Page 26 of Hockey Halloween

Val

I’m not usually a nervous person. With a career in PR, it’s an absolute must to be calm under pressure. But when I received the summons from Dean Mercer’s office today, anxiety set in.

I don’t regret what happened with Josh yesterday, but I’ll admit the location was less than ideal.

I’m not sure who saw us through the window of his office—the openings in the blinds are pretty narrow—but they must have ratted me out.

There’s no other explanation and believe me, I’d know.

I keep running possible scenarios through my head, but there’s literally no other reason for this impromptu meeting.

My mind is working overtime trying to figure out how this is going to go, but I keep coming to the same conclusion.

I just started here, so there’s no reason for them to keep me.

Plus, my job is literally to keep the campus’s image smudge-free.

Having sex with another employee on school grounds during work hours is a smudge, at the very least.

If I were called in to handle something like this, I’d be shaking my head at the idiocy. I know better, and yet, the minute Josh’s lips touched mine, my brain turned to mush .

Sandra, Dean Mercer’s admin assistant, gives me a bright smile when I enter her office. Nothing in the air says doomsday, I guess, but what did I expect? She’s not going to call me out as soon as I walk in.

“Hi, Val. Frank’s in a meeting right now. Well, I guess it’s not really a meeting. Not a scheduled one, anyway. But I doubt it will take long. Just have a seat and I’ll let you know when he’s ready for you.”

“Thanks,” I say, forcing my lips into a smile as I mentally calculate how long my savings will last me and if my CV is up to date.

One of the things I’m dreading the most, besides losing my livelihood, is losing Josh and Reese.

I haven’t lived here long, but they both stole my heart that very first day.

Maybe I’ll luck out and find something local?

A girl can dream, right? I’m just not ready to say goodbye, especially after last night.

I want nothing more than to keep spending time with Josh and his amazing little girl, but now I’m afraid that one impulsive decision is going to tear all that apart.

“What sounds good?”

“Hmm? I’m sorry, what was that?” I ask, tuning in to the fact that Sandra was talking to me.

I’m heading to the coffee shop for a latte. Can I bring back something for you? Dean Mercer has you on his schedule for a full hour, so you may need some fuel.”

My heart takes a nosedive down to the pit of my stomach.

A whole hour? It doesn’t take an hour to fire someone.

I’ve never been fired before, but still.

Oh, no. What if he doesn’t fire me, but he requires me to sit there and do trainings on professional conduct?

I’ll die of embarrassment, so as delicious as a latte sounds, it would be a waste. “I’m fine, but thanks.”

“Do you mind if I sneak down now? I won’t be long. If he calls for you, just head in that door on the right.”

I smile and nod, but thirty seconds after Sandra leaves, my curiosity gets the better of me. I hear raised voices coming from Dean Mercer’s office, so I inch closer. I’m not being nosy; I’m just checking to make sure no one needs help. And I’m also being nosy .

The door is open just a crack and though peeking in probably makes me a hypocrite, I can’t help it.

But when I do, I can’t believe my eyes or my eyes.

“I understand you have a meeting with Ms. Grim later this afternoon?” Josh asks.

“I do,” Mercer responds, barely looking up from his desk.

“You can’t fire her.”

The dean’s head pops up. “I can’t?”

“Val is one of the hardest-working employees this campus has. I’ve seen her in action. I mean, with my team, and with the charity fundraiser. Did you know they’ve only been planning that event for a month and she’s already raised more funds than last year’s committee raised in total?”

“I was not aware of that fact, no,” the dean admits.

“It’s true,” Josh says. “And my guys all rave about her. Everyone on campus does. She hasn’t been here long, but campus wouldn’t be the same without her. She takes pride in the school, and that’s contagious.”

“I see,” says the dean. “And that’s why you’re here, campaigning for Valerie to keep her job.”

I hold my breath as I watch Josh’s shoulders roll back. I should step in before he says something that could get us both in trouble, but my feet stay rooted to the floor.

“I can only guess that someone reported what happened yesterday,” Josh concedes. “I’ll admit, it was ill-advised that Ms. Grim and I shared an embrace in my office.”

“An embrace?” the dean asks, clearly fishing.

“Yes, an embrace. And a kiss. It’s not something we’ll make a habit of, I assure you.

And I apologize if kissing my girlfriend on campus grounds goes against some policy, but I’m not apologizing for the way I feel about Valerie.

She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me or my daughter.

Things are new, yes. I can’t tell the future, as much as I wish I could map out every minute.

But one thing is for sure. You can’t fire Val. Bainbridge needs her. I need her. ”

“I need you, too,” I say, pushing the door open and stepping into the dean’s office. I should wait my turn, but there’s no holding me back. If Josh is brave enough to stand up for me, then the least I can do is stand alongside him.

Josh turns, obviously surprised to see me, but I don’t let that stop me from telling him how I feel.

“Being with you and Reese is the best part of my day. And I’m not giving you up, even if I have to leave my job here. I don’t know what the future holds, either, but I can’t wait to watch it unfold.”

His arms are wrapped around me, and I feel much calmer than before. I don’t know what the dean will decide, or exactly what was reported about our “embrace,” but as long as Josh is with me, I know I can handle it.

Dean Mercer clears his throat, and Josh and I turn to face him, our hands clasped together.

“Coach Novotny, respectfully, I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about.

If you choose to embrace your girlfriend in your office, that’s certainly your business, and hers.

I don’t make a habit of sticking my nose into my employees’ personal lives.

That said, I wish you both the best. Now, Coach, if you’ll excuse us, Ms. Grim and I have a meeting. ”

I exchange glances with Josh, but he’s as stunned as I am.

“No one reported that they saw us, uh, hugging?”

The dean levels a look at both of us. “I imagine your hockey players have seen people hug before. I highly doubt they were scandalized.”

“Then what’s the meeting about?” I ask.

The dean sighs. “The captain of the baseball team was arrested on reckless driving charges early this morning. When the officers searched his car, they found two stolen goats, presumably from Coleridge University.”

I reach up on my tiptoes to give Josh a quick kiss on the cheek before I settle into the chair across from Dean Mercer. I pull out my phone and tablet. “Have the goats been returned?”

“Unfortunately, they escaped from police custody.”

Of course they did. I hear Josh chuckle as he exits the room. An hour later, as I’m looking at satellite maps and doorbell camera footage, I get a message from Josh.

Josh: Reese and I are making a special dinner for you tonight. And if you have to work late due to goat emergencies, we’ll heat it up when you get home.

Home. I like the sound of that.