Page 90 of The Roommate Remodel

When she opens the door, Alex stands on the other side.

Her eyes slide from Jaz to me as a look of disapproval crosses her tightened lips.

“Sorry for the interruption, but I have bad news,” Alex says, not looking sorry at all. “Tom advised me that theFashion on Iceevent is costing too much. Even though attendance is up, he saidwe shouldn’t take any financial risks, especially on a glorified fashion show.”

“Risks?” Jaz frowns at Alex. “We'll get all the money back, and it goes to a good cause. It’s not aglorifiedfashion show. It’s a chance for the community to see our team in a new way. To build loyalty. That’s priceless. Surely, you can see that?”

Alex plants her feet in the doorway, arms crossed. “There’s too much at stake. We’re a hockey team. Not a bunch of do-gooders.”

I stand. “Don’t we want to make this team something the community is proud of?” I join Jaz by her side, a united front. “We’re giving back to the people in this town. Doing something worthwhile to benefit a charity.”

She waves me off. Helping kids like Ethan is the least of her worries. “Tom understands the financial risks of such a venture,” she says. “And we need to be the ones benefitting from the team.”

Like Queen Alex hasn’t already benefitted the most.

“But we’ve sold hundreds of tickets,” Jaz pleads. “We’d need to return all the money if we cancel now, and we’d lose the deposit from all the vendors we’ve contracted.”

Alex looks away, like she’s displeased by this news. Apparently Tightwad Tom didn’t ask about all these details that Jaz already knew.

Alex lets out an exasperated sigh. “I’ll talk to Tom about it again. But remember, this isn’t part of our long-term plans.”

Long-term plans? I thought building community support was an overarching goal?

Jaz gives a weary nod. “I understand.”

Her gaze flicks to me before landing on Jaz. “When I get back from my business trip, I need to talk to you about some changes.” Then she whirls around and stalks down the hall.

“That woman is as cold as ice,” I mutter when she’s out of earshot.

Jaz sighs. “She’s being her usual queen-bee self. I’m trying to walk a tightrope between her demands and the potential I see inthis team. But it’s hard when the owner and general manager are against you.”

“What do you think she wants to talk about?”

Jaz blinks. “I’m not sure. But whatever it was, it didn’t sound positive. Did you notice?”

“Same.” I pick up my bag, trying not to think about whether Coach has noticed my long absence. Vale and Lucian will cover for me with an excuse. Unlike Alex, Coach Thompson has an understanding way about him.

A flicker of worry flits across Jaz’s face before she turns to me. “At least you guys are winning now. But the next two weeks are critical. Both for the fundraiser and when you face off with the Wolf Pack.”

I immediately stiffen at hearing her mention Felipe’s team. “Why do you say that?”

“I just heard Felipe’s team is good. They play rough. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” She wraps her arms around my waist and looks up at me with concern.

“Nothing will happen to me,” I say. “Trust me.”

“I do trust you. It’s your enemy I don’t trust.”

Jaz and I continue to orbit around each other, never quite stopping long enough to spend much time together, grabbing brief moments here and there. A hug before work. Her hand lingering on my back as she makes dinner. A quick kiss on the cheek before she collapses into bed. Not only is she swamped with theFashion on Iceevent, but she’s also traveling with Sloan to Cleveland Clinic.

I give her a long hug before she leaves, so she knows how much I’ll miss her.

“How am I supposed to leave after that?” she murmurs against my ear.

“I wouldn’t want you to fall for any handsome doctors.”

She shakes her head. “No chance of that happening.” She spiders her fingers up my back. “Not when I havethisto come home to.”

I pull her close to me so that our foreheads touch, but we’re interrupted by Sloan, clearing her throat behind us.

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