Page 54 of Taylor

The noise picked back up as they all got back to taking off their gear.

“Hey,” said Conner to Sven. “We got a win. That’s all that counts.”

Sven slammed his pads down and sat, glaring at the floor.

Taylor made his way to the shower.

Dysregulation tended to set in after games, and he couldn’t deal with petty team fighting. Luckily, all his teammates knew that and left him alone. When he was done in the shower, he made his way to the empty bus, got his noise-canceling headphones out, and closed his eyes.

Once they were at the hotel, he made his way up to his room and went to sleep. He needed to be rested and ready for a flight tomorrow.

24

Alice

Alice was walking into the Magic Center to meet Sasha. The team was back from a short road trip, and Sasha had called her and asked if she could come in and meet about a job on the team’s social media team. Alice had been mortified at her mother’s meddling, but it might be nice being a part of the organization. It also meant her mom and dad could check up on her... which was her mother’s motivation. Her mom was just hoping to get her a different job. She didn’t know that Alice had been fired from her job before Thanksgiving. Which also meant money was running out. Part of her New Year, New You was not going to Mommy and Daddy and asking for more money... once again.

“Alice?” a familiar voice said behind her. “What are you doing here?”

Her dad was behind her with a curious smile.

“Did Mom not tell you?”

He shook his head.

“I have a meeting with Sasha. Mom mentioned to her at the party that I had social media experience... Apparently, she’s looking to hire someone.”

A genuine smile crept across his face. “Oh, well, that’s a great idea. I’d love to have you here, get to see you a little more. I feel like I’ve hardly seen you in months.”

Alice smiled, thinking,Yeah, by design. She had been hiding. But it was time to stop hiding, New Year, New You, she reminded herself once again.

“I have to run, sweetheart. But, hopefully, I’ll be seeing you around.”

As she made her way through the hallway, anxiety made her heart race. Not because of her appointment with Sasha but because of Taylor. By then, she was in the hallway of offices on the other side of the building from the ice and the work out rooms, so the odds of running into him were small... small but not zero.He’s just a guy... she reminded herself.He’s just a guy who showed you attention, and you made up a whole ass love story about it. . .

“Alice.”

She jumped at her name.

“I’m sorry if I startled you.”

She turned to see Sasha.

This woman was a queen. While she wasn’t quite as glamorous as she had been the night of the gala or New Year’s Eve party, she was so polished and put together. From her black red-bottom heels to her shimmery gold tank covered by a blazer, her fashion was on point. Even though she was plus size like Alice, she carried herself with all the confidence in the world. And of course, she did. She was beautiful. Her dark-brown hair fell in waves around her dark eyes with the pop of a red lip. While there had been unkind internet opinions questioningwhat Conner saw in her, if they ever met her in person, they wouldn’t question it.

“My office is two doors down on the left.”

They made their way down the hallway full of the team’s colors, with purple-and-teal splashes.At least the Magic had good color choices, she thought.

A team picture hung on the wall, and as much as she didn’t want them to, her eyes searched for Taylor. When she saw him, it was almost enough to take her breath away. Being too sensitive and falling too fast was something about herself she desperately wanted to change, but she was afraid that it might just be how she was.

“Right in here,” Sasha said, opening the door.

Alice entered Sasha’s office, which was just as stylish as she was. The walls were a soft gray with a Magic purple accent wall. On the desk were pictures of her family and of her and Conner.

“Have a seat,” Sasha said, pointing to the chair across from the desk. “So, I’ve had a chance to look over the work you sent over. You have a really good eye for design.”

This was starting to feel more like a job interview.

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