Page 2 of Pucking Never

Instead, I manage to say, “But, you know I hate hockey.”

Carson releases a bark of laughter. “Yes, I’m aware of that, but come on, Gracie. You know this is a great opportunity for you and I don’t want to hire a total stranger who doesn’t understand me and what I’m all about. You just have to focus on my hockey career and no one else’s. Plus, I’m not asking you to date any of the team, so you won’t have to break your weird rule.”

I roll my eyes at his teasing tone. “You know why I have that rule, Carson.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he groans. “I know, and trust me, I get it. My friends in high school were exactly that, high schoolers. Every single one of us had only one thing in mind, and that was exactly my reason for keeping you away from them. I also know what happened to Stacey was…messed up. But you can’t really think all hockey players are assholes because of the way some teenagers acted a million years ago. What about me?”

“You are the one exception,” I grumble.

My one rule of dating is that I don’t date hockey players. Ever. People often laugh or think I’m joking if they find out my rule, but I’m dead serious about holding onto it. Throughout the years of being dragged along to my brother’s hockey games and enduring his growing popularity as he got better and better, my experience with other hockey players has only ever been negative. It wasn’t just how I was treated by them, though. I was actually left alone more often than not, because of Carson — but my friends weren’t. They were treated like puck bunnies and never taken seriously. The hockey guys would always put their own wants and their careers before anything else. The image of my friend Stacey, tears streaming down her face as she held a pregnancy test in her hand, is burned into my mind.

I shake my head. Carson doesn’t really know what happened with Stacey. He just thinks she was dumped before her asshole ex suddenly left our school. My naive brother has no idea that his former friend got Stacey pregnant and then abandoned her for greener hills.

Taking a deep breath, I give Carson my answer. “Alright, I’ll do it. But if any of your teammates give me any trouble…”

“I’ll keep ’em in check, don’t worry,” he replies with a note of seriousness in his voice that I’m not used to hearing. “You’re taking a big step for me, Grace. I won’t forget that.”

“You’re right about that,” I assure him. “I won’t let you.”

My mind instantly flies to more stressful topics. The big one: am I even going to be able to afford rent? Denver is a big place, and—like most major cities—expensive. I ponder over my savings, and the money I currently have coming in from clients. Even though it’s enough to get me going, if I lose a client… I won’t make it.

“Hey, so… quick question.” I say slightly stumbling across my words.

“What is it?”

Letting out a heavy sigh, I try to formulate my words without sounding more ridiculous than I feel. “How’s housing there? I mean rent and that. I have to find a place to live?—”

Laughter erupts through the phone quickly stopping me mid-sentence. “You don’t need to worry about that.”

“I don’t? I mean, I’m pretty sure I need a place to live. I can’t live with you.”

“That’s for sure.” He snorts with amusement. “I mean, I’m going to put you in a place. I’ve got it covered. You’re doing me a favor by agreeing in the first place. It’s the least I can do.”

My mind races with the information. I know he’s my brother, but to do all of this for me… I don’t even know how to feel. Taking a deep breath, I try to quiet my emotions. “Thank you… you have no idea how much that means to me.”

“Don’t mention it. Now, will you be able to keep your other clients if you move out here?” Carson asks.

I take a moment to think about that. There shouldn’t be an issue. None of my clients require in-person meetings or anything like that. Everything’s done online, so moving states shouldn’t be a big deal. The only reason I moved back home to Madison after college was to save money on rent.

“Yeah,” I answer. “That won’t be a problem. I can manage their socials remotely and they’ll be able to send me videos and images that I can edit. It’ll be a smooth transition.”

“Good.” I can hear the smile in his voice. “You know I’m hopeless with any of that stuff, so I need you here, in-person.”

“I know. It’ll work out on my end, no worries.”

“I’ll owe you for this,” he says. “I promise you won’t regret this.”

“All right. I’ll talk to you later, Carson.”

“Goodnight, Gracie.”

After we hang up, I stare blankly at my silent phone for a long while. My life is about to change in ways I could have never anticipated, and all because of my goofy twin brother who happens to be good at hitting a puck with a stick.

Hopping off the counter, I stare at the already finished kettle as my chin drops into my hand. “What a day,” I mutter to myself with a sigh. Moving into athlete territory is daunting. I didn’t think I’d ever get pulled back into that world. All those countless hours of being dragged to Carson’s games and dealing with the macho behavior of his teammates soured me toward the game even before my friends were ever affected by those assholes. The mere thought of willingly immersing myself in such an atmosphere makes my gut twist with unease.

But then again, this is a chance to expand my client base, to gain experience managing high-profile figures and their social media needs. I don’t necessarily need to focus on the hockey aspect of things, really. Just the social media and the experience this is going to give me.

With a groan, I drop my head onto the counter and comb my fingers through my hair. It takes some time for me to wrap my head around the magnitude of what accepting this job offer means for me. As I do so, however, I remind myself that this moment isn't just about a job opportunity or furthering my career, it’s also about trust—the trust that Carson has placed in me.

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