “You really do know our clients inside and out, huh?”
Cassie’s pulse jumped at the unexpected compliment, her fingers tightening slightly around her pen. “That’s…my job,” she muttered, ducking her head to scribble something in her notebook as if that would hide the way her face heated.
Kellan smirked, clearly enjoying the moment. “Okay, we’re off to a great start. No glaring, only mild compliments. Love this new dynamic.”
Cassie rolled her eyes, but the tension in her chest had already started to loosen.
It wasn’t just that the meeting was going well—it was the feeling of slipping back into something familiar.
Something she actually enjoyed. She’d missed this.
The back-and-forth, the strategizing, the sense of purpose.
For weeks, work had been a battlefield, every conversation charged with resentment or avoidance.
But right now, she almost felt like herself again.
The rest of the meeting went smoother than she expected.
They divided up tasks, agreeing on a mix of direct pitches and follow-ups with long-term clients.
The conversation turned more fluid, less forced.
Even Alex seemed more comfortable, throwing out ideas without over-explaining or waiting for Cassie to push back.
By the time they wrapped up, Cassie realized something: she hadn’t wanted to storm out. She hadn’t even thought about it. That was new.
What followed over the next few weeks was a rhythm Cassie hadn’t anticipated.
In the morning, the three of them would meet in Alex’s office to review the call list and discuss updates from the day before.
Then they would split up. Alex and Cassie would reach out to clients and Kellan would step up to keep current projects running smoothly.
Most afternoons, they would gather in the conference room, order in lunch and spend several hours brainstorming and drafting pitches.
At first, Cassie expected the friction between her and Alex to creep back in. But it didn’t. Instead, something else started happening… they found their groove. And it showed in almost every aspect of their work.
Clients responded well to their efforts. A few signed on almost immediately, excited about the possibility of expansion. Others needed more convincing, but the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. And beyond that, something had shifted within the office itself.
The weekly Tuesday staff meetings had gone from tense and awkward to something actually productive.
People spoke up more, brainstorming flowed better, and the energy in the office felt…
lighter. Kellan even joked about it one morning.
“We’re dangerously close to a functional team here. It’s almost unsettling.”
Cassie rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t deny it. And, against her better judgment, she found herself relaxing.
Cassie was hesitant to put a label on her relationship with Alex. Friends didn’t quite feel right. Not yet. But they worked well together. Really well. There seemed to be a creative shorthand between them. It felt… easy.
It was that ease that reminded her, uncomfortably, of those first couple of weeks before everything had gone to hell. When she had actually liked Alex. Maybe, even more than liked. When something had been blossoming between them.
And that felt… dangerous.
Because the closer they got to something resembling teamwork, the harder it was to remember why she had been so determined to keep her walls up in the first place.
It didn’ t help that in addition to the ridiculous number of hours they spent together at work, they seemed to see each other more and more at the ice rink.
At first, it was just coincidence… Alex finishing a game as Cassie arrived for hers, or vice versa.
But then, without meaning to, Cassie started lingering.
Sometimes, she arrived a little early, blaming unpredictable traffic, but choosing to watch Alex play versus warming up.
Other times, she found herself staying after her own game, under the pretense of hanging out with Missy, just so she could catch a few minutes of Alex’s.
And worse? She was cheering for them. Not loudly, not obviously, but she knew Alex caught it when their eyes met through the plexiglass. A flicker of something passed between them…surprise, maybe. Gratitude. Something softer than the icy distance they’d been maintaining for months.
She told herself it was just hockey. Just work. Just… something that wasn’t going to turn into more. Right?