Page 33 of Holding The Reins

I walk the two men out and feel my phone buzzing in my pocket. Two texts wait for me—one from Cole with the contact number I asked for, the other from an unknown number.

Unknown

I made you copies of the notes I jotted down. When you have time, come grab them. By the way, nice slap shot this morning. Way to go for the peanut butter.

I grin like a fifteen year old, realizing it’s CeCe texting me and chuckle, remembering the stupid saying Cole used to chant every time he scored a goal at the top of the net. Top shelf, baby, where the peanut butter is kept.

Watching me play? Just like old times, huh?

Rae

Kind of hard not to watch when you hear the little crowd roaring below your office window.

If you want, I can have the sound pumped into your office too. Get the full experience?

Rae

Sounds like a dream but that’s a hard pass, I have a feeling I wouldn’t get my work done.

I decide the number Cole just sent me can wait and head up to CeCe’s office.

We spend the next hour going over all her ideas and lay out a full-size draft of the community festival, complete with vendors she plans on asking. Sonny joins us after a short while and the three of us come up with the name Sundown Festival, since it will hopefully happen the last weekend in August, just after school has started and people are getting ready for fall.

CeCe has already contacted the municipality and is waiting on a call back. She has a list of ten places to call for synthetic ice, bouncy castles, carnival game rentals. I find myself struggling to keep up with the way her beautiful mind works. She is actually brilliant and has a mind for planning. Her phone rings as we’re talking about a list of old NHL buddies I can call and email and she excuses herself.

I look down at my phone and realize it’s already three-thirty.

“She is incredible. We can’t lose her,” Sonny says echoing my thoughts.

“Tell me about it,” I say, watching her pace outside the glass of her office on the phone. I wonder who she’s talking to as I watch the way her hips—

“If you want to keep her around, maybe stop looking at her like that,” Sonny offers.

“Sorry?” I say, feigning innocence. Am I that obvious?

“It’s just, sorry to say, boss, but you have a track record and I would hate to see you act on those ‘hearts in place of eyeballs’ in your head and break her heart.” She wiggles a finger back and forth between my eyes across the table “We’ll never find anyone around here as good as her.”

“I’m crushed you think so little of me,” I joke with Sonny.

“I don’t think little of you. I just don’t want to see you give into whatever this is”—she waves a hand over me—“and we’re left without her. In other words, to be blunt—just keep it in your pants, kid.”

“Jesus Christ, Sonny.” I rub my forehead but I don’t deny her.

She raises her hands in truce. “I’m just sayin’, is all.”

“Just saying what?” CeCe asks, coming back into her office.

“Just Sonny being Sonny,” I retort, shooting Sonny a side eye.

“I have to go soon, if that’s okay?” CeCe asks. “I’m going to pick up Mabel for Cole.”

“Of course,” I answer. “You set your own hours, remember?”

“Right,” she says, her bottom lip between her teeth again, but when her emerald eyes meet mine she smiles. “This was a good day.” She says it like she’s surprised.

I smile smugly, leaning back in my chair. “Told ya. I can’t believe you doubted me.” My grin grows and she rolls her eyes.

Sonny gets up and gives her a squeeze.

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