Chapter 29
Daisy
The day after babysitting Dylan, Daisy went to the practice rink to watch Hazy and Valentine. It wasn’t the same without Connor, but she needed to get used to the new normal.
With Connor gone, Daisy felt blessed Hazy and Valentine kept her around. They weren’t obligated to spend time with her, but they showed up at her apartment with coffee and told her she had to get to the rink. The new guy would be there.
The Freeze had to replace Connor. Hazy and Lover didn’t make a full line. But seeing it in action felt like a stab in the chest. She was, of course, happy for the prospect. As a fan she loved to see AHL players get their time in the big league. She just wished it weren’t Connor’s spot being filled.
The new guy, Seth Cross, a draft pick from the previous year, took shots on the empty net, and Daisy watched, trying to imagine how he would fit in with Hazy and Valentine. She’d watched a lot of Cross’s AHL games. His play style wasn’t the same as the Connors’. They would be starting over again.
On the ice, Hazy and Valentine skated a lap together, stopping for a few seconds in front of her to wave. She forced a semi-fake grin. A whistle blew, and the boys huddled around the coach before he dismissed them.
Daisy gathered her notebook and jacket and waited for them to be done. A sweaty Hazy, still in his gear, met her in the hallway. His cheesy grin, which had been absent the last two days, had returned.
“Coach wants to see you,” he said.
Daisy glanced behind her, assuming he was talking to someone else. There was no one. She pointed at herself. “Coach wants to see me?”
“Yup.”
Nausea churned her stomach. What could she have done?
“Uh, why?”
“Dunno.” Hazy looped an arm around her shoulder and corralled her toward the familiar office. She’d been there once, and that time had been exciting. This felt different. Terrifying.
Hazy didn’t bother to stay with her. He led her to Coach Bree’s door and abandoned her.
She knocked on the open door, and Coach Bree offered her a warm smile. “Daisy. Have you heard from Greene?”
Daisy pressed her lips into a flat line, determined to keep it together in front of this stranger. “Not a word.”
Coach Bree rubbed his jaw, scratching the stubble under his chin. “I thought he’d take you with him.”
She shook her head.
“No plans to join him in Tennessee, then?”
“No, sir,” Daisy managed to choke out.
“I’m sorry to hear that. But it might work out in my favor.”
“How’s that?” Daisy had never been so confused in her life.
“Hale and Valentine speak highly of you. Say they wouldn’t have been able to come together without you.”
“Oh, that’s not true. They would’ve figured it out. I just sped up the process.”
“I saw. You sped it up faster than any of us expected.”
Daisy frowned at him. “Are you surprised I’m good at my job?”
“I’m not surprised; I’m pleased. I’ve also been informed you no longer have that job.”
“Nope. No longer employed by Collaborative Craft.” Every time Coach Bree spoke, Daisy had more questions. They had already talked about her being fired before she signed her contract for the last session with the Connors.
Coach clapped his hands and stood. “I’d rather go straight to the source, anyway.”
When he joined her on the visitor’s side of his desk and leaned against it, Daisy understood what he wanted. Glee tried to fill her stomach, but she shoved it down, doing her best to keep a poker face.
“Go to the source for what?” she asked.
“For team-building. You watched practice. Hale and Valentine tell me you’re the best, and I’ve seen your results. But I’ve also listened to your podcast, and you know hockey. I’m sure you could tell that Mr. Cross’s style is a little different than the Connors. I’d like to hire you.”
Daisy didn’t want Cross to fit with Hazy and Valentine. She wanted Connor to come home. The Connor line should be the staple of the franchise. “I can’t change their style.”
“I’m not asking you to. Teach them to play as a team. Help fold Cross into the group.” Coach Bree handed her a stack of papers. “Here’s my proposal. Look it over.”
He circled to his side of the desk, a clear dismissal. It took everything Daisy had to walk out of there calmly, her conflicting emotions encouraging her to do a happy dance and burst into tears all at once. This was everything she’d dreamed of.
…Almost.