Page 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

WHO’S THE CULPRIT?

~~Junie~~

I rouse to the sun peeking through the slats in my blinds. The sun is out and fills me with hope for a better day. I glance over at Levi, who’s peacefully snoozing on his back with his arms spread over his head. He’s a bit of a bed hog, but I don’t mind. I cuddle next to him and relish the warmth of his naked body. His chest rises and falls rhythmically, and he looks the picture of absolute innocence, which is about the furthest from accurate.

Then again, there’s a childlike innocence about Levi. He attempts to hide it, and usually does quite well, but I’ve seen glimpses of the little boy he once was before the dysfunction of his family jaded him. I wonder how different his life would be if his father had lived. That’s a question that’ll never be answered.

I reach out and touch his cheek. An overwhelming desire rolls over me to stroke his brow and wipe away his past traumas, but nothing is that easy. Simply being here for him is the best I’ve got, and I hope it’s enough.

Levi catches my hand in his and smiles before blinking open his eyes. “Seeing you is the best way to wake up in the morning.” He speaks in his sleep-groggy, husky voice that sends tingles down my spine. I briefly consider a quickie, but we both have places to be.

Levi’s plane is leaving two hours earlier than planned this morning, which means he can’t escort me when I talk to my boss. It’s probably better that way, as she might view his presence as a sign of weakness. I must stand on my own two feet.

He squeezes my hand. “I wish I could be there for you this morning.” He reads my mind as he often does. It’s uncanny, really.

“I know, but you have a game to win.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“I’ll be fine, and you’ll be with me in spirit.”

“I will. Promise you’ll call me as soon as you talk to Rose.”

“I promise, but you’ll probably be in the air.”

“We have Wi-Fi on the plane. I wish?—”

He sits up and pulls me onto his lap for a deep, lingering kiss. I bury my fingers in his hair, wanting more but knowing we can’t.

I hold a finger to his lips to silence him. “But you can’t, and we have to get our asses out of bed.” I consult the clock nearby. “You have to be at the SHAC in a half hour.”

“Yeah.” He sighs and studies me longingly. “I wonder how fast we can?—”

“Not that fast.” I giggle and extract myself from his grasp. I slide to the other side of the bed and grab my robe from the hook by the door. “You need to get moving, buster. You have to go home first and get your bag.”

“Good thing it’s already packed.” He sighs and stands, while I enjoy taking in his naked body, which he makes no effort to hide. Levi doesn’t have a modest bone in his body. He crosses the room for another body-slamming kiss before I gently nudge him.

“You have to go.”

He nods wordlessly and dresses. One more kiss, and he’s out the door. I follow him down the hallway and stand in the doorway to watch him go.

“Good luck.”

He waves over his shoulder and jogs to his SUV. A deep sense of emptiness surges through me comforted only by the knowledge that his absence is only temporary.

I’m falling fast. Then again, I’ve probably already been there and only recently acknowledged what I know in my heart to be true. I need Levi in my life.

My stomach is in knots, and my hands shake when I rap on Rose’s partially open door an hour later.

“Come in.” She sounds annoyed, but then she always does.

“Just the person I want to see.” She gestures toward an empty chair near her desk. Her expression reads as grim and displeased. This might be worse than expected. Am I about to be fired? I sit down and fold my hands in my lap to keep the shaking from being visible. Showing weakness to Rose isn’t good for job security, if my job is even secure.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Yes.” She leans forward and regards me with a grimace as if she’s just eaten something distasteful.

“I need to talk to you about something also.”

“Let me go first. You may find that whatever you were planning on saying isn’t necessary.”

Oh crap, she really is letting me go.

Rose clears her throat. “I’ve received numerous anonymous complaints.”

“Me? What kind of complaints?” I’m not surprised, but I am hurt. It’s probably unreasonable to feel betrayed, yet I do.

“Issues with the menu offerings and inconsistency of what’s offered. As you should be aware, hockey players value routine, and that includes what they eat and when. For example, you failed to notice that you were out of important staples until it was too late. Last night’s dinner was going to be the highlight of a very crappy day for the boys, but you didn’t deliver steak and seafood as promised. You served hamburgers.”

“Did you verify any of the complaints?”

“I spoke with the coaches and the captain. They admit it’s been rocky at times. They have no issues with the actual meals themselves, but your lack of preparation and planning.”

“I—I—can explain.”

“Go ahead.” Her tone is challenging, as if she doesn’t believe I can explain the issue. She crosses her arms over her chest and glares, not exactly inspiring confidence in me.

I launch into a recap of the past weeks’ incidents, missing items, canceled orders, and everything else that’s been going wrong. She listens with a tight frown, and I don’t think she’s the least bit sympathetic.

“Why is this the first time I’m hearing about possible continuing sabotage? Are you sure you didn’t forget to order the necessary supplies or accidentally cancel the steak and seafood order?”

“I promise. I didn’t.”

“What about the refrigerator and freezer debacle? Maybe the breaker tripped on its own, and you didn’t pay enough attention to the temperature of your appliances.”

“I’m very conscious of such issues. This wasn’t me.”

“Juniper, you’re fully aware you weren’t my choice for obvious reasons. I don’t believe you have the experience and knowledge to do a job like this. This latest string of mistakes only adds to my doubt regarding your abilities. I don’t want excuses. I expect you to play through whatever issues come your way and produce the results we require, just as we require the same of the team. No bullshit. Do your job. God willing, we have two to three more weeks of hockey. If I hear any more complaints, your last day of employment with the Sockeyes will be the date of our last game.”

“I understand.”

“Good. Now I have work to do.” Rose turns back to her computer and ignores me. I get up and slink from the room.

“Are you okay?” Inga, my former roommate, spots me walking dejectedly down the hallway and waits near the elevator. She works as the admin for the youth hockey program.

“Not really.”

“Wanna talk about it? I have some free time right now.”

“Okay.” Damn it, I’m tearing up. I hate showing emotion, and lately I’ve been losing control too often.

Inga takes me by the arm and leads me to the players’ lounge, which is empty since they’re on the road. We take seats on the comfortable couch, but comfort isn’t a concern of mine right now.

“I’m on the verge of being fired. I’ve screwed things up so badly.” I break into sobs, and Inga wraps her arms around me. She lets me cry until I have no more tears left.

“Okay, tell me everything. Start at the beginning and don’t leave anything out.”

So I did. She listens and doesn’t interrupt, but her compassion for my plight is obvious.

“Wow. Someone is dedicated to seeing you fail. Do you think it’s Celeste or Maddie?” she asks after I finish my recount of past events.

“Or both.”

“That makes sense.”

“Whoever it is has knowledge of both the arena and the practice facility. They’ve eluded the cameras and aren’t noticed by the security staff as being out of place.”

“What’re you going to do about it?”

“I’ll be coming to work early in order to assure myself that all the necessary items are available for that days’ meals. It’s the only thing I can think of to make sure this doesn’t happen again short of sleeping in the kitchen, but there’re two kitchens. I can’t be two places at once.”

“Perhaps someone is actually sabotaging the team’s chances in the playoffs, and you’re just collateral damage.”

“It’s possible, but why haven’t they moved on to other aspects of the team’s success, such as messing with the hockey sticks or canceling travel arrangements?”

“Yeah, you’re right. None of this makes sense. Maybe it is more of a personal vendetta, which brings us back around to Maddie and Celeste.”

“I know. They’re the obvious choices, but too obvious? I might be overlooking the real culprit by focusing on them. Celeste has a lot to lose, and I’m not sure even she’d go that far. Now Maddie, she’s a distinct possibility.”

“Don’t put anything past Celeste. She’s clever and knows how to cover her tracks and pass blame on to others.”

“You’re right. She’s devious.”

“And dangerous,” Inga adds, and I have to agree.

We talk for a while longer. Inga doesn’t have any answers for me, but I do feel better regardless. When we’re done, I call Levi. The phone goes straight to voicemail, and I leave a message.

We’ll talk later tonight and probably engage in a little phone sex.

Or a lot.