Nik wasn’t surprised at the question. Trev had a history with drugs and alcohol and other troubles. He wasn’t what anyone would call a role model, or at least hadn’t been in the past. He seemed to be making the most of his last chance in the NHL, however, and was currently second on the team in scoring, trailing only their captain and marquee player, Colton Tremblay.
“Miss Johnson said I could ask anyone I wanted. Whoever is interested,” Nik said. “You would bring a lot of experience.”
“Yeah, and not all of it good,” Trev said with a wry smile. “I’m in, though. Anything to improve my image. We all know I need that.”
“Perfect,” Nik said. “I look forward to this.” He still wasn’t sure exactly what to make of Meryl Johnson, but he knew he had the chance to be part of something very important. For a nineteen year old kid from Irkutsk, Russia, that was a pretty big thing.
***
Meryl threw herself into the developing the youth program. She wanted it fully set up with sessions starting in the spring and continuing through the summer, which would take a lot of work. She could do it, though. So many people tried to dismiss her just a pretty face or a spoiled rich brat. Maybe some of that was deserved, but Meryl had a good head for business and organization, and she was ready to prove it to her father and any doubters.
She immediately set up an office at the team facility, fully intending to hit the ground running. There would be plenty of whispers that she only got the job because her father was the team owner, which Meryl knew was essentially the truth. It was up to her to show she belonged.
“Director of Youth and Community Initiatives?” Matt Johnson whistled as he read the new title on the plaque on her door. “That didn’t take long.”
“Nope,” Meryl said to her brother. “You know me, once I get an idea, I run with it.” She knew their father wished Matt would take more of an interest in the team operations. Instead, he focused on social media and marketing. It was an important role, for sure, but her brother lacked a true passion for hockey. Still, he was widely considered to be the heir apparent to the family sports empire, simply be because he was older, and male.
“Yeah, Dad told me you seemed pretty excited.” Matt leaned in the doorway. “And this has nothing to do with the possibility of spending more time with a certain Russian superstar?”
“Nope.” Meryl leaned back in her plush leather office chair. “This is all about getting the youth programs up and running. Spending more time with Nik and some of the other players is merely a perk.” She licked her lips. “A very sexy perk.”
“Sure thing.” Matt chuckled. “Hey, I’m not knocking it, Mer. It’s a great idea and something the franchise needs to do. And better you than me. I wouldn’t know where to start. I not a student of the game and I’m allergic to kids.”
“And I love them,” Meryl said. So, too, did Nik Brantov. That was obvious in watching five minutes of interaction with Bryson Crawford. She didn’t want to get ahead of herself and her fantasies, though. “And the game.”
“Yeah, I know, but also love the men who play the game.” Matt sighed. “I don’t want to see history repeat itself. For you, or one of Dad’s sports teams.”
Meryl nodded somberly. She knew exactly what Matt meant, and she didn’t intend to go down that road again. “It won’t, Matty,” she said, using the nickname she knew he hated. “For one thing, I’m an adult now. I can make my own decisions about my social life and the possible consequences.”
“I know that,” Matt said, “but you’re still my baby sister. Mom’s gone and Dad’s too busy with his new prize. Someone has to look out for you.”
Meryl smiled wistfully. It was times like this that she missed their mother even more. “Thanks, Matty. You’re a good big brother.”
“And you’re a good little sister, and I know you’ll do great with this new project,” he said. “Just be careful, okay?”
Meryl nodded. “I will, don’t worry,” she said, anxious to change the subject from a time in her life she’d liked to forget. As if that were possible. “And you’ll help me, right? With marketing the program?”
“Come on, Mer. You know you don’t even need to ask that question. Anything you need, I’ll do.”
***
Nik arrived home after the morning skate, hoping to take a short nap before reporting to the arena for the game against Columbus that night. He found that Mrs. Crawford had decorated the house for Christmas and Bryson wanted to talk his ear off about the game. Ever since going to practice the day before and meeting some of the guys, the boy was even more excited about the sport of hockey and the Generals. While Nik was happy about that, it also potentially meant even less privacy in the Crawford home. As for the Christmas decorations, those just made him homesick.
“I need to rest right now, and make a phone call,” Nik said, trying to gently decline Bryson’s request to spend the afternoon with him. “But I have a few days off soon for the holiday break. I will have more time then, and something new to work on with you.” He hoped that would appease the youngster for the time being.
Upstairs in his room, Nik settled onto his bed and dialed the number to his family’s home in Russia. At least he’d made it back in time to call before Aleksei was asleep.
His brother answered and greeted him excitedly in Russian. “Nik, how are you?”
Nik smiled. Hearing Alek’s voice always brightened his day. “I’m good, Alek. We have a big game tonight.”
“I wish I could stay up to watch it on the internet, but you know Mama won’t let me,” Alek said.
“No,” Nik replied with a laugh. Their mother was strict about that, which Nik understood. He wished the time difference didn’t mean that his brother couldn’t even watch most of his games. Hopefully next season, that would be different. “Sleep’s important.” Nik knew it placed him in a paternal role to say that, but with no father around, he felt the need to fill that role with his brother, even if he was only five years older. Their father had died way too young, putting Nik in charge. He felt the pressure to do right by Alek.
“I know, but I want to see you play.”
“Hopefully soon you’ll be able to,” Nik said. “I want you to come here next year, to Texas. We’re starting youth hockey camps and you can learn from the best players.”
“I’d like that,” Alek said. “It sounds like fun. And better than here. If only Mama would let me.”
Nik understood his concern. It had always been like that, ever since their father died. “I want Mama to come as well. I’ll buy a house and we can all live in it.” It would be exactly what Sergei Brantov would have expected of his eldest son. To take care of the family.
“That would be great,” Alek said. “But Mama...”
Nik sighed. Their mother was a stubborn woman who vowed she would never leave Russia. “I know. I’ll keep trying to persuade her, though.” He wanted his family together again, and he wanted to succeed in the NHL. There had to be a way to achieve both.
Chapter Five
The final game before Christmas resulted in a four to two loss for the Generals, leaving the players in a sour mood heading into the holiday break. The game was barely over and Nik was anxious to get back on the ice. He hated losing and wanted to erase the memory of a game in which he hadn’t gotten on the score sheet. There was also the matter of his family being more than six thousand miles away and having no one to spend Christmas with except for the Crawfords. The break couldn’t be over fast enough for Nik.
“It’s okay. We’ll come back strong after the holiday,” Colton said in his post-game address to the team. “The Blue Jackets are a tough team, and we did some good things out there.”
It was standard post-loss stuff, trying to keep the team upbeat, but it did nothing to lessen Nik’s disappointment in both the game and his own performance. He hadn’t played well, plain and simple, and was still down on himself when he emerged from the shower.
He’d purposely taken his time, hopi
ng the locker room might clear out by the time he finished, but he found Colton still there. “I thought you would be in a hurry to get out of here and be with Maya,” Nik said to his captain.
“Yeah, but I wanted to talk to you,” Colton said. “Is everything okay? You’re even quieter than usual tonight.”
“I don’t like to lose,” Nik said.
Colton let out a chuckle. “I don’t know of anyone who does. You sure it’s not more than that, though?”
Nik hesitated, wondering if he should say anything. He didn’t want to appear weak to his team captain. “It will be my first Christmas not in Russia with my family, so that’s strange,” he said, without letting on how much he missed them and how homesick he was.
“I know the feeling. I’m used to being in Montreal with my whole family around.”
“You’re not going back home?” Nik was a little surprised. Quite a few of the guys from the United States and Canada had travel plans for the three-day break.
Colton shook his head. “Not this time, no. I’m actually spending the holiday with Maya and her family.”
So he’d be with the woman he loved. That was a whole lot different than spending the holiday with the family putting him up in their house. “That will be nice,” Nik said, and Colton nodded.
“Yeah. Different, though. Anyway, I’ll still be around, so if you want to get together for a skate or something, give me a ring.”
“I might do that, thanks.”
Colton left and Nik finished gathering his things. As he exited the locker room, he turned to head to the parking lot, then changed his mind. It was the last night of the toy drive, and Nik was curious to know how things had gone. And a little curious, too, if Meryl would be there and wearing his jersey again. Instead of the players’ exit, he headed for the foundation table to see if anyone was still around.
***
Meryl lingered even after the toys had all been carted away, ready to be distributed the next day to kids in need. In spite of the disappointing outcome of the game, it had been another successful night for the toy drive.
“You can leave, you know,” Charlene Simmons, the director of the Generals Charity Foundation, said as she packed up the Foundation’s banner and tablecloth. “You’ve done more than enough to help us out.”
“Anything for a worthy cause,” Meryl said, and still lingered, even though she felt foolish. The game was long over and the arena mostly empty. Nik was probably already on his way home, and Meryl should be too. “Have a good night, Char.” She bent down to retrieve her purse from behind the table and looked up to find Nik standing there, looking dapper in a gray suit paired with a red shirt. He didn’t wear a tie this time, and his hair wasn’t spiked like he usually wore it, rather it was slicked back, but he was as handsome as ever, and Meryl had to catch her breath. “Oh, hi,” she said. “I wasn’t sure you’d stop by here tonight.”
“I almost didn’t,” Nik answered. “But I wanted to know how things went.”
“Very well. We met all our goals.”
He nodded. “That’s good, then. I’m glad.”
“Yes, definitely.” The conversation was getting repetitive, yet Meryl found herself unsure how to change that.
“It’s a good cause.” Nik shuffled his feet and shoved his hands in his pockets. “So, um...”
“Yes?” Meryl asked, arching a brow.
“Is your father having a party in his suite tonight? Is he expecting you there?”
“Not tonight, no.” Meryl wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing. “Why?”
Another shuffle of the feet, and a step backward. “I just thought, if you don’t have other plans, we could meet. Get some food. Discuss the hockey camps, things like that.”
“Just the hockey camps?” Though Meryl hoped for me, she could settle for that. For now.
Nik lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “And maybe other things, if you’d like.” He looked so adorable in his uncertainty, and Meryl nodded.
“Yes,” she said. “That’s a great idea. Let’s do that.” She hoped she wasn’t too quick to agree.
“Perfect, then. Maybe the place we ate at the other day?”
So he liked it. That was encouraging. “That would be fine. Should I meet you there?”
“Or I can drive,” Nik said. “You know, if I’m not such a bad influence and all.”
His lips curled up in a smile, making Meryl’s breath hitch. “I’ll take my chances.”
***
Nik had no idea what he might be getting himself into, or why he made the invitation. He just knew he didn’t want to go straight home after a loss and be hounded with questions from a twelve-year-old, as well intentioned as Bryson might be. And in spite of some initial wariness from his first meeting with Meryl, and the warnings by some that she was trouble, it was impossible to deny that she fascinated him, and it went beyond simply being flattered that she approached him before anyone else to be involved in her project. Nik wanted to get to know her better, find out more about her. For one thing, why was this young woman who seemed to have everything—or at least everything money could buy—so seemingly interested in getting more kids in Texas playing hockey?
It was a short drive from the arena to the Riverwalk restaurant, and they made small talk about the toy drive. Better that than the game, Nik decided as he parked the car and rushed around to open Meryl’s door for her.
She raised an eyebrow as she stepped out. “I didn’t expect this.”
“I can still be a gentleman,” Nik said. “Even if this isn’t a date, right?”
He expected a quick agreement, and Meryl surprised him by asking, “Do you want it to be?”
It was a question Nik had no idea how to answer, so he deflected it. “I don’t want you to get in trouble. For... what’s the word you used? Fraternizing?”
“Yes,” Meryl said. “And don’t worry. I make my own decisions. My father doesn’t control me. He just likes to think he does.”
She said it with a certain forcefulness, and Nik wondered about the story behind her words, and whether she would share it with him. “Shall we eat outside?” he asked, not wanting to pry into family issues. “It’s a pleasant night.” Texas was unlike Russia in practically every way, not the least of which was the mild December weather.
“That would be great,” Meryl said. “That’s one of the main reasons I like the Riverwalk. It’s fun to sit outside and watch people.”
Even given the late hour, there seemed to be plenty of people still out, so she’d get her wish. Nik pulled a chair out for her. “I just that you can be outside without a parka,” Nik said with a chuckle. “And for longer than five minutes. At home, it’s probably minus ten twenty now.”
“Brrr,” Meryl said, shivering.
“Celsius,” Nik clarified.
“Still way too cold. How can you stand it?”
“It’s home. It’s what I’m used to,” Nik said. “I’m now trying to get used to Texas. It’s not been easy.” There were far worse ways to spend a night, though, than dining outside overlooking the water, with an attractive woman.
“Oh, you seem to be settling in just fine. I mean, you’re having a great season.”
“Except for tonight.” Nik picked up the menu even though he planned to order the same thing he’d eaten the other day. “I missed a wide open net.” The goalkeeper was caught out of position, leaving Nik with a great opportunity to score, and his shot hit the post. “It will haunt me until the next time we play.” Yet another reason why he wanted to get back on the ice right away.
“Ever consider that maybe you’re too hard on yourself?”
“No,” Nik said without hesitation. “I’m a professional hockey player. It’s my job to score goals.”
Their server came to take their order, and Nik was happy for the interruption. He didn’t want to talk about the game anymore.
“Is it what you always wanted to do?” Meryl asked. “Play hockey?”
Nik
considered that. As long as he could remember, playing hockey professionally had been his dream. “Yes. I learned to skate very early. Here, I notice kids have so many sports opportunities. And it’s warm, so maybe hockey is not the first thing they play. But where I lived, it was. Sure, other sports are played in Russia too, but hockey is the biggest. I would love to win a gold medal for my country.”
“Some day you will,” Meryl said.
She said it matter-of-factly, and her confidence in him made Nik smile. “I hope you’re right,” he said. “What about you, Meryl? What is your dream?”
***
Meryl had never been more grateful to see a pork chop in her life. At least it gave her a reason to stall while she thought about Nik’s question. “I’m studying business at Trinity University,” she said after a minute. It didn’t answer the question, or even come close, but maybe Nik wouldn’t press.
“So that’s your dream? To earn your business degree?”
So much for not pressing. Meryl bit into a slice of pork chop. She probably shouldn’t have ordered such a big meal so late at night, but she hadn’t eaten much throughout the day and was hungry. “No. That’s a goal,” she finally said. “My dream is to ultimately take over ownership of the Generals from my father.”
“You want to own the hockey team?” Nik regarded her with surprise.
“Yes. Do you find that odd?” Meryl challenged.
“Not odd, no. Interesting.”
She didn’t push him to elaborate. “Not that it matters. My father will leave it to my brother, Matt. He’s older. And male,” she said dryly.
“Really?” Nik raised an eyebrow. “My country is very often accused of being a patriarchal society. I thought it was different in the United States.”
“Oh, the problem isn’t society.” Meryl let out a dry laugh. “It’s my father.”
“Yet he is placing so much trust in you, asking you to establish the youth programs,” Nik said. “It’s a lot of responsibility. You should be happy.”
“I am, absolutely,” Meryl assured him. “But the truth is, my father didn’t ask me to take on the responsibility. I asked him to give it to me, and he did. Probably because he’s secretly hoping I’ll fail.”
Crossing the Line (Men of the Ice Book 2) Page 3
