Page 15

Chapter 15

What I’m doing wrong

Cooper

I’d asked Callie if some of my teammates could join us on our next trip to the driving range. I hoped that having more of my teammates around meant I could spend more time with her and less dealing with fans, as well as stopping Ducky from making up a romance. The guys had promised to behave. We’d see how well that lasted.

The extra practice time we’d put in was working—Callie had done better at Briarwood on the weekend but I knew she wasn’t happy about having to let people play through while she searched for balls that had vanished in the rough.

This time at the range I booked two bays side by side. The same kid greeted us, and his eyes couldn’t have gotten any bigger as he stared at the six of us with Callie.

As he led the way, I introduced the team to her. “The big guy is Petrov, Russian, goalie. He’s…intense. Ducky, the short one, is kind of excitable, but wouldn’t hurt anyone. Crash, following Ducky—I’m giving you nicknames because that’s what we use—is another defenseman. Royster, the tall redhead, is a forward on the shutdown line, and this is JJ. He’s my partner.”

Her eyes followed each name, and I knew she’d memorized them all.

“We’ve been curious about you,” JJ said.

Callie shot a look my way.

“I told them about our arrangement, and they’re nosy fuckers.”

JJ smiled. “Coop is showing layers we didn’t know he had.”

I bumped my shoulder into him. “Don’t freak her out.”

We arrived at the bays. I’d brought the clubs Callie and I used, but the others decided to rent something here and save bringing their own. I preferred my own equipment, and Callie needed to be familiar with her clubs for her tournament.

Last time, Callie’d had the bay mostly to herself. I’d only taken a few shots, because she was the one trying to improve. This time, we all took turns.

Callie watched everyone carefully. Probably making mental notes on how they stood and swung and how effective they were. I saw Royston’s eyes dwelling on her as she lined up for a shot.

I nudged him. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“She’s not a jersey chaser.”

He shot a glance at me. “Doesn’t mean she might not want some fun.”

“She doesn’t do fun. She’s a tax attorney, on the partner track. She’s only taking time for golf for her firm’s tournament.”

“She can turn me down herself. You don’t need to gatekeep.”

“I’m trying to help her here. Don’t make it uncomfortable.”

“Dude, I’ve been turned down before.” He shrugged. “Doesn’t have to be uncomfortable.”

“I’m telling you this is not the time.”

He smirked. “You’re not with her, right? So it’s up to her.”

I wanted to march the guy right out of the facility and throw him on his ass, but settled for a glare and made sure Royston played in the other bay. Next time we weren’t inviting this crew along.

A man with a prominent belly stretching his expensive polo shirt stopped where we were taking turns. “This is how the team is spending the offseason?”

Royston stiffened beside me, so it wasn’t just me getting asshole vibes off this guy.

“We need some downtime.” I smiled, teeth gritted, being the team rep I was supposed to be.

“After that last game, I think you need something other than downtime. That pass—and Mitchell. Hope he’s back with the Inferno where he belongs.”

Most hockey fans were great. They might assume they knew us and invade some of our personal space, but they loved hockey, loved the team, and were the foundation of our sport. Without them, I wouldn’t be playing the game I loved and getting paid well to do so. But some thought they knew more than we did, more than our coaches did, and that it was necessary to give us their input.

I put a hand on Royston’s shoulder before he exploded into speech. He was rash, and I didn’t need him to get in trouble. Too many people watching, too many phones ready to catch an encounter.

Ducky was up in the other bay, which was good because he was the most impulsive. Crash and JJ were unlikely to shoot off their mouths. And Petrov—well, he was a law unto himself. He headed over. Shit. This could go badly.

Suddenly Callie pushed past us. “Mr. Duffy. How are you doing?”

He frowned at her. “Do I know you?”

“I work at Anderson, Krys and Chan. I was in a meeting to discuss your new expansion.”

His eyes dropped and focused on her breasts. My hand formed a fist, and this time Royster was holding on to me.

“Hard to believe I missed you.”

A small smile. “Tax attorneys are a necessary evil. We’re often overlooked.”

“I’ll look for you next time.”

“Mr. Anderson will be so pleased to hear that. But we have only a limited time here— Do you know Mr. Cooper and Mr. Royston?”

His eyes were on her face now. “Everyone knows them. They’re on the Blaze.”

“But they aren’t here to play hockey today.”

“They could do some improving on the hockey front.”

Her brows rose. “Oh, you’re a coach as well?”

“No, but I know the sport. Better than most.”

“I’m sure they appreciate the insight. But that’s their job, and I know they’ve spent most of the day working out and practicing—I think they need some time off. Just like I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to start talking to you about your tax issues here, would you?”

He definitely wasn’t looking at her bust now. “Are you threatening to talk about private business matters?”

Her eyes went round. “Oh, no. I just assumed you were here to get a break from work, like these men.”

By this point, Petrov was standing beside the man, arms crossed. He was frowning. Petrov wasn’t our biggest guy, but he was tall enough and solid, and could look scary.

I could see the battle going through Asshole’s mind. If things went south got physical, it would look bad for us. But with Callie between him and the team, it would look worse for him, taking on a young woman.

“Of course,” he said. “My friends are waiting for me.”

“Sure you wouldn’t like a photo?” I smiled broadly.

“No. I’ll leave you to it.”

We watched him walk away.

“He is asshole,” Petrov stated.

“Yeah, but we don’t need to look like we are. Not with cameras around.”

“Did you guys miss that shot I just made?” Ducky hadn’t realized what was going on, but he stepped over now.

“No—let’s see you do it again?”

“Okay. I think I figured out what I’m doing wrong.”

The guys got back to their game. I put a hand on Callie’s arm, to stop her for a moment.

“You’re not going to get in trouble at work over this, are you?” I appreciated that she’d stepped in. But I didn’t want her to risk her career. This whole golfing setup was to try to advance her path, not derail it.

“He doesn’t know my name. And I was in one meeting with him, but it was a couple of years ago. I don’t work on his file.”

“Thanks.”

Dealing with fans was part of the job. So was taking care of my teammates. Taking care of Callie? Not in my job description, but I was doing it anyway.

* * *

Callie

What the hell had I been thinking? Every time an email notification popped up, I dreaded a question about why I’d been interacting with Mr. Duffy at a driving range.

What I’d told Cooper was true—I’d consulted at one meeting with Duffy but he wasn’t my file. Still, it wouldn’t be unheard of for him to complain to the firm. He was obviously entitled, and I shouldn’t have gotten involved. But I’d rushed to Cooper’s defense like he needed my help.

But really, to criticize professional athletes about their game? When they were just having an evening out? That was stepping over some lines. Duffy had relied on the fact that these younger, bigger and much fitter men had to be polite because they had a reputation to uphold. That was taking advantage, and it bothered me. Which was unnecessary. Those men dealt with that all the time. I hoped they didn’t laugh over my intervention.

I wrenched my attention back to my work. We were replying to CRA about how they’d interpreted the way a client had set up a subsidiary, and I needed to make sure all my citations were correct.

A knock on my doorframe interrupted me. I glanced up. Leonie was away from her desk and oh goody, Benson had stopped by when there was no one to run interference.

“May I help you?”

He leaned on the doorframe he’d knocked on. He was in an expensive suit, but I examined his shirt. Was this one the wrong color as well? I wanted to take a picture to check with Cooper, but I didn’t see a way to do that without Benson getting too much information about me.

“I hear you’re going to the golf tournament in September.”

“That’s correct.”

“I’ll be there too. My third time.”

Yes, I knew. Benson didn’t keep it much of a secret.

“Too bad you didn’t get those golf lessons with the pro at Briarwood.”

My smile grew. I think I’d come out ahead on that one. I might have been slightly better off as a golfer with the pro, though the extra sessions at the driving range were paying off. But the golf pro couldn’t have given me the inside knowledge of being at the club as a client rather than an employee. “I’ll manage.”

“My dad is really enjoying them.”

I raised my brows. Benson had bid on those lessons just to foil me? Perhaps I needed to get out of my little bubble and find out why he was so determined to make me look bad.

“I’m sure they’ll be very beneficial.” Some people took golfing way too seriously. I could see Benson’s family being like that.

“Maybe you don’t want to go to this thing? If you don’t know how to play or how to act at the club…I’d hate for you to look bad in front of the partners and some of our best clients.”

“I’ll manage,” I repeated.

“Oh, Benson. What are you doing here?”

Praise be, it was Mr. Anderson. Why he came in person I didn’t know, since he normally set up meetings through our assistants. But I really wanted Benson to move along and share his particular charm with someone else.

“I was just checking something with Callie.”

Anderson frowned. “I wasn’t aware you were working on anything together.”

“He was asking for some general tax advice,” I said.

Benson stiffened.

Anderson focused his attention on me, and I held myself upright. If Anderson was here to scold me about my interaction with Duffy in front of Benson…

“You made it out to Briarwood again? Someone told me they’d seen you there.”

I thought back. I hadn’t spoken to anyone, but several of the partners were members and they might have recognized me. Oh, maybe they were in one of the foursomes we let play through. “I’ve been there a few times.”

Benson glared at me. “You’re not a member.”

I shook my head. “A friend brought me. So I’d be familiar with the place before the tournament.”

Anderson nodded. “Excellent. Sound planning. I’m happy to see you’re not limiting your education to tax issues.”

I had to thank Cooper for helping me see that I had to broaden my focus past the tax act.

“Ah, Benson. You’re working on Cartwright’s with Palmer, aren’t you?” Anderson started back to his own office, and Benson had to follow. “Would you mind passing on…”

I relaxed for a brief moment. I was impressing Anderson, and a petty part of me enjoyed that Benson was going to stew over who my golfing friend was. He’d never guess.