CHAPTER TWO
SCARLETT
I move through the hallway of the Rainiers’ arena, taking in the surroundings – framed jerseys line the walls, reminders of the glory this team earned through heart and grit. There is a faint smell of sweat and coffee in the air, a confirmation of the determination by the staff and the team.
I’m not paying any attention as I walk, then suddenly I hit a wall.
Wait, not a wall – a man. I look up to see none other than the Levi Carter.
He looks like absolute sin, dressed in black exercise shorts showing off his muscular legs and a grey sweater stretched across his broad shoulders, his arm against his chest in its sling.
My gaze continues upward, from the moustache tracing his upper lip to the striking blue eyes watching me curiously.
It’s almost unfair how he looks so attractive, so effortlessly.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” I mutter, my eyes flitting to the ground before back up to meet his.
He simply grunts, before moving around me and taking a seat beside a door. The door to the coach’s office. My mind has been spinning with thoughts of what this meeting could be about… and I think I’ve just figured it out.
My head drops. Shit.
I give myself a second before straightening again, making my way to the door, and walking through to meet Coach Johnson. I take in the surroundings, frames line the walls, showing off years of success, oak floorboards, and a dark wooden desk by a window.
His head jerks up at the sound of the door closing behind me and he stands abruptly. “Scarlett, thank you for coming in on such short notice.”
He walks around the messy, paper strewn desk to meet me reaching his hand out in an offer for a handshake.
He moves to pull out a chair for me. I take a seat, thanking him as he strides back around and practically falls into his seat, running his fingers through his wavy, brown hair and blowing out a breath.
“Now, I’m not too sure if you’ve heard, but one of our star players endured quite a serious injury during the game last night.” Coach Johnson starts, and I nod my head slowly, waiting for him to continue.
“I reached out to your boss, Olivia Dunn, at Reform Method and she thinks you’d be a great fit to rehabilitate Levi back to full strength. Is this something you’d be interested in?”
There’s a somewhat desperate look in his eyes, almost pleading me to say yes.
“I don’t know…” I trail off, thinking it over, “do you think Pilates will be a quick enough fix?”
“Absolutely! Our doctor, Sloane Madison, thinks this kind of rehab is exactly what Levi needs. Slow movements to build up the strength from the root of the problem.”
I’m seriously considering this. It could be an incredible experience. I shouldn’t pass on an opportunity like this.
Coach Johnson speaks again, rustling through some papers. “Just take a look at the contract, will you? I’ll bring Levi in and then we can get it sorted?”
He gives me a big grin. I quickly scan the piece of paper, seeing the numbers at the bottom, making my eyes widen.
I nod quickly, my gaze flicking up to meet his. “I’ll take the job.”
…
LEVI
I sit outside Coach’s office with my head hung low, jaw clenched, ready to discuss my plan for recovery. I’m trying to pretend I’m fine as the sling digs into my shoulder, my knee bouncing as I wait impatiently. I feel pathetic.
My pulse is hammering as all the scenarios run through my head – how long will it take to recover? I am desperate to be healed in time for the upcoming season. And more importantly, who was that just that went in there? What is she here for? Is it related to my shoulder?
I hear the door beside me open, all my thoughts subsiding as I snap my head up at the sound spotting Coach in the doorway. He juts his chin out at me, pushing the door open further. “Come on in, Carter.”
I walk in to see the girl from the hallway sitting in one of the chairs by Coach’s desk.
She’s petite, built lean but somehow also muscular.
From her wavy chestnut hair to those green eyes and soft pink lips – everything about her pulls focus.
Her light brown leggings trace the shape of those toned legs and the white long-sleeve top dips just enough to hint at the curve of her chest, making it difficult to look away.
I’ll admit – she’s pretty fucking hot. She also has an accent I picked up on that I just can’t seem to put my finger on.
Maybe British? I’m really not sure, and I don’t really care anyway.
Coach walks by me, taking a seat in his chair before gesturing to me, “Scarlett, this is Levi. Please take a seat, Levi, and we’ll get straight to it.”
My brows furrow together, and I approach the chair beside Scarlett, taking a seat cautiously.
Our knees are slightly brushing until she angles hers away to avoid the contact.
I lift the corner of my lip into a smug smirk before my mouth drops back into the scowl I’ve been sporting ever since last night.
Coach speaks up first, “Levi. Your injury was quite severe in nature, but definitely not as damaging as it could have been. It’s going to be a slightly long and hard recovery than we initially expected, so I trust you’ll be taking good care of that shoulder during the offseason to make sure you’re back on the ice come October. ”
“Yeah, Coach. It’s going to be tough to sit still, but I don’t want to risk any further damage, so I’ll try my best.”
“Great, glad to hear it. Now, let’s discuss your recovery,” he quickly flits a glance toward Scarlett before looking back at me. Coach continues, “due to the nature of your injury, we believe it’s best to approach this recovery more… holistically.”
“Uh, okay… what exactly does that mean?” It honestly feels like he’s speaking in riddles at this point, like, I’m struggling to make sense of this.
“You’re going to start light. Focusing on mobility first, before moving onto strengthening once we feel that your body is ready. We can adjust the schedule depending on how fast your recovery moves along. Right now, your recovery is looking at being anywhere from four to twelve weeks.”
“Yep, guess that sounds fine, Coach. Can’t wait to get started.” The sarcasm is evident in my tone.
“We’re also, uh…” He trails off, glancing at Scarlett again before continuing, “adding something new this time – Pilates. And we’re hoping Scarlett will be available to train you.”
My eyes fly up to meet Coach’s stern ones, widening slightly.
“Absolutely not. Pilates? Coach, are you kidding? Stretching and breathing? Isn’t that for women and old people, not hockey players?
There’s no way that’s going to get me ready for the season starting back up in October.
It’s not going to fix this.” I point to my shoulder.
Looking over to Scarlett, our eyes meet, and I notice her eyes flaring with anger, her expression darkening further after my insult.
Coach leans forward as he sighs, “Carter, this isn’t up for debate.
I understand you might not be happy about it, but it’s not negotiable.
It will help your stabilisers and your range of motion.
You either accept this form of rehab, or you’re benched for the foreseeable future.
” He almost looks sorry for me as he continues, “you want back on the ice? Put in the work.”
Static starts to ring in my ears. There is no way that this is happening right now. But I know that there is no way Coach will back down from this.
I can’t believe that this is happening right now. “You seriously think this plan is capable of getting my shoulder back to the strength it needs before the season starts? I need to be working in a gym with a doctor, not whatever this is."
I feel the panic bleeding through in my tone. This can’t be the only solution.
“Levi, I assure you I’ll get your shoulder where it needs to be for the upcoming season.
” Scarlett placates me, placing her small hand on my shoulder making me jerk away from her touch, trying not to grimace as pain shoots down my arm.
And seriously, what is that fucking accent? I’m starting to get irritated now.
“Levi, Miss Quinn is one of the best in her field. We guarantee this is the right route. We expect you to be ready for your first session two weeks from today at one O’clock.
Don’t be late.” Before turning to Scarlett, “again, thank you so much for coming in. We are so grateful to have you on board.” Coach stands, walking her to the door.
Before she leaves, she turns around one last time, “I’ll see you then, Mr. Carter.” She murmurs before entering the hallway.
I can’t believe this is happening. Like, really… Pilates?
I stand to walk out as well but Coach grabs my arm to pull me back for a second.
“Keep things professional, Carter. I mean it. Treat her well, we need her.” Then he lets me go and I roll my eyes as I stride out of the room. Keep things professional? Why wouldn’t I?
I don’t even have a choice in the matter. I just need to get this over and done with so I can get back on the ice as soon as possible.
I mean it’s Pilates… surely it can’t be that hard.