Body Checked (Salt Lake Pumas #2)

by Camellia Tate

  Fuck, I hoped so! I thought about maybe asking her for her number or something, but... I didn’t want to date her. Lacey seemed nice and all, but dating wasn’t really my style. If I’d met her in a club or something, I would definitely ask for her number, but a dog park? I had no idea if that was even a thing that people did after meeting in a dog park.

  “Yeah.” I nodded instead. “Thanks for letting Teddy and Vega play together,” I added.

  I had to pick Teddy up to actually convince him to leave. He seemed to think that he should be allowed to both eat and continue to play with Vega. After some wrangling, I managed to get Teddy up and calm enough to let me carry him.

  Somewhat unwillingly, I said goodbye to Lacey, promising to look out for her at the park, even if I doubted that would really happen. The park was big and I came to it at random times.

  By the time Teddy and I got back home, the regret of not asking her for her number was really kicking in.

  “Guess, we’ll have to hope we see her again, hmm?” I said. Teddy barked in what I assumed was agreement. I suspected he was more interested in seeing Vega again than Lacey.

  Chapter Two

  Lacey

  “You be good while I’m gone,” I chided Vega, wagging a finger in her general direction. She had been such a good dog until she moved in with me. I didn’t know whether it was the lack of a man around the house, or whether she just needed to get settled in her new surroundings.

  She still wasn’t bad. She’d just taken to digging up corners of my yard. Or following me around with one of her toys whenever I was home. Maybe she just missed Harlan.

  I’d been surprised to find how much I didn’t miss my ex-boyfriend. We’d been together for nearly two years. And I had been heartbroken when he’d told me that he was moving to Boston. I’d thought we were on the right track.

  But if we weren’t, then we weren’t. There was little point in sitting at home crying about it. My moms had always told me that when you found the right person, the universe would get out of your way pretty quick! If the universe moved Harlan two thousand miles away, then he couldn’t be the right person.

  But I didn’t know if Vega could understand that. She’d known Harlan for longer than I had. He’d raised her from a puppy. I’d be sad too, if one of my moms moved and I didn’t have thumbs to operate a smartphone.

  I’d taken Vega on a good, long walk and spent the whole of my day playing with her. Which meant I only just had time to put on a fresh coat of lipstick, grab a bottle of wine and try to figure out how to fit it into my handbag. Especially when it was already crammed with three books I’d borrowed from Roxi and needed to return.

  Vega watched while I rushed around some more, then retreated to her big, fluffy bed. I hoped that I’d tired her out enough that I wouldn’t come home to any catastrophes. Only time would tell!

  The Uber dropped me off outside Roxi’s apartment building. I took my time walking up the stairs. Roxi lived in the middle of Salt Lake, and the windows surrounding the stairwell gave amazing views of the city nestled before the backdrop of mountains.

  Roxi was waiting for me at the door. I beamed as I wrapped my arms around her. “Hey! I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” Roxi’s vacation hadn’t been that long, really. But she was my best friend, and I had missed her.

  “Tell me about your trip. Was it amazing?”

  “Oh, Lace, it was beautiful,” she assured me, ushering me in. Taking the bottle of wine from me, Roxi got some glasses so we could start on that while whatever she was making was still cooking. It smelled amazing. I knew it’d be great once it was ready.

  Until then, we would have plenty to fill the time with, especially once Roxi pulled up her phone to show me some of the pictures. “And that’s the pool, I spent most of my time there,” she laughed, turning the phone off after the last picture. “Now tell me about you! How’s Vega? Still chewing your shoes?”

  I sighed what I felt was an appropriately dramatic sigh. “Yes,” I whined. “I had to put a lock on my closet so she can’t get in there while I’m at work! But then I get home, and I forget to put the shoes I wore for the day in with the rest of them, so she ends up getting ahold of those.” I’d mostly managed to get them back before any lasting damage could be done.

  “I wish I knew why she was doing it,” I said. “I’m sure she didn’t eat Harlan’s shoes.” Harlan’s shoes had been more boring than mine, for sure, but I didn’t think Vega objected to the fact my shoes were stylish.

  Taking a sip of my wine, I pursed my lips. “I assume she just misses him. Which I get. But I don’t know how much longer she’s going to miss him for.”

  “And do you?” Roxi asked, raising an eyebrow at me. “Miss him. It’s cool if you do, you know,” she commented. I got what Roxi meant, I did, but truthfully... It felt pretty freeing not to have to worry about Harlan and what he’d want us to do or whatever. Being single was more fun than I remembered it being!

  I hummed. “I think I miss… someone more than I miss Harlan,” I admitted. “You know, I used to look forward to Friday and Saturday nights because I’d have planned something romantic for us to do.” I loved planning dates. Harlan had an amateur interest in astronomy, and I’d arranged a lot of picnics for us under the stars or drives out into the mountains.

  “Now, they’re just… any other evening.” And sure, I could see my friends, but my friends all had lives. And some had partners of their own. They didn’t expect to see me every week.

  I definitely missed making someone feel special. “I’ve watched a lot of Netflix,” I admitted.

  Roxi laughed and I gave her a sheepish look. “There’s always internet dating,” she pointed out. I knew that was something that had worked out well for her, but I preferred to meet people in real life. A thought that made my mind return to my earlier meeting in the park.

  “Oh! What’s that smile about?” Roxi asked, reaching to poke me in the arm.

  God, she could read me like a book! I hoped that I hadn’t been so obvious to Will. I’d tried really hard not to look like I was drooling over the muscles in his arms that showed every time he moved. And when he’d picked up Teddy to take him home, I’d practically melted into a puddle!

  “Nothing,” I insisted, but I knew I wouldn’t get away with it. “Just - I met a hot guy today. He was walking his dog in the park, and it was the most adorable little ball of black fluff you’ve ever seen.” I smiled at the memory. Teddy had looked so small compared to Will’s massive shoulders.

  I had to consciously bring my mind back to Roxi’s apartment. “We didn’t exchange numbers, or anything,” I said, biting my lower lip. I’d thought about it, but I hadn’t wanted to seem like I was being pushy.

  “Besides, I don’t have time to date,” I said resolutely. “I just got put on an incredible new project at work!”

  “Oh my God, I want to ask more about the cute guy with the dog! But I also want to be a good friend and hear more about this new project at work,” Roxi exclaimed dramatically, making me laugh. “Start with the project,” she decided. That was probably for the best. There was hardly much else about Will I could say.

  Reaching for the bottle of wine, Roxi topped up my glass. “What’s your project about?” she asked like a good friend.

  “It’s for a brewery,” I answered. “But not just a brewery. They do tours, and obviously, they sell beer, but they’ve also got an associated restaurant chain. It serves hot dogs, wings, and burgers. You know, things that go with beer.” I wasn’t much of a beer drinker myself. But this client was big. Bigger than anything I’d ever worked on.

  I shifted in my seat. “I feel a little bad for being excited,” I admitted. “It was supposed to be Ken’s project, but he put in for eight weeks sabbatical. His dad runs a garage and he had to take time off for a surgery, so Ken’s gone down to look after it until he’s on his feet again.”

  Ken’s dad was going to be fine, but I still felt a bit guilty that my good fortun
e had been someone else’s bad luck. “And I’m nervous, Rox,” I added.

  “Aww,” my friend said sympathetically, reaching out to give my leg a squeeze. “You’ll be great,” she promised with confidence I wanted to have. I knew I could do well, but it didn’t seem to ease the nervousness I felt about having to take on such a big project.

  I’d been with the company for a few years now and I’d produced some very good work for them. This was bigger, though. More than I’d done before. And all the responsibility was mine this time. It probably would have been silly not to be at least a little bit anxious.

  “Does it mean we get free beer?” Roxi asked, jokingly, clearly trying to lift my spirits.

  I laughed. “It means I have to go to a hockey game on Monday, with my boss and the firm’s PR rep,” I told her. Despite living in Salt Lake for half a decade, I’d never really got into the Salt Lake Pumas in the way my male colleagues did.

  It wasn’t because I didn’t like sport. I’d played on my high school’s varsity volleyball team. I just hadn’t ever learned the rules of hockey. And the way the players seemed to crash into each other all the time, plus rumors of fights on the ice, had kind of put me off ever finding out how the game was played.

  “But yes, it might also mean we get free beer,” I added, grinning.

  “Beer and hockey!” Roxi exclaimed just as dramatically, before shrugging. “Actually, I’m mostly just excited about the hockey. I don’t know a lot about beer.” Which made two of us. “Are you looking forward to it? It’s a bit different as an outing with work,” she commented.

  That was true. Usually, work dinners involved more... well, dining. I was used to meeting clients in restaurants or functions, conferences even. Meeting them at a hockey game would definitely be different.

  I knew that I made a good first impression. People liked me. But, this time, I needed the client to do more than like me. I needed them to trust me, to believe that I could deliver an audience for their product.

  I’d never had to do that on my own before. I’d always had a team to bounce ideas off of. Going in by myself was intimidating. “I just hope I don’t look like an idiot,” I confessed. “Do you think I should pretend to be into hockey?” I wouldn’t normally advocate any kind of pretense. It would be too easy to get caught out.

  But how hard could pretending to know about hockey really be?

  Roxi assured me that they wouldn’t expect me to have more than a passing familiarity. And I could fake that.

  I helped Roxi plate up the amazing-smelling pasta dish she’d made. And over dinner, we talked more about the details of my project, and Roxi’s work. And I told her what there was to tell her about Will. Which wasn’t very much.

  I had no idea whether I would ever see him again. All I could do was wait and see.

  Arriving at Salt Lake City’s Olympic-sized ice rink was awe-inspiring. I’d played volleyball in high school and college, but never in a venue as big as the arena. Or as busy! The seats were all packed, everyone cheering and shouting, jostling along to the music that blared over the speakers.

  I felt lost. Roxi had been right: this was completely different than going out to dinner or even attending a conference. The atmosphere buzzed with electricity. I could see how a person could get caught up in it.

  But to me, it just seemed alarming. I was going to have to make myself heard over all this noise! And I wasn’t the most imposing of people. Especially not when I dressed ‘down’ in casual pants and sneakers.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so out of place. But I pushed my nerves down into the very pit of my stomach, fixing a smile on my face and making my way deeper into the madness. My boss, Colin, had sent me directions to the VIP box.

  Luckily, it was pretty easy to find. Colin was waiting, looking totally at ease in a way that I envied right at that moment. “Wow! This place is… larger than life,” I said. I only realized after I’d said it that I was supposed to be pretending I’d been here before.

  “I mean, I’ve never been in a VIP section,” I explained, looking around at the lights and plush chairs. “I feel so glamorous!”

  Colin laughed, shaking his head slightly. “It’s definitely different than what we normally do with clients,” he commented. The way he looked at ease there made me wonder if maybe he did this with clients more often than I thought. Of course, Colin was the boss. It made sense for him to entertain clients frequently.

  “Jack’s already here, he’s just talking to one of the Pumas’ players who’s out of play at the moment,” he said, a hand settling against my back so Colin could lead me towards where our client was.

  I recognized him from our initial meeting. He smiled at me as we approached. “Lacey, it’s a pleasure to see you,” Jack commented.

  The man - the Pumas’ player! - turned around. I almost heard my breath catch in my throat. It was Will! Will from the park!

  I had no idea if my surprise showed but I could tell he was surprised to see me.

  “Lacey! Hey,” Will said and then frowned like he wasn’t sure that he’d said it right.

  “Oh, you two know each other?” Colin asked with some surprise. And why wouldn’t he be surprised? Since when did I know NHL players?!

  For an awful moment, my mind went completely blank! Just seeing Will again had thrown me into a state of shock. I’d been prepared to spot him at the park. I’d never dreamed he would turn up when I was supposed to be working.

  “Our dogs are friends,” I blurted. That probably made it sound like Will and I knew each other better than we really did. But it wasn’t a lie. And I so wanted to seem like I was comfortable here, even though I felt anything but.

  Jack’s expression changed. I could see the surprise turning to something closer to respect. It was a chance I wanted to take advantage of!

  I just had to hope Will would play along. “How is Teddy?” I asked. I genuinely wanted to know. The adorable ball of fluff had been on my mind almost as much as his owner.

  The way Will’s face lit up at the question - at the thought of Teddy - made butterflies explode through my stomach. There were soft little dimples in his cheeks that came with the smile clearly dedicated to Teddy. I had to force myself to look away, lest I reach out to touch them.

  “Yeah, he’s really well,” Will nodded. “I’m a very new dog owner,” he explained for Colin and Jack’s benefit. “So Teddy is only a puppy still. I’ve got the time now, with being off,” he added. I frowned. I had no idea how long Will wouldn’t be able to play or why. Colin had said ‘out of play’ but hadn’t given a reason.

  “Oh, that sounds nice.” Jack nodded before his attention turned to me. “So you must be a pretty big Pumas fan then? Being friends with one of their best D-men?”

  My eyes widened. I hadn’t said that we were friends, only that our dogs were. But it would be rude to correct Jack, wouldn’t it? I didn’t want to look unprofessional.

  “Sure,” I agreed, hoping that my enthusiastic nodding made up for any hesitation on my part. “I’ve lived in Salt Lake for five years now, you wouldn’t catch me cheering for any other NHL team.” That much, at least, was definitely true.

  As my gaze slid back to Will, I had to consciously refocus my attention on Jack. I was here, after all, to talk business with him. And convince him that I knew how to handle an audience of potential beer-drinkers.

  “This kind of crowd must be exactly your target demographic, right?” I asked. “How many of them do you think already have familiarity with your brand?”

  I only half took in the answer Jack gave. I did listen, nodding in all the right places, but it’d be a lie to say that at least half of my attention wasn’t still on Will. If he’d looked amazing at the park, then he now looked beyond amazing.

  Will was wearing a suit, the white shirt so crisp, and the jacket obviously a tailored fit. It hugged his broad shoulders in a way that made my mouth water. His jawline looked sharper in this light and his hair was styled in a
way that made it look so touchable.

  “Lacey?” Colin said. My eyes widened when I realized I hadn’t actually heard what he’d said.

  “I asked if you saw the opening game or if this is your first of the season,” Jack repeated. “I have to admit, I wasn’t able to come,” he added, shooting an apologetic look towards Will. He didn’t seem to take it very personally.

  I was relieved that this was a question I could answer honestly. “This is my first of the season,” I answered. Glancing at Will, I wondered how long he had been out of play. And how much longer he had to wait.

  A puppy wasn’t a brief hobby to pick up, which made me think Will might still be looking at weeks - or even months - before he was able to get back on the ice. My heart went out to him. But I tried to keep it from showing on my face.

  “I’m excited,” I carried on. “Especially being so close to the goal. I love seeing different blocking formations.” I wanted to sound like I knew what I was talking about - and with Will playing defense, I hoped he might take the opening to talk about how his team would form up to block their rivals from scoring.

  The way silence settled around us after I’d said that, though, made me worry. I saw Jack frown. Anxiety swept over me. I thought that picking a fairly common volleyball term would be safe. How much different could hockey really be, right? Apparently quite.

  “Is that... a thing?” Jack asked, turning to Will. The worry in my stomach sharpened. Oh god, I was going to be exposed as knowing nothing about hockey! We’d lose the client! Images of needing to look for a new job already flooded my mind.

  “Not in general,” Will answered. This was it. These were the last moments of me having a job! “We call it that, the Pumas,” he told Jack. “One of our coaches was super into volleyball. He started referring to our defense strategies as formations.”

  I couldn’t believe it! Will was lying for me.