9. JESS
Chapter nine
JESS
“Dang, she’s smoking. Why’d you have to go and wreck her nose?”
“Shut up, Brooks! Or your face is going to get the first available appointment with my fist.”
“Geez, man. I’m just joking. Calm down.”
I hear a few guys from the team arguing. Although my nose doesn’t feel great, I’m flattered by the compliment, even though it’s a strange time for it.
That was still the worst welcome I’ve ever received at a new job. I feel the cool flooring under my back. I don’t remember hitting the ground, but clearly, I did. Guess I should learn not to put my face so close to the glass.
I thought I was safe. The guys were facing the net, I didn’t think there was any chance someone would hit the puck in this direction. I heard the team wasn’t very good, but that shot was just awful.
I’m fine, though, just a little sore.
“Are you ok?” a woman bent down at my side asks.
I roll over to face her. She’s so tiny, with a high sandy blonde ponytail and large hoop earrings. She looks like a teenager, but her shirt says “Tina: Missoula Hawks Team Trainer.”
“Fine, thanks. Just gonna walk it off.”
Shouts erupt from behind me “Whoo!” “Atta girl!” “Hard core!”
“Hot and tough, sign me up for some of that!” one voice cries out above the rest. That’s when I hear sounds of a scuffle.
I spin around to see two guys entangled on the ice. Pads and fists are flying in every direction until the other players step in to break it up.
“West! Montgomery! In my office… now!” The coach barks.
I rub my nose a little as I watch the two men head off the ice. Only one turns around before he goes through the door. The one with the name West on the back of his shirt. I can’t see his eyes from here, but I don’t need to. I know exactly who he is.
There’s no denying the laser beam stare he's directing my way. As soon as our gaze meets, the hard lines of his face soften, and the corner of his mouth twitches into the smallest smile. No matter how hard I try to keep Jagger out of my life, it seems there's nowhere I can hide.
“Well, that was random,” Tina comments.
I’m still staring at the door Jagger went through when Tina clears her throat. I’m completely distracted as I watch that familiar brown hair leave.
“What? Sorry.”
“I just said it was kind of random.”
I drag my eyes away from Jagger’s exit to turn and look at Tina again.
“The guys don’t normally fight during practice?” I ask, like I don’t know the participant that has a history with impulse control.
She laughs. “Not on the first day, nothing to fight about yet. Brooks really got under Jagger’s skin, though. Looks like you’ve got a knight in shining hockey gear willing to stand up for your honor. That’s cute.”
“Yep, very cute.” I’m not going to mention to anybody the history I have with Jagger, not if I can help it. “Thanks for checking on me. I’m Jess, the new Media Relations Manager. Nice to meet you.”
Tina smiles back at me while pointing at her shirt. “Tina. Trainer. I’m pretty new myself, just my second year. We can be new together.”
“Sounds good,” I agree.
“Lots of testosterone around this place. We need all the estrogen we can get.”
She’s funny. “For sure. I'll see you later.”
I turn back around to pick up my purse. Ten or so sets of eyes are staring back at me from the other side of the glass. I forgot they were still here.
“You know Jagger?” one of the smaller men asks.
“Uh. What?”
“Why is ‘Thunder’ punching one of our teammates on your behalf? He’s supposed to be here to stop fighting. We need him.”
“Who? What?” This isn’t good. I feel the fight or flight instinct kick in, and I am definitely not a fighter. So, flight it is. I put my hand up to my nose in fake concern.
“I think I may be bleeding. I need to head to the ladies’ room. Sorry.”
I grab my purse, then spin quickly on my heels and run through the open arch to the hallway. I don’t know where the bathroom is, but I’d rather wander around than be peppered by more questions I’m not sure how to answer right now.
I’ve been in the bathroom for almost half an hour. It’s 8:11 p.m. I’m supposed to be introduced to the team in four minutes, but I don’t want to leave the comfort of my stall. It feels weird to continue standing in here, but better than the unknown out there.
Jagger’s in Montana.
Of all the minor league teams, really? Thirty-one teams and we end up on the same one. I should really start playing the lottery, although I’m not sure it’s good luck I’m having. I can’t decide.
But I don’t have time to think about that right now. I need to go meet everyone. The team that Jagger’s on. With the teammate he just fought because he said—. Well, no need to go over that again.
I can’t believe I’d rather stay in a cramped space where people do their business rather than be introduced right now. I can do this. 8:14 p.m. I have to go, or I’ll be late, and that’s even worse. I don’t even know where the conference room is at this point. I thought I’d have time to find it since I got here early. It’s not that big of a place, so I should be fine, but I gotta move.
I throw open the stall and start my hunt to the right, quickly. Although this rec center looks like a big oval from the outside, there are tons of hallways in here and not a lot of signs. Eventually, I hit a dead end and have to turn around.
8:16 p.m. I can’t believe that took two minutes. Now, I’m late. I start jogging in the other direction, but another maze of rooms trips me up. There’s no staff here to ask for directions because of hockey practice. They closed the center to the public. I’m like a mouse stuck in a labyrinth. Back and forth and back and forth. It cannot be this hard.
I check the ice again. No one.
The offices I’ve seen in the hallways. Nothing.
Why can’t I find a single person? I feel like I'm in one of those super stores where you know there are at least twenty employees working, but you can never find a single one when you need help printing out a picture. It’s like they all disappear into some black hole during their breaks, never to be seen again.
Where is Tina and girl power when I need them? 8:27 p.m.
Deep breath. If I were a conference room, where would I be? I slide down to the floor in the hallway and let my head fall back in frustration.
And then I see it, an arrow pointing up on the wall above me.
How many times have I passed that?
It doesn’t have a sign saying what it leads to, but I have a good guess. Tucked around the corner from the arrow is a set of stairs. It’s a strange design, unless they kind of want the second floor to be hidden. If so, they did a great job or maybe I’m just too flustered, and it wasn’t that hard to find.
Who knows? The only thing for certain is I’m late for my first meeting with the team: fifteen minutes to be exact.
I sprint up the stairs and down another long hallway until I see the sign for the conference room. The door is open, and I can hear the guys chattering inside. I stop before I get there to calm my racing heart.
By this point I’m sweating, and my hair is probably a mess, but the last time these guys saw me I was splayed out on the ground, so what’s a stray hair at this point. Plus, I won’t be hugging anybody, so the sweat is hopefully a non-factor too.
Coach Bradley is waiting in the hallway. He extends a hand. “Hey. You doing all right? A direct hit from Jagger West is a story to tell your grandkids someday,” he guffaws. He’s in a very different mood than a few minutes ago.
“I’m fine. Plus, there was the plexiglass, so I’m not sure we can call it a direct hit.” I plaster a sheepish grin on my face. Coach is a very tall man with a whole lot of girth. It would be very intimidating if he didn’t have such a warm smile.
“I’m so sorry I’m late. I got a little turned around trying to find the conference room after the— Well, I’m sorry. It’s very unlike me and won’t happen again,” I promise.
Coach Bradley gently steers me away from the door, out of sight. “It’s ok. I’m just glad you’re not seriously hurt. I talked to Jagger. Well, I use the term ‘talk’ loosely. I definitely ripped into him for fighting on the first day. We need him as a leader, and I was very disappointed in his actions.”
My shoulders sag. I hate that I affected Jagger’s standing with the coach. This is why we should just stay apart.
“But then he told me about your history. Said he’d do it again if someone ever spoke about you that way. That he won’t let anyone disrespect you.”
I try to hold back a grin, but it’s like there’s a hook in the corner of my mouth and someone’s pulling mightily. "You can smile, Jess. I know how powerful it is to care for a woman. I punched a guy or two for my wife while we were dating.”
“I didn’t know he’d be here. I swear,” I confess.
“I know. He says he didn’t either, and I believe him. But here’s the thing. I know you’re both adults, but Jagger is on a very tight leash. He’s got to turn things around before he ruins his career by getting the reputation of an uncontrollable hot head. So, I told him the two of you can’t date, that I’m putting it in his contract. I’m sorry to have to do that, I really am. But I can’t have him on edge with the guys if they give you a passing glance or make a comment on your looks.”
My face gets hot. I can’t believe this has gone in this direction. I nod in understanding.
“Everything about Jagger is full of passion: his love for the sport, the way he plays, and clearly, the way he feels about you. I could tell within five minutes. So, it’s for the best, really. I will definitely be speaking to the team about respecting you and will not tolerate anything less than professionalism in my presence. But unfortunately, I can’t control what they say when I’m not around. They’re grown men, and I can’t have Jagger beating them up at the drop of the hat. He’ll be distracted all season. You understand?”
Of course I do. I don’t want that for him.
“I do understand, I’m sorry.”
He puts his hands on my shoulders. “It’s not your fault. Things happen out of our control every day. Look where we are right now, a professional hockey team playing at a rec center. It’s life. You take what comes and try to handle it with as much grace as you can. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?”
“Yes. And I want you to know I’m committed to being here. I don’t plan on treating Jagger any differently than any other member of the Hawks. I’m focused on filling the seats and getting the community interested in this team.”
Coach lets out a hearty chuckle. “Good. Because we’ve had the worst attendance in the league the last few years. And now we moved the team two hours away from what fanbase we had, which doesn’t help. This place is small, but if we can pack what stands we have, I know it will be good for the team to start turning this ship around.”
“You can count on me, Coach.”
“I know I can. Jagger spoke very highly of you, saying there’s no one better for the job. I think he may be a little biased, but our owner showed me your resume and what you’ve done as a reporter. Jagger speaks the truth. Now let’s go meet the team, shall we?”