Puck Drop_Utah Fury

by Brittney Mulliner

  He looked up casually and watched me as I dropped my duffle and sat across from him. I wasn’t going to be the one to speak first. I’d learn as a kid not to offer any information. Always let them lead the conversation.

  “This needs to stop.”

  His voice was calm, but I could tell he was holding something back.

  “I’m not trying—”

  “No. You’re not. Whatever chip is living on your shoulder needs to go. I know how hard being traded is. I understand, but you need to let that go.”

  “I have.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Have you?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. It was a shock for the first few days, but I adjusted.”

  “Then what’s going on?”

  We were alone. Even though he and Erik were friends, I knew he put his title of captain first.

  “Erik has been making threats since the day I started.”

  “I don’t understand why. He’s never been like this before. He’s the type to be friends with everyone.”

  Had anyone else displayed an interest in his sister? I doubted anyone had been stupid enough. Until me.

  “I don’t think he appreciates me spending time with his sister.”

  Hartman sighed and leaned back. “Is that what this is all about? You’re fighting over Chloe?”

  “Don’t say it like that.”

  “Like what, Murray? There’s a million women in this city. Why her?”

  This was my captain. I couldn’t punch him. I took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. “She’s not just some girl. She’s amazing. She’s selfless and accepting. She gets what it’s like—”

  “Stop. You’re going down a path you don’t want to be on.”

  I tried to argue but he held his hand up. “That’s his sister, Murray. His twin. They are all each other has. They’ve been through hell and back together.”

  His expression darkened. What had they gone through? “What happened?”

  He rubbed his face with his hand. “It’s not my place to tell you, but you’ll just look it up after I leave.” He sighed. “Their parents were killed in an accident when they were in high school. It was right before their graduation. Chloe changed her plans and went to school near Erik so they wouldn’t be apart. They haven’t left each other since.”

  I knew they were close, closer than normal siblings, but now I understood.

  “He’s protective of her. A little too much, but that’s between them.”

  “I get it.”

  He leaned forward. “I know she’s gorgeous and as sweet as they come, but you need to let whatever you may have thought or felt go. For the sake of the team.”

  I opened my mouth, but he held up a hand.

  “You won’t be the first person to sacrifice their feelings for the good of the season, Murray. I’m not saying you need to avoid her. She’s a part of this team. She’s family. So, treat her that way. She’s your sister right now. Maybe over the summer you can pursue her, but I need your head clear and I need you and Schultz to work together. I need my first line solid and that won’t happen if there’s drama happening off the ice.”

  I didn’t like being told what to do, but he was right.

  “I don’t date during the season anyway.”

  “That’s a good rule to have.” He smirked. “I don’t date while I’m in the NHL but whatever works best for you.”

  I laughed, then noticed his expression hadn’t changed. “You’re serious?”

  “You don’t get to be the captain of a championship team by worrying about women and relationships.”

  I couldn’t argue with that. He was the best in the league, and that required complete focus.

  My respect for him increased. Not only did he call me out without making a scene, but he put the team first.

  “I’ll clear things up with Schultz before practice.”

  He stood and patted my shoulder twice before leaving.

  I changed and was pulling on my pads when Erik finally walked in. He glanced at me before turning and walking to his locker on the opposite side of the room.

  Once I was laced up I stood, nodded to the other guys getting ready, and stopped in front of him.

  “The team comes first.”

  He looked up at me. “Yeah?”

  “I’m willing to put everything that’s happened behind us. Start over.”

  He looked away for a second before nodding. “Fine.”

  That had been easier than I’d thought. I was about to turn when he grabbed my wrist. “You stay away from her though.”

  I looked where his hand was cutting off circulation to my fingers then back to his eyes. “Fine.”

  He dropped his hand.

  “For now.”

  I walked away before he could respond and got out onto the ice. I did a few laps to warm up while waiting for everyone else to come out. I could feel eyes on me and Schultz as we ran drills, then a short game. We played nice, though, so there wasn’t much of a show to watch. He and I actually worked well together.

  By the time Coach blew the last whistle, the team was staring at us. “That’s enough, ladies. My eyes are up here.”

  We all turned to him and waited.

  “Tomorrow is the event at the hospital. I expect everyone there in jerseys by ten a.m.”

  There were a few grumbled, but we couldn’t really complain about visiting sick children without looking like complete jerks.

  “See you guys tomorrow.”

  He waved us off the ice, not that we had to be told twice. There was nothing that sounded better than a shower at that moment. Until I looked into the stands. Chloe was sitting a few rows up. Staring at me. When she realized I was watching her, she looked down to her laptop. I waited for a few seconds, but she was determined to ignore me. It was probably for the best.

  I went back to stretch and change before leaving for the day. Normally I would have gone straight for my car, but I was curious. Was she still there? I walked to the end of the tunnel and looked across the ice.

  There she was.

  Alone.

  She was looking down at her computer, so she was probably working. Hopefully writing a better post about me.

  I should leave.

  Hartman warned me.

  I needed to keep my head in the game. Focus on what was important.

  I knew that. But my feet were carrying me toward her. I walked down the row, wrapping around two corners until I was closing in on her.

  She didn’t look up until I was sitting next to her.

  “What are you doing?” Her shocked expression made me laugh.

  “Seeing if you’re writing a retraction for my previous bio.”

  She smirked. “You don’t read the team blog? I’m hurt.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I changed it a while ago. I believe it may have been the night you gave me the tickets.” She winked.

  Huh. I should take a look at the website more often.

  “What brings you to my office today?” She closed her laptop and looked at me.

  “I was just wondering what the view is like from up here. You seem to like it.”

  She looked around. “It’s the center.”

  I nodded. “But you don’t like sitting against the glass?” Those were the expensive seats. Fans loved sitting up next to the action.

  “I like this vantage point. It allows me to see things from a different perspective from the players.”

  “And that’s a good thing?”

  She shrugged. “I’ve been able to point some things out to Erik and the guys in the past.”

  Of course she had.

  “You’ll have to let me know if you see anything I can improve on.”

  She turned to me. “You need to trust your line.”

  That caught me off guard. “What?”

  She stared into my eyes like she was searching my soul. “You hesitate when you pass.”

  No, I didn’t. Did I? I looked away, b
reaking the contact.

  “You didn’t do that in Boston.”

  She’s been watching my film?

  “Stalker?” I laughed trying to lighten the mood. I wasn’t used to receiving criticizing from someone that didn’t play the game.

  “I’m just trying to help.” I looked back at her and she seemed resigned.

  “I know. I’m sorry. What do I need to do?”

  Her eyes dropped to my lips.

  Or did they?

  “You don’t trust them to be where they’re supposed to. You wait to see them before passing and it gives away your move. They’ll be where you need them to be. You knew that with your old team.” She shrugged. “Maybe it’s something that comes with time, but that’s something I’ve noticed.”

  I didn’t want to admit to her that she was right. It was second nature in Boston. I could predict exactly where my teammates would be. I could anticipate their moves. I hadn’t developed that with Erik and Hartman yet.

  “I’ll work on it.” She smiled, just barely. A strand of hair was in her face and I wanted so badly to reach out and brush it away. I wanted to touch her smooth skin. Pull her in. Kiss her.

  “Chloe?”

  A voice from above broke the moment.

  I looked up to see her assistant standing at the top of the bowl with her hands on her hips.

  “I’ve got to go.” Her voice rasped. She stood and hurried up the steps before I could stop her.

  Had she felt that? There was something between us. I swear it. Hartman’s warning played in my mind. This was a bad idea. A terrible idea. One that would get me in trouble with the team. But that wasn’t stopping me from planning a way to see her again.

  Chapter Eleven

  Chloe

  I wouldn’t be able to avoid him forever. Not even for a few hours. It was the first time in my career I regretted my job. If I hadn’t asked to be over events I wouldn’t be here actively avoiding Reese.

  All of the guys were lined up for a few photos with the administration of the hospital, so I was on the opposite side of the room pretending to be very busy with making sure each child on the three floors we were covering would have a visitor.

  I’d made this schedule three weeks ago. I knew it backward and forward. It was fine, but I needed a seemingly valid excuse for being away from the action.

  One of the photographers covering the event walked up to me. “Chloe, do you know where I’m stationed?”

  “Yes.” I flipped a page back. “John, you are level four, rooms 400 through 410.”

  “Thanks. I’ll see you later.”

  I waved, then resumed my hiding. Kristen was eyeing me from the corner where she was giving directions to other photographers. She knew something was up. I was usually front row center for these things. Now I had two people I had to avoid.

  The team broke formation and began milling around awaiting direction. Crap. This was me.

  You can do this.

  “Alright, Furies. I need your attention.”

  Within seconds the room was silent. Good, they still feared me. At least in my head they did.

  “I have your room assignments. Please hit all of these before wandering around. I want to make sure every child gets a visit. After you’ve gone to your rooms, you can go visit your friends.”

  I looked to Hartman and he smirked. He’d been coming here for so long on his own he was on a first name basis will all of the nurses and the long-term patients. It might seem heartless to give out assignments, but there were a lot of kids to see and I didn’t want anyone missed.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good. I know we have some fans here, so if a kid you visit mentions his favorite player is someone other than you, let me know so I can try to get him there.”

  I watched for nods before continuing. “Please see me or Kristen before leaving to get your assignments.”

  I hurried through the line that gathered in front of me until there was only one person waiting.

  “Reese.”

  He stepped forward. “Where I’m going?”

  I looked down to my papers even though I already knew. “Fifth floor, rooms 530 through 540.”

  “Thanks.” He didn’t leave. He just stared down at me.

  “Reese.” I took a breath. “I think we should keep our distance today.”

  I looked around at the cameras ready to snap a picture of a player and front office employee in a compromising position.

  He didn’t look surprised. “I’ll see you later.”

  I watched him walk to the elevator until the doors closed. I needed to keep a clear head today. I couldn’t, no, wouldn’t, be distracted by a dumb, handsome, confusing player.

  Kristen and I walked the halls, making ourselves available for questions.

  “Why are you so on edge today?”

  I wanted to ignore the question, but she’d never let me.

  “I just want everything to be perfect.”

  “It will be. It always is.” When I didn’t reply, she stopped and tugged my wrist to get me to face her. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain player would it?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Please. You two can’t be in the same room without making gaga eyes at each other.”

  “That’s not true.”

  She ignored me. “You can fight it all you want but there’s definitely something between you two.”

  She thought so? Maybe I wasn’t as crazy as I’d convinced myself. “There can’t be anything.”

  She smirked. “Why not?”

  I looked down at my clipboard, wishing there was some emergency I could run off to. “The season is about to start.”

  “So?”

  “I don’t date players.” She knew that. Everyone knew it.

  She laughed and tugged on my elbow. “We both know that wasn’t going to hold up forever. You’re surrounded by them. They’re the only guys you know. Of course you’re going to end up with one.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Erik isn’t okay with it.”

  She hit me with her clipboard. “Erik is a big boy who can get over it.”

  I stepped back and hit the elevator button. “It’s a bad idea. It’s better that we’re just friends right now.”

  She shook her head. “Honey, that man is not interested in friendship with you.”

  I ignored her and walked into the elevator. We had one more floor to check.

  She huffed but joined me.

  I peeked into a few rooms and smiled at the guys hanging out with kids. They were so happy. I knew they looked forward to this day each year, the kids and the team.

  We reached the nurses’ station, which was surprisingly empty. Except for one blonde nurse. She was leaning against the counter laughing at someone. I walked forward until I could see.

  Reese.

  The nurse laughed again, putting her hands on his chest and leaving them there a little too long.

  I stepped forward until Reese saw me. His eyes widened as mine narrowed. “Sorry to break this up, but you have sick children to visit on the fourth floor, Mr. Murray. They asked for you.”

  The nurse was smart enough to drop her hands and look a tiny bit guilty. Until she grabbed a card out of her pocket and stuck it in Reese’s pocket. His back pocket.

  “Call me.”

  He smiled at the bimbo before walking past me and a suspiciously quiet Kristen.

  We got back on the elevator, riding in silence. When the doors opened, Reese didn’t bother looking at me.

  “What are the room numbers?”

  “404 and 431.”

  He walked away without another word.

  “Yeah, there’s no chance of friendship with that man, Chloe.”

  I turned and glared at Kristen, but she just shrugged and walked away.

  Chapter Twelve

  Reese

  She had no right to get mad.

  She just told me to keep my
distance.

  Now she thought she could judge me for talking to another woman?

  Speak of the devil. I walked out of the last room feeling emotionally spent and way too aggravated from spending the day with some of the best people I’d ever met dealing with some of the very worst circumstances and there she was.

  I needed to make things clear. She couldn’t have it both ways.

  I waited until she was alone before approaching. Unlike her, I knew how to be polite instead of losing my head. She was looking down at a stack of papers until I was right in front of her.

  She looked up with a surprised expression.

  “We need to talk.”

  She didn’t argue so I led her to an empty room and closed the door behind her.

  She turned to face me but said nothing. Her calmness irritated me. How could she stand there like nothing was wrong? Like she hadn’t just embarrassed herself, and me, in front of the nurse. I took a breath to calm down.

  “You can’t have it both ways, Chloe. You can’t push me away then get upset when I speak to someone else.” I fought to keep my voice level. I wanted to yell but knew she wouldn’t react well to that.

  “I’m not mad you were talking to her. I’m upset that your wasting time when you could be visiting children.”

  Big fat lie.

  “You’re lying.” She didn’t argue. Her self-righteous attitude needed to go. She was in the wrong and I knew she just didn’t want to admit it. “You told me to keep my distance, and I was. You have nothing to get upset over.”

  I was hurting her. I could see it in her eyes. But I was doing what was right. What needed to happen. That didn’t mean my heart agreed, though.

  “Besides, it’s not like I was going to ask her out. I don’t date during the season.”

  “I don’t date players.” It was her only defense and I was ready for it.

  “What does that have to do with me talking to the nurse?” I tried to stop myself from smiling but failed.

  She narrowed her eyes. “I was just making sure we were both clear with where we stood.”

  I nodded. She was nervous. I was making her nervous. “Okay.”