The Fix Up

Chapter 1

Jamison “Drill ’Em Hard” Decker knew his past would catch up with him someday.

Today was the day. That he was sitting in his favorite sports bar, Double Ds, while his former teammates fought for the Stanley Cup, made it even worse, because the place was packed like commuters on public transit during rush hour.

It was a sea of black, silver, and white, with every eye glued to the big flatscreens plastered on every wall of the joint—broadcasting none other than a game with his old team.

He was surprised at how remote that part of his life felt and how grateful he felt to be working alongside his brother honoring their father’s legacy. Well, at least he had until that moment.

“How bad is it?” Decker squinted at the TMZ article on Brian’s phone.

“Keep reading,” his older brother and business partner, Brian, said from the barstool next to him.

Holly Castle, daughter of Stan Castle and heiress to the Castle Homes fortune, made a perfect assist when she took her family’s construction empire and Jamison “Drill ’Em Hard” Decker—NHL five-time Player of the Year and Olympic gold medalist—from partners to paramours, all with a single goal.

Shit.

He pulled his well-worn Decker Construction ball cap low on his head to shield his face from spectators.

This was the last place he wanted to be when news of this sort broke.

All it would take was a single fan to recognize him and it would be game over.

But his brother had insisted that he meet him there so he did, when all he wanted to do was call Holly, ask her how the video had been made public, and maybe hide in an isolated cave on a mountaintop in an undiscovered corner of the world until this all blew over.

Decker and Brian had been wooing Stan Castle for over a year, which was how Decker Construction landed a ten-million-dollar deal with Castle Homes.

He might have made the intro, but the close was all Brian.

It was the biggest contract to date they’d agreed to, but it was a gentleman’s deal—a simple handshake.

They were supposed to get it in writing next month.

Decker had put this project and his brother’s respect in jeopardy.

It was the last part that had a wave of shitty emotions churning in his stomach.

As a former goalie in the NHL, Decker was used to pressure. But this was something else. He had already blown his hockey career by playing it fast and loose on the ice. And now it seemed like he was going to blow his family’s business by playing it fast and loose off the ice, too.

He turned to Brian and met his dark gaze.

His brother was dressed in his typical uniform of jeans and a starched button-down, looking more corporate than the physical side of construction.

Except for his hands. Those were the hands of a working man, calloused and scarred—kind of like their relationship.

Something Decker was hoping desperately to repair.

Not that Decker was the only one who had a hand in the financial straits of the family business. Brian had played his role, too.

“I don’t even know what to say,” Decker began.

“Maybe start with, ‘I’m fucking sorry.’”

Another long pause ensued where the cords in Decker’s neck twisted into tightly coiled rope. “Well, if you’re talking about responsibility, when are you going to admit that you were wrong sticking your fingers into the family bank account?”

“We needed some capital.”

“It was my money. Money that was supposed to last a lifetime and take care of Dad. But because of bad decisions like over-ordering steel beams and custom windows before our current project with Keith Mills was signed, that money is draining fast. I know shit happens, but you never even bothered to tell me. I had to find out when I got the company’s bank statement, which was several digits short.

Christ, Bry, you finished houses even after the owners had defaulted on payment.

You took on projects that you had no business taking.

Even though Dad had a heart of gold, he’d never do that because his family’s security was more important. ”

“You don’t think I know how we rely on your money?” he spat.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I know that you’ve put your life on hold to keep the business going. But that money was supposed to float the business; it does not pay for houses for strangers. All I want you to admit is that you, too, can fuck up.”

“Me borrowing money, which I will pay back, and you sleeping with Castle’s daughter are two completely different levels of fucking up.”

“How do you think I knew Stan Castle?”

“Why would she release it?”

Had they broken up on the nicest of terms?

No. She’d drawn a line in the sand about spending more time together, but he was at the beginning of his career and he’d chosen hockey.

He always chose hockey. His heart had been broken and so had hers.

It had taken three years, but eventually they realized they were wrong for each other.

In fact, they were still friends, which was why he was adamant she didn’t leak it.

“I don’t buy that she did. And why after all these years? She’s moved on. Engaged, even.”

“Then who?” Brian pressed.

“Sure as hell wasn’t me. But trust that I’m going to find out.”

“Well, can you at least tell me how you’re going to fix it?”

Decker ran a hand down his face. Just like when he blew his knee out, he didn’t know how to fix it. He only hoped this wasn’t the end of his second career. But looking at his brother, he knew that if he didn’t come up with a solution—and some cash—he’d let his team down once again.

Only this team was his family.

Their father had founded Decker Construction with nothing more than a truck and a toolbox to his name.

And while Decker had been chasing his dream of fame and glory on the ice, Brian had given up his own to run the family business after their dad had a stroke.

Then last year their dad died and left them both the company.

Now, with one swing of his hockey stick, Decker might run the business into the ground. He’d spent the past nine years focused on hockey, leaving him with a string of flings and a reputation for playboy behavior.

He’d never led a woman on. They knew the score going in and were as happy with the arrangement as he was.

He’d learned the hard way that most women wanted him for what monetary and celebrity value he brought to the table.

Then again, it’s not like he was going to give them love, so they might as well get something out of it.

“We have millions tied up in this project. If we lose Castle, we lose our reputation and the chance at working with other builders. Not to mention the possibility of losing the company.”

“That wasn’t all on me and you know it.”

“This is our chance to take it to the next level,” Brian said, as if Decker wasn’t aware of the stakes.

“We have an agreement in place. There is no legal way he can back out of it now.”

“No, all we have is a fucking handshake, which you promised me was enough until we got the papers signed,” Brian said. “I’ve already started putting together a crew and spent money on this project because you promised me things were golden.”

“Why would you move forward if we didn’t have a signed contract?”

“Because you promised me it was a done deal.”

“He won’t back out. It’s not his style. He’s a man of his word.”

Brian sighed. “That was before you paraded his naked daughter across town.”

“I didn’t do it.”

“Did you make the tape?” His silence was answer enough.

“Then you might as well have released it, too. Honestly, Deck, who makes a sex tape anymore? As for canceling our deal, Castle said he can, and he will. We have nothing on paper. And if he thinks you acted in a way that could adversely affect his company’s image, it’s game over for us. ”

“First of all, it was consensual, monogamous adults in a loving relationship, sharing a private moment. Second, it was eight years ago. It was never supposed to be breaking news on TMZ.”

“An LA heiress and a three-time Stanley Cup winner?”

Yeah, he got that part.

“What’s the plan?” Brian asked.

“There isn’t one. If we ignore it, it will go away. The second I go on the defense, it’s front-page news for a month.”

“So you’re just going to let your own nephew think that his uncle is the kind of man who sleeps with a woman and films it?”

His heart slammed against his sternum. Regret hit hard at the idea that Miles would think this was acceptable behavior. “He knows?”

“One of his friends texted him the video.”

Decker couldn’t even imagine how that conversation went. Just like he couldn’t imagine how he was going to explain this to his step-nephew without sounding like a douche. He loved being an uncle and he didn’t want to jeopardize that.

Decker rested a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I can make this right.”

“By staying silent?”

“If it wasn’t Holly who leaked it, then I can’t jeopardize her reputation by laying blame.” Plus, he’d never blame a woman without hard proof. Knowing she was probably just as mortified and there wasn’t anything he could do to make it better tore him up inside.

Brian recoiled as if Decker had just told him he’d taken out a hit on his family.

“I’m not saying rat her out. I’m just saying, when are you going to grow up and think before you act.”

There it was. His brother’s only weapon against him—the words he knew Decker had no defense against. Decker had put his team ahead of his family once, and while he didn’t regret his time in the NHL, he regretted the distance it put between him and his brother.

“We can weather it. As long as you know the truth, I’m good taking the fall.”

“Don’t you get that none of that matters? All the media will report is that your act now, think later reputation is alive and well,” Brian pointed out. “That’s the last thing we want potential clients to associate with Drill ’Em Hard Construction. We have to address this.”