Page 129 of Penalty to the Heart

“Nothing debatable about that. Everyone deserves a shot at happiness. You just have to be brave enough to grab and hold on tight to it when it knocks on your door.” He smiles warmly. “But first things first. Talk to Trent. Confide in him as you have done with me. I’m sure he’ll understand and advise you on what to do next.”

I nod, knowing that coming clean to Trent is the correct thing to do.

How I’m supposed to deal with Caleb from here on out, will have to wait.

After my heartfelt conversation with Rex, I decide that the best course of action is to drive to the Guardians Arena and see Trent. I know he’ll be disappointed in my behavior, but hopefully, he won’t drop the gavel on me.

“Good afternoon, Dr. Seymour.” Brigitte smiles at me when I approach her desk.

“Hi, Brigitte.” I smile back nervously. “Is Trent in?”

“He is. Do you want me to check if he is available to see you now?”

“I would. Thank you.”

I stand there anxiously as she calls him, announcing my presence.

“Go right on in,” she says after hanging up the phone.

“Thank you.”

I take a deep breath and open Trent’s office door, surprised to see him with company.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were busy,” I say, my gaze falling on the beautiful blonde fixing her hair as she hurriedly walks away from behind his desk where he’s sitting. “Hello, Piper. Nice to see you again.”

“Hi, Roxanne,” she says, her cheeks still flushed from whatever excursion was taking place before I walked into the office.

“I can come back at a more convenient time. It’s no bother,” I say, feeling awkward for interrupting.

“Actually, I was just finishing up some emails before I take Piper to lunch,” Trent says while fixing his tie, pulling my attention to the closed laptop on his desk.

Emails.

Right.

“You’re more than welcome to join us,” Piper proposes cheerfully while Trent immediately frowns at the invitation.

“That’s very kind of you to offer, but I’ve already had lunch. Thank you anyway.” I smile, unable to stop my fidgeting.

“What’s wrong?” Trent’s face contorts, sensing my discomfort.

I look over at Piper and then back to him, uncomfortable about having this discussion in front of his girlfriend. Especially since she’s such an important fixture in Caleb’s life.

Trent might be understanding if I confess to having slept with his delinquent player—Piper, on the other hand, will surely not.

She’ll see it as I see it—that I took advantage of him when he was at his most vulnerable.

Shame coats every inch of my face as I turn to both and say, “Maybe I can come back at another time.”

“Is this about Caleb?” Piper asks, going to the root cause of all my troubles.

“Yes,” I admit, my shoulders slumping in defeat.

“Great. What has the jackass done now?” Trent groans.

“Stop,” Piper chastises her boyfriend in defense of her friend. “Why do you always assume the worst? Maybe Roxanne is here to tell you how well he’s been doing lately. And that she thinks you should give him a shot to play in the Stanley Cup finals. Did that ever cross your mind?”

“Very well.” Trent stands up, walks to the front of his desk, and leans against it. “Is that why you’re here, Roxanne?”

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