Page 29 of Offside and Off-Limits (Love in Maple Falls #2)

Mary-Ellen's eyes sparkle with glee. “Oh, I'm sure he is very thorough. Very hands-on , I imagine.”

Oh, the innuendo. Mrs. McCluskey could give Cade explaining the finer details of hockey a run for his money.

“Especially when it comes to proper finger placement,” Suzette adds. “On the piano keys, of course.”

“Of course,” Mary-Ellen agrees, not taking her eyes from me.

My cheeks are beginning to feel as though it’s been dunked in hot sauce.

I push myself up from my seat, saying, “Well, it’s been lovely seeing you both, but I?—”

“And the way that strapping young man looks at you, dear? Mercy, mercy me,” Mary-Ellen continues, her hand over her heart.

“I was just telling Suzette here that when I saw him at the Drench for Defense, I swear I saw actual love hearts floating above his head when he looked at you, like a character on one of those cartoons Mabel used to watch.”

“Mrs. McCluskey—” I begin, but I’m cut off.

“Not that we’re judging you, mind. A woman needs companionship. Isn’t that right, Suzette?”

“Especially a woman who's been through what you have with that awful Dwayne,” Suzette agrees.

“Speaking of which, I’m sure I saw him at your place at the weekend. Is everything all right on that front, dear?” Mary-Ellen asks.

I need to put a stop to this, and I need to do it now.

“Look, I would love to answer all of your questions, ladies, but I really do have to go,” I say, stepping away from the table.

“One more tiny question, Clara, for my own peace of mind,” Mary-Ellen calls out.

For her peace of mind? More like for her gossip mill.

But I don’t let her ask. Instead, I say a cheerful, “Bye now!” and fly through the door, the rain instantly dampening my hair as I rush toward my car down the street.

As I close my car door over, I let out a breath.

Why didn’t I get Cade to park down the street where busybody neighbors wouldn’t spot him so easily?

Mary-Ellen just activated her personal broadcasting system, and I give it approximately six hours before this information reaches every household within a ten-mile radius.

Which gives further impetus to my task this morning.

I reach the office, my dampened hair beginning to curl, and the pumpkin cinnamon bun now too water damaged to offer Veronica. I dump it on my desk, say a quick hello to Millie, and without giving myself the chance to back down, I make my way to Veronica’s office.

“Where’s the fire?” Bailey says as I dash past her desk.

I come to a stop. “I’m going to tell Veronica now.”

“About you know who?”

“I need to.”

“Good luck. I’ll be here if you need me,” Bailey says.

“Thanks.” I stride over to Veronica’s office and clear my throat when I reach her open door.

She looks up at me from her computer screen. “Clara. How are you today? Feeling better?”

“I’m doing great, thanks. I got you a coffee.” I place the cup on her desk, noticing a few drops of rainwater sliding from it and pooling around the rim. “Sorry. It’s raining.”

“Don’t apologize. It’s very thoughtful of you.” She picks up the cup and takes a sip. “Falling for Books?”

“Maple Grounds.”

“Ah.”

“Can we talk?”

“Of course. Is it a door shut or door open kind of conversation?”

“Door shut.” I turn and close the door over as a swoop of nerves zip through me. But I need to have this conversation, and after my experience just now with the gossipmongers of Maple Falls, it can’t have come a moment too soon.

I sit on the other side of her desk and steel myself.

You’ve got this.

“Veronica, I need to tell you something,” I begin, my pulse thudding, and instantly I wish I had taken up Cade’s offer to be here with me.

But I was determined to stand on my own two feet, full of self-righteous ownership of the situation, telling him it was my issue to deal with and not his.

He doesn’t have a non-fraternization clause in his contract.

I do, and I need to step up—even if right now I wish he was here to lend his support.

“If it’s about the latest metrics for the Hockey 101 series you’ve started, let me tell you, fans are loving your dynamic with Cade. He’s all about fun and you’re the one holding it together like a pro. You bounce off each other so nicely.”

“It works, right?” I’d seen the success of the first video and knew she would be happy with the results.

The comments were a mixture of hockey and the inevitable observations about Cade’s and my chemistry.

Now that I’m no longer working at ignoring my feelings for him, those comments simply make me smile.

“That’s not what I wanted to talk about, though. ”

“Oh?”

I take a deep breath and begin. “Let me preface it by saying how much I love this job and how grateful I am to you for giving me this opportunity.”

She frowns. “You're not quitting, are you, Clara?”

“No. Nothing like that.” Although you might fire me when I tell you what I'm about to say.

“I came to see you because I need to tell you that although I didn't set out for this to happen, the fact of the matter is I've started a relationship with one of the players.” I hold my breath, waiting for her reply.

She leans back in her chair, her fingers steepled, regarding me through narrowed eyes. “So, the rumors are true?”

My mind instantly darts to Mary-Ellen McCluskey.

“Rumors? ”

“I overheard an older woman talking about you and Cade Lennox with her friends after the Drench for Defense on Saturday. A petite woman with short cropped grey hair and glasses. She was convinced you two were a thing. I dismissed it in my mind of course.”

“That would be Mrs. McCluskey. She just questioned me at the bakery. She loves to gossip.”

“But you’re telling me in this case it's not gossip.”

“It’s not. I want to be transparent with you, Veronica. I don’t want to hide anything from you.”

She stares at me, her features unreadable. After a beat, she says, “Clara, you do know we have a non-fraternization policy at the Ice Breakers? Having any form of romantic relationship with someone employed here would be a breach of that policy.”

“I do know that, and I want you to know that I never set out for this to happen. The truth of the matter is, Veronica, I fell in love.”

Her eyes widen. “Love? You're in love ?”

I nod my head slowly. “That's why I wanted to talk to you. This isn't just some fling. What Cade and I have is real.”

“What Cade and you have goes against policy,” she says pointedly, and my anxiety peaks.

“I know and I am so sorry for that. I love this job, and I would never willingly do anything to compromise it.

I didn't go looking for love, but I found it anyway.” I pull my laptop from my purse and open it onto the spreadsheet I prepared yesterday.

“The team’s social media engagement has improved significantly under my management.

In fact, as you'll see here, there has been over a 400% increase in views on my most recent five videos alone, with comments and re-posting more than tripling.

Veronica, I believe this shows that my relationship doesn't in any way compromise my ability to do my job, and to do it well. In fact, you were the one who encouraged me to work with Cade, and those videos have been especially popular with our fans.”

She twists her mouth, her eyes still trained on me. “Your performance to date has been commendable, and you're right, yours and Cade’s campaigns have been particularly successful.”

“I believe our dynamic on camera is a unique marketing asset to the Ice Breakers. Your encouragement to put myself in the frame proves my point.”

“I did encourage you, it’s true.”

The “but” dangles in the air between us—and so do my chances.

She leans her elbows on her desk. “Clara, we have this policy for a reason.”

Her words are like a pin prick to my balloon of hope.

“Do you remember the story I told you about Cade and the Blades team owner’s daughter?”

I open my mouth to reply when there’s a rap on the door, making me jump in surprise.

“I’m in a meeting,” Veronica calls out, but whoever it is at the door isn’t listening as it’s nudged open, revealing the very topic of our conversation.

Cade.

He’s in his practice gear, fresh from the ice, his hair damp with sweat, his bulk more than filling the doorway. As his soft eyes land on mine, my heart squeezes. Hard .

He’s looking exactly like my fantasy of a knight in shining armor, except his armor is sweaty post-practice gear and that ever confident smile of his that suggests he's about to charm his way through my work crisis.

Part of me wants to sink through the floor in utter mortification.

Another part of me, the part that's been falling harder for this man every day, is beyond relieved that he disregarded my instruction to stay away.

Facing Veronica's disappointment in me on my own was terrifying but facing it with Cade somehow makes it feel less something to fear and more something to simply try to navigate.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Ms. Reynolds, but I could see you had Clara in here with you, and I wanted to say something, if I may?” he asks.

Veronica sits up straighter in her chair, her eyes darting between us as her eyebrows climb toward her hairline. “Mr. Lennox, I wasn't aware this meeting was expanding to include additional participants.”

Cade shrugs. “I figured you were talking about something close to my heart.” His eyes dart to mine, his brows pulling together. “You were already talking about it, right, Triple?”

“We were,” I say in a small voice, my heart formerly buoyed by the sight of him now taking a nosedive, knowing where the conversation was leading before he got here.

“Have a seat, Mr. Lennox,” Veronica offers, and Cade lowers his bulk into the chair beside me. “Clara was telling me that things have developed beyond a professional relationship between you.”

He slides his eyes to mine, flashing me a small smile. “That’s right.”

“Are you aware that this goes against Clara’s contract? That there’s a non-fraternization policy in there designed for these types of…situations?”

“She told me about that, and I wanted to tell you that this woman isn’t just some fling to me, like Misty was all those years ago in New York.

” He turns to me, and my heart squeezes as I see nothing but sincerity in his eyes.

“I’m in love with Clara Johnson, and I’ll do whatever I need to protect that love. ”

He holds my gaze, and it’s like Veronica, her office, the anxiety over my current job predicament slips away, and it’s just him and me, together, a united front.

It feels freaking amazing.

“Well,” Veronica says, pulling my attention from Cade.

“This is certainly a more complex issue than I expected to face when I came to work this morning.

Here's what's going to happen next. I need to discuss this with Paul and the executive team.

This isn't a decision I can make unilaterally, no matter how compelling you both are.” Her lips lift into a smile, and I know she can see that what we feel for one another is real.

“When will I know the outcome?” I ask.

“I’d say Monday morning. In the meantime, nothing changes. Tomorrow's Inaugural Bash proceeds as planned, and I expect you to capture footage as usual.”

I nod, my insides twisting like they’re trying to tie themselves in knots. “I guess that’s it then?”

“That’s it,” she confirms.

Cade and I both rise to our feet, and he places his hand lightly against my lower back to lead me from the room.

“Clara? Cade?”

We look back at Veronica.

“For what it’s worth, I’m happy for you both. It’s hard to find love in this cynical world, and by the looks of you, you’ve found it in one another.”

Cade reaches for my hand, and we share a smile.

Monday morning feels like both a lifetime away and terrifyingly imminent, but as Cade's thumb traces across my knuckles, I realize something important has shifted in my life.

For the first time in many, many years, I'm not facing an uncertain future alone.

Whatever the executive team decides, whatever consequences await me, we will handle them together.