Matter of Fact: A Hockey Romance (The Hart Series Book 7) Read online

  I’d prefer my skills to hold up on their own without Liam’s help, but I keep that to myself. She’s just trying to be supportive and I appreciate it.

  “Forget the job tip.” Lauren holds up her hand like she has something much more important to discuss. “I need to know what’s going on with you and that hot hockey player. You’ve been spending an awful lot of nights with him for what, a couple of months? Please tell me he’s amazing in the sack and scratching the itch Kevin could never reach.”

  Kiersten groans and Annika throws a pillow at Lauren’s face. She just grabs it and plops it on her lap.

  “Oh yeah. Pretend like you two don’t want to know all the dirty details.”

  I pull the plate closer to my face and take another bite. I’m not really hungry, just using it to hide behind. Lauren purses her lips at me and pulls the plate down onto my lap.

  “Fine. I don’t need dirty. But at least tell me what’s going on. Is it serious?”

  It feels weird to share my innermost thoughts about Liam with them. I know what he said last night, but I’m not totally positive he wasn’t trying to pacify me in my time of need. What if I like him more than he likes me? I’ll feel humiliated if any of them say they’ve seen him flirt with other women or something. But I’m tired of trying to figure it out on my own and they’re here, being supportive after an unusually difficult evening. Maybe sharing a little piece of my soul with them will help me figure things out and even bring me some closer friendships. Or maybe it’ll backfire on me. I guess at this point I don’t have anything to lose.

  “Maybe?”

  Lauren gives me the same look my mother does when she’s disappointed in me. “Nu-uh. That’s a cop-out. What are you really feeling?”

  I rub my forehead and squeeze my eyes shut. Why is it so hard to talk about feelings? Actually, I know why. I’m afraid of being crushed. It seems easier to hold my feelings close to my chest than trust anyone else with them. I really need to stop that.

  “I admit I like him. Really like him. But don’t you think it’s too soon? I met him like two hours after Kevin broke up with me.”

  “So what?”

  “So, I’m afraid he’s a rebound for me.” I look down at my hands and fidget with my nails. “And I’m afraid I’m just a stand-in for him until he finds someone better.”

  Lauren laughs lightly. “I saw the look on his face when you boohooed all over him last night. That man’s heart was breaking because you were in pain. And what did he do? Pulled you tighter and kissed you on top of the head.”

  He did? I don’t recall that part.

  Kiersten nods vigorously. “I wasn’t there last night but I’ve seen the way he looks at you, with googly eyes and shit.”

  Lauren rears back. “He does, doesn’t he?” Kiersten smiles and nods again.

  “I know you think they’re biased,” Annika adds. “But when Jaxon got home, he said the same thing, and guys don’t notice stuff like that.”

  I cock my head. “Notice what? What did he say?”

  “He was laughing that Liam was the latest victim of the love bug. That’s what he called it.”

  Kiersten covers her heart and says, “Awww,” while Lauren cackles.

  “He’s got a love bug. That’s awesome. Way better than crabs.”

  I ignore Lauren’s joke because it really does help hearing their take on things. But I still can’t shake the anxiety I feel over all of this.

  “You really think he’s serious about me?”

  Lauren grabs my hand and squeezes. “I do. And I’m pretty pissed that Kevin did such a number on you that you have to even question true love when you see it.”

  I furrow my brow, laughing lightly. “True love, that’s a stretch.”

  All three of them shake their heads.

  Love. Huh. I hadn’t allowed myself to think that intensely, but I could love Liam. Someday, anyway. He’d be wonderful to be in love with.

  As those thoughts take root, I begin to feel a little better. Maybe Kevin was a way worse boyfriend than I gave him credit for. But that doesn’t mean I should compare Liam to him. They’re not the same person. Not at all. If I ever got drunk with Kevin, he would have reprimanded me for it regularly, after telling his mom, of course. And I don’t even want to know how he’d react if I puked on his shoes. But Liam, he just seems to adjust to any situation, good or bad, and likes me anyway.

  Feeling some relief and having a different perspective, I’m ready to move on to a lighter topic. But first, I need more ice cream.

  I hand the remaining cheese sticks over to Annika. “You want these back? I’m in the mood for something sweeter.”

  She grimaces, as if just looking at them makes her sick. “Please. No. Keep them far away from me before I hurl.”

  “What is the matter with you lately?” Lauren asks. “You’re eating like a bird and you haven’t even taken a sip of your drink. I even used the good champagne. You’re not on some stupid diet, are you?”

  Annika shoots Lauren a look like she’s lost her mind. But Kiersten’s jaw is the one that drops.

  “No. Way.”

  Annika looks at Kiersten and some sort of telepathy seems to exchange between them before Annika crinkles her face and nods. And that’s when Kiersten screams.

  “Motherfucker,” Lauren yells, and pushes on her ear. “Can you scream any louder in my ear?”

  Kiersten isn’t listening, though. She’s climbing over legs and tables and food to get to Annika where she hugs her tight, still squealing.

  “When did you find out? How far along are you? Ohmygod, our babies are going to grow up together!”

  And that’s when the lightbulb clicks for Lauren who screams so loudly, I’m pushing on my ear now.

  “Ohmygod you’re pregnant!!!” Lauren gets down on the floor to crawl over to her friend and starts talking to Annika’s stomach while the mom-to-be laughs. “Hi, baby. I’m your Auntie Lauren. Your Uncle Heath is the best uncle in the whole world so I can’t wait for you to come over and play.”

  “I thought Jaxon couldn’t have kids,” Kiersten says, practically sitting on my lap as she keeps close to the almost new mom. “How did this happen?”

  “We didn’t know if he could have them.” Annika leans around Kiersten so she can see me. “He had cancer as a kid so it’s one of those things where you don’t know until you try.”

  “You’ve been trying?” Lauren asks as she rubs Annika’s nonexistent baby bump. Watching this whole scene unfold is pretty humorous.

  “More like, we haven’t been not trying.”

  “But you feel good about this? About the baby and working and everything?”

  Annika bobs her head. “I’m scared. And I have no idea how I’m supposed to be a trainer for a sports team if I’m carrying around a basketball in my shirt. But I guess I’ll figure it out eventually.”

  Lauren sighs and leans in for another hug. Almost immediately, Kiersten goes in for her own squeeze and drags me in with her until the four of us are a pile of hugging limbs.

  I may still be mad at Kevin and that hurt might linger for a while, but breaking up with me was the best thing he’s ever done for me. It led me to that bar where I reconnected with women who have become my biggest supporters and really great friends.

  There’s no better gift than that.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Liam

  One of the worst parts of being injured is all the damn paperwork that has to be filled out.

  I may have a contract and get paid a lump sum, but there are still forms that have to be read over and signed: liability, disability, insurance. Most of it is a legal formality to cover the organization’s butt, but it still requires my John Hancock, which is the only reason I’m showing my ugly mug in the corporate offices today.

  I’d rather be at home napping. My body is wiped. I finally got clearance to get back on the ice, but only to start with basic drills. Absolutely no body-checks or contact of any kind. I’m itching to
get back to it, but I have to admit it was nice to at least be on my skates this morning, doing some sprints, shooting some pucks, and getting my body back into the motion that I love.

  There’s another kind of motion that I love but I’ll have to wait for that until Ellery gets off work tonight. That woman is under my skin and I don’t hate it. I love hanging out with her, even when she’s having an emotional moment.

  The fact that she trusts me with her vulnerability is a huge turn-on. It’s like she knows I’m different than the others. Or “other” in her case. And that she knows on a subconscious level that I’m the one for her. I’m the yin to her yang. It makes me eager to skip through the dating part and get to the forever.

  I huff a laugh at myself. I never expected me, Liam Trembley, San Antonio Slingers hockey player with my sport as my one true love to fall for someone else. But I did. There’s no use denying it to myself. I’m in love with Ellery McIlroy with her purple hair and slightly neurotic thoughts. I love her even more than I love hockey.

  Never saw that coming.

  My mom is going to freak out when I finally admit it to her. But Ellery deserves to know first, and she’s not ready yet. Close, but not quite.

  The elevator dings as I reach the floor for human resources so I refocus my attention on getting in and out as fast as possible. The longer I’m here, the hungrier I get and I’ve been dying to try cooking a braised chicken. My mouth waters just thinking about it. Once that sucker gets in the oven, I’ll have a solid half an hour to nap on the couch. Or maybe I should try making a video of me cooking it.

  I scoff and push that thought right out of my mind. Ellery’s intentions were good when she suggested it but the ramblings of a broken-hearted drunk don’t always make the best ideas.

  I weave my way through the large room heading toward the back. Seeing players around the office isn’t unusual for the administrative staff, but I still get a few double-takes as I make my way around the maze of desks. They better get used to it. If Ellery gets the accounting job, I’ll be spending more time up in this area. Even if it’s just to take her to lunch every day if she can get away. The idea of us working so close together makes me feel giddy.

  I rap my knuckles on the door jamb of the HR office.

  The middle-aged redhead looks up from her desk, flashing me a smile and waving me in. “Liam! Hey there. Come on in.”

  Annie Hughes has been the head of HR for as long as I’ve been here. Probably longer. She’s always been easy to talk to and made the transition from active player to injured list so much easier to bear. Honestly, I’m not sure I would have made it through the disappointment of surgery without her honest, but compassionate attitude.

  “I hear you have clearance to be on the ice again. How’d it feel?”

  Unlike a lot of people who work behind the scenes, Annie is a true hockey fan but is never a fangirl. She’s always interested in how practices are going and what our thoughts are on the competition. I’m not sure if she’s always been that way or if she decided there are job perks if she enjoys hockey when she started working here. Regardless, it’s fun shooting the shit with her.

  “I’m going to be sore tomorrow, that’s for sure.” I smile. No amount of Icy Hot will ruin the feeling I have knowing I can be back on the ice. “But it’s worth it.”

  “Still have restrictions though, right? Wearing the no-contact jersey like you’re supposed to?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Doc said I’m almost ready but wants to give me a couple more weeks before going at full throttle again. You know how he is about body-checks anyway.”

  She flashes me a look and begins sorting through some papers on her desk. “Every time one of you goes down, I get an earful from him about the long-term dangers of playing professional hockey.”

  I laugh. “Does he think you can change the rules of the game or is he just hoping every player in the league will come to their senses and quit?”

  “You got me. He’s a great doctor but between you and me, I think he just wants to make sure I know how important he is.” She continues to shuffle things around, beginning to look flustered. “Sorry I don’t have the paperwork right here ready for you. Do you know what a pain it is to find a new payroll manager?”

  “Is that the position you have open? I thought it was accounting?” Maybe this is why Ellery hasn’t heard from them yet.

  “It is. Payroll is under the accounting umbrella, it’s just such a big job it’s the only thing that person does.” Grabbing one pile of papers, she drops them at the front of her desk where I can see them better. “This is my stack of good candidates. I’ve already sorted through the ‘thank you, no thank yous’. Now I need to figure out who I should call first. It’s such a nightmare trying to go through these and do my job and try to help with payroll.”

  “Wait, you don’t have anyone doing payroll right now?”

  Annie stops what she’s doing and holds her hands up. If hand gestures are involved, she’s going into full-on story mode. “She quit. Didn’t put in her two weeks’ notice. Just quit. Walked in a few weeks ago and said she was going to Tahiti or something to find her Zen. Which is great. More power to her. But by God, give me two weeks’ notice before you do so I can get some things set in place before you go. It really put us in a bind. Especially with the last of the contract revisions and trades happening.” She shakes her head. “I swear the first person I see in that stack who can do the job and do it well is hired. I’m so annoyed by the whole thing.” Annie shakes her head. “It also means my brain is spinning which is why I can’t find what I’m looking for.”

  “Don’t worry about me. It’s not going to hurt my feelings if it takes a few extra minutes to find my paperwork. Would it be easier if I come back tomorrow?”

  Annie pushes her chair back and away from her desk. “Actually no. My boss is already breathing down my neck to get this done so he can stop paying into your disability.”

  I snicker. That sounds like the GM.

  “I just realized I asked Marissa to hold your paperwork for me so I didn’t lose it in this pile. Hang on.” Annie darts out of the room shouting to someone on the other side of the office about my file.

  I can see why she’s irritated. It looks like a paper bomb went off in her office. On her desk in particular. I wish there was something I could do to help her out. She’s a nice lady. She deserves a break.

  Glancing at the pile of resumes, my eye snags on one sticking out from the middle. The only part showing says “Ell”. I know who that belongs to. And I know what I need to do with it.

  I look behind me to make sure the coast is clear, even though I’m not doing anything wrong. I’d still be embarrassed if I was caught, just trying to explain I’m not going through Annie’s stuff. The last thing I need is for this to be some sort of privacy violation I don’t know about. But I know who she needs and if I can help Annie find her quicker, what’s the harm in that?

  Quickly, I pull Ellery’s resume out from the middle of the pile and put it right on top. If she has the skills Annie is looking for, she’ll get a call. And boy does she need the chance to get out of the dead-end job she’s working at now. A change of environment could go a long way in helping her heal from her hurts.

  I’m already lounging back in my chair, phone in hand, reading over the recipe I’m going to try when Annie finally makes it back.

  “Sorry that took so long. Marissa’s desk looks a lot like mine these days. I swear we’re normally more organized than this.”

  “It’s fine.” I take the pen she offers and begin signing my name next to all the little flag stickers as she presents them to me. “I just hope you find who you’re looking for in that pile. Fingers crossed they’ll be right near the top for you.”

  “You have no idea how badly I want that.”

  Actually, I do. I may want it more than she does.

  Annie flips the page. “And one more right here and… then… you’re… done.”

  Handing it bac
k to her, I blow out a relieved breath. I’m so glad to have my job back. I guess I never lost it, but it still feels better to be back on a regular roster.

  Standing up, I shove my phone in my pocket. “Thank you for making that relatively painless.”

  She walks to a filing cabinet and pulls the third drawer open, fingering through some files before putting mine where it goes. “I’d say something standard like ‘hope it doesn’t take as long next time to see you again’ but I’m not sure either of us wants a next time.”

  “If it means me being injured again, I’d rather not see you for a while.”

  We both laugh at my quip.

  “Anyway, good luck with your candidate search.”

  “Thanks,” she calls and I can already tell she’s back in work mode just by how her eyes zero in on something on her desk, probably whatever she needs to finish.

  And I thought my job was hard. I’ll take being rammed into a wall and blisters on my feet any day of the week if it keeps me away from working in this office. The only time I hope to come back here is when I take my girlfriend to lunch. Fingers crossed a strategically placed resume will help me do just that.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Ellery

  I can’t believe I got the call.

  When Liam told me about the job at the Slinger’s corporate office, I didn’t think it would ever amount to anything. Of course, I sent my resume because I wasn’t going to totally dismiss it. But it never crossed my mind that I’d get an actual interview.

  But I did. And here I am. Riding the elevator to the fourth floor so I can meet the HR manager who will decide if she thinks I’m a good fit.

  Just knowing she’ll be assessing me from the second I step out of this lift has my nerves on edge. I don’t remember being this anxious when I interviewed for my current job. Then again, I don’t remember it being a real interview either. It was more a formality to make sure the rest of the staff didn’t immediately assume there was some weird semi-nepotism thing happening.