Page 36 of Dump and Chase

“Mom, I have to go. Brandi is going to be home soon, and I’m going to need to tell her.”

“Just think about what I said. Moms always know best.”

ChapterEighteen

Tangi

The first few days on the job were a blur. From meeting fellow coworkers to assessing new players. That was interesting. The Ravens roster ranged from young players about to start their careers to longtime minor leaguers right up to players at the end of their careers. Some had been easy to deal with, others cocky, and some downright difficult. It seemed like a few had a problem being examined by a woman, but they were going to have to get over it. To Allan’s credit, he’d made sure they understood that I wasn’t going anywhere.

After my first few days, I had trouble dragging myself out of bed. A combination of jet lag, long hours, and not taking care of myself had caught up with me, and as I hauled my ass into work Friday morning, I found myself looking forward to having Saturday off. I’d learned the Ravens had a system in place so that there were always at least three at work or on call. That meant we had rotating days off rather than weekends. Saturday was my day along with another day every two weeks. The hours were long, but I did have a few half days and rarely any evenings, so that made up for it. I had to remind myself that I’d have at least two months of vacation every year, and, on top of it all, I was entitled to one year of maternity leave, an amazing perk of working for a Canadian team. Given that I’d only be working six months before the baby was born and that my benefits would be stretched thin based on that, I’d told the Ravens I’d be back at work in September.

Allan knocked on my open office door. I looked up from my laptop and waved him in. The last few days I’d been trying to catch up on the pile of paperwork and files that needed to be updated, along with player evaluations, but I’d carved out some time for him now.

“How are the first few days going?” he asked.

“Busy but good. Everyone has been great.”

“Good. Just know you can holler if you need anything.”

“Will do.”

He didn’t get up to leave, so I sensed there was something else. I smiled, trying to coax him to spit it out.

“Brandon Warde is due in today,” he said. “He’ll meet with Coach Fontaine, then I’ll chat with him a bit about his progress. The Kodiaks are sending along an injury report and what he’s been doing post-surgery. He is still under the Kodiaks umbrella, but his day-to-day treatment is now up to us.”

“Okay. I’ll take a look at his file when I get it. How far out is he from being on the ice?”

“At least a couple of months. He’s been doing some light exercise and aquatics, but I don’t think he’ll be in skates for a few more weeks.”

I had a feeling another shoe was about to drop.

“I can handle whatever is thrown at me.”

Allan cringed a bit. “About that. He’s not exactly happy about starting the season here. I mean, if I were in his situation, I’m not sure I’d blame him. He’s a second-line center. He should be rehabbing with the Kodiaks, but I think Coach Anthony has had enough of him and needs a break from Warde and what he brings to the locker room. Anyway, it’s probably best he’s here where he’s not under constant pressure and not pissing off his coach. I only wish he’d see it that way.”

There was the other shoe. It had me thinking that he played the same position Ethan did, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was going to try to steal Ethan’s spot for himself.

“I’ve worked with all kinds. I’ll be fine and be nothing but professional.” I’d have to prepare myself for Brandon Warde. I’d do my research on him when I had a chance.

“I think he will too, but he might be a little bitter. Thought I’d warn you.”

“I’m warned. I appreciate the heads-up.”

An hour later, Brandon Warde walked to my office. He knocked on the door and I nearly spilled the water I was drinking. I’d been so absorbed in my files, I hadn’t even heard his shuffling. Per Jim’s suggestion, I’d been prioritizing the player files into those likely to be called up to the Kodiaks during the season, those likely to make the Ravens, then those going down to juniors. The rest were low priority, which was kind of sad.

“Tangy Kildare?” he asked.

Based on the scowl on his face, he had to be Brandon.

“Yes. Brandon? And it’s Tangi. It’s a J sound, not a G.” He said my name like I was an adjective for orange juice.

“Right. Yup, I’m Brandon,” he said without a smile.

Definitely crusty, but at least he was easy to look at, not that I should have noticed that. I didn’t normally when it came to clients, but he had the most intense blue eyes, not to mention the sexy scruffy beard and sandy blond hair that had that just-out-of-bed look. “Why don’t you come in and take a seat.”

“Sure,” he said, maintaining a frown.

I decided that babying him wasn’t the right approach, so I went straight into the details. “So tell me about the injury and your recovery so far.”

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