Page 12 of The Sweet Spot (Kodiaks Hockey #3)
Chapter Twelve
Wolseley
I didn’t know much about hockey. I didn’t follow it, but now I knew more about the sport than possibly Tangi and Jill combined. Brandon and I got into the habit of having dinner together when we could, and he would tell me all the intricate details of the game. He’d even pulled out a mini whiteboard modeled after a hockey rink and taught me the rules with the checkboard magnets—or whatever they were. I learned about offsides, icing, power plays, penalty kills, breakaways, and more. He would get so animated with his new student that he’d pull out his phone and google examples for me to watch.
He loved teaching me about the game, and it was an interesting subject. My brother and dad watched sports, and I think they liked hockey, but since I’d never been good at a sport, I’d never watched one. Instead, I could spend the day watching cooking shows and then help my mother elevate meals with what I’d learned. When Dad let me marinate and season what he was about to barbecue, I knew I’d hit the big-time. Dad was the king of the barbecue and rarely let anyone touch anything barbecue related.
“You should come to games with Jill and Tangi. I think you’d have fun.”
I’d have fun watching him, and that was the problem. “Sounds like a great idea,” I said, “but you are going to want your aftergame meal prepped. Will the food fairy be doing that?”
He frowned, and small lines formed around his mouth. “I think I know how to warm up food. You should come. I think you need to see the game live.”
“Okay,” I said, not wanting to let him down.
The next morning, he was going on a two-game road trip that would have him away for three days. Just a short trip to Calgary and Edmonton, he said, two cities I learned were a province away and just hours from each other. I didn’t have contacts there, but I’d found some private chefs who would deliver meals to the hotels Brandon was staying at. I planned to send him off with a high-protein breakfast and tons of healthy snacks to keep him satiated.
“Since I’ve been at this a few weeks, I’d like to run some things past you,” I said as I heaped more pasta on his plate. Tonight, it was a simple marinara sauce with grilled vegetables and chicken. I’d marinated chicken in one of my old recipes that Dad still used, and Brandon seemed to like it. The meal was finished off with a salad to cleanse his palate, and for dessert, a protein-like chocolate bar I’d perfected. It tasted just like a peanut butter cup since he told me those were his guilty pleasures.
“Sure,” he said, holding up a piece of eggplant. “You know, I don’t think I’ve had eggplant before, but whatever you do to it, it’s amazing.”
“I love working with eggplant. Did you know it’s actually considered a fruit?” I said it with a huge smile, because now I was imparting information to him for once. “The British prefer to call it aubergine. Eggplants are closely related to tomatoes, which are also a fruit.”
“Is that so? Now, isn’t aubergine a shade of purple?”
I thought about that for a second. “I think it became a color shade because of eggplants.”
“Interesting. Well, it’s delicious.”
He’d sidetracked me, so it was time to get back to the subject at hand. “So I’ve been on the job a few weeks, and I appreciate all the feedback you’ve been giving me,” I said, although he hadn’t been giving me much other than to say how much he loved the food, which was nice, but not exactly feedback. “I know you don’t love soups but are okay with stews, so that’s helpful. I have increased the meat-based proteins mostly because you eat so much.”
He chuckled at that.
“I do want to talk budget. You didn’t give me one, and I feel like maybe I’m spending more than I should?”
He paused to consider that. “How much are you spending per week?”
“Between five and six hundred dollars. I do buy premium items because you should only be eating the best, but if you want me to cut back, I can. I realize it should probably be half that, so I can make adjustments.”
“No big deal,” he said and shrugged. “That number isn’t a problem.”
As he ate, I thought about my restaurant and how hard I had to negotiate with suppliers to keep costs down, and here Brandon was telling me to spend whatever I wanted, but I still felt guilty about it. I knew he made millions a year, but I still couldn’t push past the feeling .
“It’s just that it’s a lot, so I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“You can spend more. Look,” he said, focusing his blue-eyed gaze on me. “My body is my job. I need to fuel it with the best. So if you need to spend a thousand dollars a week, I’m okay with that. I have a contract coming up soon. I want to maximize my return. I have to play the best hockey of my life. That only happens if I’m eating well and training right.”
He made so much sense.
“I guess it’s because I come from a restaurant world. It took me forever to turn a profit. In fact, it wasn’t until just before I lost it that I finally made some money. So I’m mindful of expenses.”
He tilted his head just a bit and smiled sympathetically. “I know the restaurant business is hard. Everyone says that. And I’m not going to lie: I googled you, so I read about what happened. Jeremy and Ethan filled in some of the blanks.”
I didn’t know whether to be impressed or mortified that he’d researched me to the point of consulting Ethan, someone he didn’t like all that much. Another part of me was embarrassed about what had happened.
“Did either of them mention Daniel?”
“Your sous chef? The loser who didn’t know how to cook properly? That had to cheat?”
I cringed because that meant he didn’t know all the facts. “Sure, he didn’t know how to cook. And he ruined my business, but there is more.” I tapped my index finger on the island top, wondering if telling him everything would make him think less of me, but I’d always been an open book—at least for the most part.
“He’s threatened to sue me for sexual harassment. I probably should have told you that before. Maybe it’s because I was worried you wouldn’t hire me when I badly needed the job and really wanted out of Minnesota. So if you want to fire me now, I would understand.”
I searched his face, waiting for him to react. If I were him, I’d probably be pissed off, but his expression didn’t change much.
“Why would I fire you? And I hardly believe you sexually harassed anyone.”
“Thank you for all that.”
“Do you have a good lawyer?”
All right, that really wasn’t what I expected. I figured he’d fire me before wondering if I’d hired a lawyer.
“I think so. Someone my parents know. So far, Daniel hasn’t done anything. He’s probably worried about his own reputation right now, but I assume once he finds out I have a job and am making some money, he’ll come after me. That’s the type of person he is. Vengeful.”
Brandon nodded, seeming to take it all in. “He sounds like a piece of work. You should sue him . Go on the counteroffensive before he does.”
A second ago, I thought he would fire me, and now, with my mouth hanging open in shock, he was counseling me on how to fight Daniel back. “I can’t afford it,” I said, getting up and taking his empty plate away. It was time for him to try the protein chocolate bar, and part of me hoped that would lead to a change of subject.
“My aunt is a lawyer. Got her law degree in the States. She knows tons of people. Let me at least make a call. She’ll do it for me because she owes me.”
I spun around, nearly sending the protein bars flying off the plate. I caught them in time. “I really can’t. That’s too much. And, like I said, I can’t afford more legal bills. I’m still paying off the old ones.”
“She owes me. And you have to make sure this guy doesn’t ruin the rest of your career, because you’re right about one thing: he gets wind you’re making money, he’ll be all over it. Let me do this. I won’t stand by and let him walk all over you.” Brandon stopped as if catching himself. I watched him curiously as he took a breath and spoke again. “I don’t want to browbeat you into this, but definitely consider it. I would hate for him to screw you over.”
I bit my lip and thought it over. Daniel was exactly the kind of person who would come after me, and he’d do it without hesitation. I hated the idea of Brandon calling in a favor for this.
“Let me at least pay for the legal services. Your aunt shouldn’t do it for free.”
He smiled. “My aunt owes me. I got her son—my cousin—season tickets to the New York Giants. Do you know how hard those are to get?” By my confused face, he added, “They are a football team. I also got him playoff tickets. She owes me a lot of favors.”
I set down the plate, and he grabbed a protein chocolate bar and took a bite. I thought about his offer and all that Daniel had done to me. To cut him off at the pass with what sounded like an amazing lawyer would put me in the driver’s seat for once.
“My goal isn’t to ruin Daniel’s life.”
Brandon arched a brow. “He’d do it to you in a heartbeat.”
“Maybe, but that’s not me.”
Brandon set down his bar and folded his hands. A devious smile that looked so amazing formed on his lips.
“But that’s me, so tell you what, leave being cutthroat to me.”
I was hit with a giddy excitement that scared me. Never had I wished harm on someone, not even Daniel, but the way Brandon smiled and how it felt made me want to go all out. “Okay, but what does that mean?”
“I’ll work with you on this, along with my aunt. You will get the final say on all decisions, and I promise not to be overbearing, but the three of us are going to set Daniel straight. And if I have my way, he’ll be out of your life forever.”
All the giddiness bubbled up to the surface, and I let out a muted squeal. Why was I so excited about potentially ruining Daniel? And why did I want to jump across the island and never stop kissing Brandon? I quickly wiped the delicious image from my thoughts.
“All right. I’m in. Let’s set Daniel straight.”