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EARLY AUGUST

Gavin Racine rubbed the back of his neck, staring warily across his desk at Ned Merritt.

Ned was a handsome man in his early seventies, lean and fit, his shock of white hair a startling contrast to dark eyes and skin weathered from too much sun exposure.

Typically, Gavin got along fine with the former hockey player turned insurance executive. Ned was now the principal owner of Guardian Insurance Investment Group, who in turn, owned the Boston Harriers team.

But today, he was testing Gavin’s patience.

“Look, Ned,” Gavin said as pleasantly as he could manage. “I understand you’re fond of Violet Stamford, but that hardly seems like a good reason to move her brother to the top of the list of candidates for the yoga and Pilates trainer we’re looking for.”

Ned scoffed. “You say that like he’s unqualified . Look at his resume, at least.”

“I have looked,” Gavin assured him. “And yes, he’s qualified. But we have half a dozen other equally qualified candidates. Actually, several of them are more qualified because they’ve specifically worked with pro hockey teams before. This … Dakota guy hasn’t.”

“He has a relevant university degree, and he owned his own studio until he sold it recently,” Ned argued. “Plus, he’s done personal training with a number of pro athletes, including hockey players.”

“I get that,” Gavin said with a sigh. “Like I said, he’s qualified. I just don’t think he should be our top candidate.”

Ned frowned. “When we brought you on board, it was with the understanding that any drafting, scouting, or hiring you did would be about more than qualifications on paper. We were looking for people who knew how to think out of the box. It’s about building a good team culture here as much as anything.”

“And I’m still committed to that,” Gavin insisted.

He subtly tried to tilt his neck, feeling the tightness along his traps. Fuck , he was going to have a monster headache by the time the day was done.

“Hiring internally is a part of that,” Ned reminded him.

“It is,” Gavin agreed. “I’m simply not sure?—”

But Ned steamrolled over him, continuing to talk. “We have a qualified candidate who has been approved by HR and has ties to the organization. As you well know, this practice of hiring internally has many benefits.”

“That’s true,” Gavin agreed.

There was no denying it often lessened the learning curve and got the new hire familiar with the organization’s processes and culture faster. It typically improved employee retention and engagement too.

However …

“Don’t the benefits typically apply more to hiring within the organization though?” Gavin said doubtfully. “Rather than hiring the family members of our employees?”

Ned merely smiled. “It can. But one of our other goals is making this organization like a family. Not only the team, but the head office. What better way to do that than by hiring actual family members? Violet’s been here for years. She’s been a model employee and everyone here loves her. What more of a recommendation could you ask for?”

Gavin stifled a sigh. “I suppose. Look, give me a little more time to review all of the candidates and?—”

“Gavin,” Ned said, leaning forward, his expression growing more serious again. “When we hired you, you begged for the opportunity to take on the role of both general manager and president of hockey operations like your predecessor. More and more teams around the league are splitting those roles because it’s too much responsibility for one man. If this is too much for you to take on, we’d be happy to find someone to take over the hockey ops position. Take some of the load off your plate.”

A sick feeling washed over Gavin at the idea, and he suddenly realized Ned must have been an intimidating guy to stare at across the faceoff dot. The fucker had probably cheated at those too.

Skillfully maneuvered though , Gavin thought wryly, appreciating the tactics, if not the outcome.

Because Ned had essentially tied Gavin’s hands. Without ever saying it outright, he’d forced Gavin to either agree to hire Dakota Crane or step down from the dual role.

Oh, he’d still be general manager for the team, but it would feel like a demotion to let go of half his duties.

It would feel like a failure .

And Gavin had dealt with more than enough failure in his life. There was no way in hell he was going to accept this one if he had any say in the matter.

And this Dakota guy was qualified. Gavin would never risk his players to soothe his own ego, so there was that small comfort.

When it came time for his performance review at the end of the season though, if Dakota hadn’t cut it in his new role, it would be no loss to Gavin.

He’d simply have to wait him out.

Gavin looked Ned in the eye. “We’ll hire Dakota Crane on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“He has this season to prove himself, or he’s out and you’ll have to go with my pick next season.”

“Excellent. You have a deal.” Ned beamed. “I guarantee you won’t regret it.”

Mid-September

“Are you nervous?” Violet asked, leaning against one of Dakota’s shiny new Pilates machines, the Cadillac reformer.

The trapeze-style table, with its series of ropes and pulleys, allowed a person to lift their arms and legs into the air and suspend their body over the padded sliding mat while they performed exercises.

The first time Dakota had seen it, it had reminded him of a narrow canopy bed fitted with a bunch of sex swings and other kinky equipment, but now it was one of his favorite pieces of workout equipment, strengthening muscles, improving flexibility, balance, and coordination … everything a hockey player needed.

Honestly, everything in his new studio was so beautiful . New and shiny and …

Dakota realized his sister was still staring at him expectantly, so he cleared his throat. “Uhh, yes. A bit nervous.”

“Well, that’s understandable. I was nervous when I started my first day here too,” she said, referring to the Harriers Community Ice arena where the Boston Harriers team trained and the head office was located.

“Yeah, but if you fuck up something in a spreadsheet, it’s not quite as big of a deal,” he pointed out, his tone dry. “I accidentally fuck up one of the players and?—”

“First of all, don’t discount my importance to this organization,” Violet said tartly. “I once caught an accounting error that saved the organization tens of thousands of dollars. Second, you’re not going to fuck up one of the players. You’re more than qualified for this job.”

“I know.” He grimaced, idly fiddling with one of the pulleys on the machine. “It’s just a lot of responsibility. I know I wouldn’t have been hired if you hadn’t put in a good word for me.”

“I’m sure they had dozens of other candidates,” she pointed out with a shrug. “All I did was get your foot in the door.”

“Yeah.” Dakota fell silent.

Violet reached out and touched his arm, her voice softening. “I know you’re feeling off-kilter because of what happened with Bryce, but you’re smart, you’re tough, and you deserve to be here, Dakota.”

“I’m trying to believe that,” he whispered, unsurprised Violet had zeroed in on exactly what he’d been worrying about.

Maybe he wouldn’t be doubting himself if he hadn’t spent the entire summer trying to untangle the mess his ex-boyfriend had left him. His heart and his ego had taken a blow, and he was feeling a little … vulnerable right now.

They fell silent for a moment as Dakota glanced around at the large studio, gratitude flowing through him once again for this opportunity.

This new job was … so close to everything he’d ever dreamed of.

After graduating with his Bachelor of Science in kinesiology, his plans to become a physical therapist for a pro sports team had been derailed—thanks to Bryce Palmer—but he’d fallen in love with yoga and Pilates along the way.

This new career was a way to mesh his love of sports medicine, flexibility training, and a more wholistic approach to fitness into one.

It not only got him away from the mess his life in Seattle had turned into, it offered him a fresh new start.

Dakota opened his mouth to thank his sister for making it happen when he heard the footfall of hard-soled shoes on the floors of the hallway, empty because the season hadn’t officially begun yet.

A man’s voice drifted in through the studio’s open doors, the timbre of it vaguely familiar but not one Dakota could immediately place. “Look, he’s probably great. However, I’m not thrilled with the way Ned forced my hand.”

A woman snorted quietly. “You’re just a stubborn asshole who hates it when he doesn’t get his way.”

The man laughed, the sound curling around Dakota like a physical touch, rich and warm. “That may be true.”

“ May be,” she scoffed, obviously disbelieving.

“It’s weird though, right? That his sister had any sway in the hiring?”

Dakota straightened, glancing over at Violet who was wide-eyed, staring back at him.

“You know Ned’s always had a soft spot for Violet, Gavin.”

“And why is that?” the man—Gavin, apparently—argued.

Oh shit, Dakota realized with a jolt. That was probably Gavin Racine.

Dakota had done a video interview with him.

Well, he’d tried.

The connection had been bad on his end, and he’d been forced to do a phone interview instead. Honestly, after that shitshow, Dakota had been surprised he’d been hired at all.

Then again, if Gavin was right, it sounded like Ned was the whole reason it had gone through. So much for Violet only getting his foot in the door …

Dakota tuned back in to the conversation.

“—I don’t know. She’s been lovely every time I’ve encountered her though,” the woman pointed out.

“Oh, she is,” Gavin said. “She was perfectly nice when we met too. But she’s a fucking accountant , Amelia. What kind of hold does she have over Ned to get this guy hired? The whole thing’s kinda shady, no?”

Dakota bristled at the insult to his sister, and he stepped forward as Gavin and Amelia passed the door to the studio.

The look of startled horror on Gavin’s face was almost gratifying. Or, it would have been if Dakota wasn’t boiling mad at the implications of what Gavin had said.

“ Excuse me?” Dakota snapped.

“I’m sorry,” Gavin said, holding up his hands, palms out. “I didn’t realize anyone else was here?—”

“Yeah, no shit.” Dakota sneered. “That’s not the kind of thing you say to a person’s face.”

“I didn’t mean?—”

“Oh, you mean it. You might not have meant for Violet and me to overhear you, but you meant those words. You aren’t happy with my hiring, and you think there’s something shady about it.”

Gavin winced. “I spoke without thinking. I apologize.”

Violet cleared her throat, stepping forward. “While I understand going to Ned to try to get my brother hired has raised some red flags for you, Gavin, I can assure you there’s nothing shady about it at all. I don’t have any hold over him, if that’s what you’re concerned about. We’re merely friendly.”

“ Friendly ,” Gavin said, looking her up and down. “Indeed.”

Violet’s tone turned icy, probably for being reduced to her looks. “If you must know, one morning shortly after I was hired, I was walking through the employee parking area on my way into work. Someone whipped their vehicle around a corner at a high speed and nearly ran over an older man. He had to jump back to avoid being hit and lost his grip on the portfolio he carried. His paperwork went everywhere. I hurried over to check on him and helped him gather up his papers before the wind made them disappear. He was touched I’d stopped to help him, offered to buy me a coffee at the café in the lobby in thanks, and we had a lovely chat. Since then, Ned stops by the accounting office every so often to say hello, ask about my husband and kids, and bring me a coffee. Are you so suspicious of everyone that mutual kindness sounds shady to you?”

“Ahh.” Gavin looked chagrined. “I apologize. I shouldn’t have leaped to any conclusions there.”

She pursed her lips but nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate the apology.”

Gavin turned to Dakota. “And I am sorry I assumed?—”

“You can assume whatever you want about me,” Dakota said, straightening, refusing to be quailed by another handsome, self-important man. God, he was sick of them. Sick of them always underestimating him and what he could do. “But I have the training and experience needed to do this job and I don’t appreciate you undermining my position here.”

“I never intended?—”

“Until I’m told otherwise, this is my studio, and I intend for it to be a place of growth and well-being. You and your distrustful energy aren’t welcome here,” Dakota said flatly.

Looking startled, Gavin closed his mouth and gave him a short, jerky nod. “Apologies.”

Without another word, he turned to go and the woman—Amelia—mouthed an ‘I’m sorry too’ before she did the same.

When they were gone and the echo of their footfalls had gone silent, Dakota turned to his sister. They both burst into startled, nervous laughter.

“Uhh, shit,” he said as the force of what he’d done hit him.

Violet wiped at her eyes, still laughing. “Well, I’m proud of you, but when I told you to stand up for yourself more with men, that wasn’t quite what I meant.”

Dakota felt a little faint. “Oh, fuck. I just told off my new boss, didn’t I?”

She snickered again. “Yes, yes you did.”