Page 1 of Gross Misconduct

Chapter One

Jill

My new office didn’t have a window, but I could live with it. In the last two weeks, my life had been turned upside down. I’d gone from an unemployed PR specialist to the head of PR for a professional hockey team. I’d also left the Midwest and the frigid winters for the mild temperatures of the West Coast. Oh, and I’d gained the majestic Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. What else could a girl want?

A window.

I’d been on the job for less than a month, and the Kodiaks training camp was about to begin. I’d been thrown in, and like the professional I was, I reveled in the work. I kept myself busy that I still had a mostly empty apartment, not that it really mattered. Once Tangi and Ethan moved into their new house, I’d get to live in their downtown condo.

Tangi Kildare, one of my best friends, was coming to town today with her fiancé, Ethan Grant, star center for the Kodiaks. Ethan had been the one to suggest the PR job—and to think, not too long ago, I despised the guy for screwing around withTangi’s heart. But they’d worked it all out now, and had the cutest little girl to show for it. How could I hate a guy who helped me find an amazing job and a future amazing home?

Thankfully, the job paid well, and the Kodiaks had thrown in a housing allowance, because they had to know the housing prices in Vancouver were through the roof. Ethan scoped out a nice five-floor building about fifteen minutes from downtown that I’d live in until I could move into Ethan and Tangi’s condo. And where would they be going? They’d bought a place in trendy Kitsilano, but they wouldn’t be moving in for another month while the final renovations were completed. Once that was done, I could move into their gorgeous condo where I’d be paying the same rent as the small place Ethan had found. As much as I wanted to dislike the guy, he was giving me a huge rent break on the condo, so I couldn’t stay mad.

The Kodiaks snapped me up after Richardson’s, one of the biggest department store chains in the US, let me go. They’d like to say they’d laid me off, but that would be sugarcoating it. They’d set me up as the head of PR for their Canadian expansion, an expansion that Richardson’s had also inadvertently set up to fail. When they’d sent me off to Toronto, the ship was already sinking, but I thought I could help save it. Wishful thinking. I wasn’t there long before the company announced they were pulling out of the country, just as some stores were set to open. The whole thing had been a major disaster, and I’d been collateral damage.

My resume impressed the Kodiaks, and having Ethan as a reference didn’t hurt, and after a lengthy interview process, they’d hired me within days. I’d left Minnesota again, and I was okay with that. Other than my two best friends, Tangi and Wolseley, I had no attachment to Minneapolis anymore. Maybe that’s why I’d taken the Richardson’s promotion in the first place, even though I’d heard rumblings thatthe expansion wasn’t going well. I was desperate to get out of Minnesota and leave the past behind.

I glanced at my watch. It was time to go home, and since I’d been putting in mega hours catching up, coming up with strategy and learning the ropes, I deserved to leave on time for once, especially when my best friend was in town.

You home?

I texted Tangi, then packed up my things and grabbed an umbrella that I took with me everywhere. More than once, I’d been caught in Vancouver’s famous rain. Tangi and Ethan’s place was about a fifteen-minute walk from Graham Place, the arena where the Kodiaks and their farm team, the Ravens, played, and since the sun was shining, I planned to enjoy the evening walk. I was going to meet the players soon, once they’d all gathered in town for physicals and promotional work. Thankfully, my job didn’t involve interacting with them much. I often wondered how Tangi did it. As the physiotherapist for the Ravens, she was constantly working on and with the players. She didn’t complain much, so maybe they weren’t juveniles, something I’d convinced myself they all were.

I took in a deep breath as I headed down the crowded sidewalk. The air seemed to always smell fresh, as if after a recent rain, even if it hadn’t rained in two days. The clean air felt good as I made my way to Tangi and Ethan’s. I’d stayed there a few days when I’d gotten to Vancouver, and Tangi and I had already planned to have some wine on the balcony as we took in the ocean view. Well, I’d do most of the drinking since she was still breastfeeding.

My phone chimed, and I took a look.

Home and chilling the Riesling.

She knew me so well, and the thought of a good glass of wine had me picking up the pace. I made the walk in just over ten minutes, and after buzzing me up, she was waiting at her door. I threw my arms around her, so happy to see a familiar face.

“How was the flight with little Maddy?”

“She’s an angel,” Tangi said. “Didn’t cry once. In fact, she and Ethan slept the whole flight. They are both good sleepers.”

Ethan shrugged, not looking sorry at all. “When you’re on a plane as often as I am, you learn to sleep the minute the bird is in the air.”

I smiled at him even though the smallest part of me harbored some resentment toward him. He’d nearly ruined Tangi’s life. First, by not committing to her, then getting engaged to some woman he’d known for less than six months. To top it all off, he had gotten Tangi pregnant. Sure, my bestie was a willing participant, but he slept with her before telling Tangi he was engaged. Luckily, he’d realized he was going to lose the most perfect woman in the world for him, so he’d smartened up. That didn’t mean I had to be happy about it. I still wanted to kick him hard in the nuts.

“I know you’ve been traveling all day, so I won’t stay long.”

Tangi’s hazel eyes opened wide. “You are going nowhere. We’re getting some takeout, having a glass of wine on the balcony, and then you can think about going home. Sound fair?”

“Sounds more than fair.”

Ethan ordered food from a Greek place nearby, and while we waited, Tangi fed Maddy, who was transitioning from the boob to solid foods. Tangi also had nanny appointments set up for the next day and was hoping to hire someone as soon as possible. In the meantime, the Ravens had given her a few extra daysoff.

“I set up all the interviews from home, and did some Zoom calls to weed out the ones I didn’t like. Mom and Dad offered to come out if I’m having trouble finding anyone, but I have a good feeling about a couple,” she said.

Not once had Tangi thought about giving up her career to stay at home. She’d already given it up once when she’d moved to Vancouver with Ethan their first time around. Then Ethan, who was known for doing stupid things, refused to commit to marrying her. She’d dumped him and come home, determined to get on with her life. Then three years later when Ethan’s dad died, he came home for the funeral, he and Tangi reconnected in more ways than one, and boom, Maddy was conceived. But nothing was going to stop her again. Not even adorable Maddy. My bestie wasn’t going to be a wallflower like she’d been with Ethan all those years ago. She had goals.

The food arrived, and I ate a heaping plate of chicken skewers, lemon potatoes, spanakopita, and washed it all down with wine.

“How are the first few weeks with the Kodiaks?” Ethan asked.

“I’m getting a feel for things. It’s not quite as corporate and organized as Richardson’s, but everyone is nice, except for everyone in the marketing department. It’s like they think we are competition, and that’s going to be a struggle. But the job is straightforward. Clay takes some getting used to.”

Ethan snorted. “Yeah, he’s eccentric. He can be very hands-on with the team, or he can disappear for weeks. There is no in between.”

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