Page 30 of Gross Misconduct

After what was turning out to be a long day, we all went out for dinner, and by the time Jeremy drove me home, I was half asleep. He walked me to the door and gave me a hug.

“I had fun today. Great idea. Now maybe we should go on another fake date? I have an off day at the end of the week. How about a nice dinner? I’m sure we could get some pictures for you to post.”

Why did it strangely sound like a real date? Maybe my tired brain was reading into things. “Sure. Let’s do that.”

He kissed me on the forehead, and I stumbled into the condo and went straight to bed, but I was still thinking about that first kiss—and damn, it was making me nervous.

Chapter Fifteen

Jeremy

Ioften wondered if trading Lex to Vegas was a good idea. His gambling problem was no secret, at least to everyone on the team, and obviously Orla knew. It didn’t take long for rumors to start that he was hanging out at casinos, getting to practice late, and playing like crap. Somehow, that became my fault. I had friends on other teams, including one in Vegas. He’d heard the rumblings that I drove Lex to gamble. Josh, my buddy, made it clear to his teammates that Lex’s gambling troubles started long before I got mixed up with Orla, but that didn’t suit anyone’s narrative, so of course I was blamed.

I thought to tell Jill about it, but what I wanted to do was enjoy our evening. I’d planned a nice dinner at an Indian restaurant followed by a walk along the Stanley Park seawall, since the weather was holding up. It would be a great opportunity to take some nice pictures. And that was what we did. After dinner, we took a walk along the seawall.

“After stuffing my face with pakora, butter chicken, rice, samosas, and palak paneer, it is definitely a good time to walk it off,” she said, her cheeks still rosy from the spicyfood.

We drove through Stanley Park, and I picked a good spot to park. As we walked toward the seawall, I grabbed hold of her soft hand, and she didn’t flinch or try to pull it away. We were making some progress. Progress on what? I had no idea.

“How do you like Vancouver so far?” I asked.

“It’s scenic. I could do without the traffic, but I’m glad I don’t own a car. But that also prevents me from seeing more than I’d like to. How long have you been here?”

“My whole career. They drafted me. I showed some leadership—probably because I’m used to bossing my little brother around and getting bossed around by my sister—and when the team went into their ‘rebuilding phase’ three years ago, I was named captain.”

“Do you find that stressful?”

“Nah. I was a born leader,” I said with a wink.

We got to the seawall walkway, and Jill stopped and gasped. She took in the ocean and mountains in the distance. I couldn’t help but take a long look at her. She had on skinny jeans that showed off her long and toned legs. She was wearing an oversized gray-and-white wool sweater that suited her. She’s styled her blonde hair in long waves that blew gently in the breeze. When she turned, she caught me staring, but didn’t call me on it.

“A selfie?”

“Sure.”

We got in the last of dusk, and the walkway lights set off a perfect picture. Jill looked it over and nodded. “Yup. Perfect for Instagram.”

I grabbed her hand again, and we walked. Part of me didn’t want to delve into what happened before we got to Mainland Pantry, but a leader wouldn’t shy away, and I wasn’t about to let it go. If she didn’t like it, she had no choice. I had a feeling Jill got what she wanted by putting the fear of godinto people. Little did she know, that kind of shit didn’t bother me.

“You feeling better? After what happened before we went to the food bank?”

She went rigid, but if she thought she was going to battle her way out of it by launching some barbs my way, that wasn’t going to happen. Instead, she walked for a bit, then let out a heavy sigh.

“I hate my mother. There, I said it. I hate her. I hate her for abandoning me, for being a shitty human, for never giving me love and support. For never being proud of me. And when you pointed out that Mainland Pantry was for your gain, and I didn’t get it, it was like this horrible revelation. I felt the same way I did when Tangi pointed out that I was profiting from your situation. And that’s something my narcissistic mother would think was okay.Thatshe’d cheer me on for.”

I squeezed her hand because I think she needed some kind of reassurance. “Like I said, you’re not your mother, but you seem to be hyper aware of her. You’re not a narcissist. But I think if you start to look at some situations more deeply, you’ll see where you’re going wrong. Sometimes you just need someone to point that out.”

“You’re right. You should stop giving Brandon Warde a hard time.”

Now that threw me for a loop, and she seemed quite satisfied with herself. “Warde? How did that guy come up in conversation?”

“When you mentioned something needing to be pointed out. I know that you, Ethan, Ryan, and some of the other guys give him a hard time. I don’t know him, but from what Tangi said and from what I’m hearing from upper management, he’s doing an amazing job as the alternate captain. And he’s being good to the guys without putting pressure on them. So whycan’t you cut him some slack? That day at the pizza joint. You and Ethan were going on about his work ethic. He’s trying hard, so why not give him credit for that?”

“Hmm. See, a narcissist wouldn’t give a shit about Brandon Warde. You’re making progress.”

She elbowed my side. “I’m serious. I know the team is doing okay, but it’s still early days. Wouldn’t you want better unity? Especially if you all got along.”

“I thought we were talking about you?”

---