Page 1 of My Pucking Perfect Goalie

Finn

I see the smudge on the marble floor the minute I walk in the front door.

“Penny!” I call over my shoulder, already annoyed. I shouldn’t have to micromanage everything in this damn office. Itshouldbe beautiful to anyone else walking in for the first time. With soaring ceilings and light from the expansive windows, my office glows with sunshine. There are plants placed strategically throughout the space—they’re clinically proven to improve mood and function.

Filtered water, kombucha, and local tea are available on tap. The chairs are ergonomic and thousands of dollars apiece. When I catch a glimpse of myself in the shine of my office door, I lookright at home in the reflection, wearing a sharp navy suit and holding a vintage leather purse. My shoes match, with all my jewelry and accents in simple, elegant gold.

The only thing that’s off is the oily swipe right in the center of the room, and it itches at the edges of my attention like a smudge on glasses, or a screen with a single pixel missing.

“Yeah, boss?” Penny asks, her shoes clicking as she appears at my door immediately. I glance up at her, taking a deep breath and gesturing at the floor. Penny is young, and it’s not her fault that someone else can’t do their job, so I keep my voice as level as I can when addressing her.

“Would you please do me the favor of firing the current cleaning company and hiring one that can polish the floorcorrectly? We’ll hire independently if we have to. Just find someone who knows what they’re doing and pay them to do it.”

“On it.” Penny nods once and disappears from the door, her copper ponytail streaking out behind her.

I settle into my desk, letting out a breath. I don’t need to explain to her why it’s important that the lobby floor is blemish-free. I don’t need to explain to her why it’s important that she and I—and every other person on my team—is dressed impeccably, ready for the day, punctual, and friendly.

Pennyknowswhy. She knows that when our clients come in—myhigh-paying, high-achieving clients—they expect nothing less than perfection. My job is to maximize their lives, to findtheir flaws and right them. How can I promise to do that when I can’t even ensure the lobby is clean? There’s no way I can charge for perfection, that I can give Penny such a lavish paycheck and reimburse her college tuition, with a smudge on the fucking floor.

Efficiently, I unpack my purse and arrange my things on the desk before hanging my purse from the small hook on the side.

“Finn?”

When I look up, Penny is standing at the doorway, a sour look on her face. I know that look right away—it’s something to do with Anna.

“There’s a call for you,” Penny forces out, already wincing when I roll my eyes.

“That woman is so creative,” I mutter, tapping my tablet to wake the screen up. Apparently, she will never get the hint that I don’t want to talk to her. “Just hang up and add that number to the spam list.”

Penny lingers for a moment, then nods, “You got it.”

I don’t have time for Anna. There is no time in my jam-packed schedule for people who don’t respect me or my time. Or my pride.

According to my calendar, I have an important call coming in this morning, and I need to be at the top of my game. I never take calls from clients unless I’m in a positive, confident mood.

There’s just enough time for me to hear Penny ending the call outside before the phone in my office rings.

“Yes, hello,” I say, clearing my throat and answering, making sure not to smile, but to adopt an expression of complete confidence. I have emails to go through, plans to draft, and two clients coming in today, but Penny wouldn’t be sending a call through if it wasn’t important. “Dr. Finley Asher speaking.”

Doctor of psychology. Masters degree in anatomy and physiology. Second masters in business administration and management. Certificates in sports medicine management, leadership, and yoga instruction. There is not a person on this planet who could argue I’m not qualified to do what I do.

Though there are plenty of people who are surprised to learn that what I dois, in fact, a real thing. A job title that I hold—elite athlete coach. Sometimes, people assume that means I’m something like a trainer or a physical therapist. While I do, sometimes, team up with those people, what I do is entirely different.

My job is to maximize potential. Take athletes from beingokayto being the greatest at their particular sport. Part of my appeal is that I don’t flaunt about my clients, but let’s just say a certain basketball player from Akron has promised me an autographed photo of him holding his most recent Larry O’Brien.

“Dr. Finley Asher,” the voice on the other end of the line says, jolting me out of my thoughts. I immediately recognize the voice as belonging to Grey Aldine, current head coach of the most winningest team in the NHL, the Vermont Vipers, and a former Viper superstar himself.

Aldine has a distinct sound. It’s low and certain, and I recognize it from its constant presence on my TV, and also from the few times we’ve spoken in person.

My mind whirs, and I try to figure out whattheGrey Aldine could possibly be calling me for. Sure, the Vipers have recently lost a great player, Devon Chambers, to retirement. But it’s my understanding that Brett Ratcliff—drafted as a rookie—is stepping up.

I tap my pen against the desk and think about Ratcliff’s story. In my opinion, he was brought to the NHL too young, and may have enjoyed some time in the minor leagues to mature.

Last year, while watching him play, I’d felt certain I could have done numbers on that kid. So much potential he was wasting by acting impulsively and making a fool of himself. There were several times I’d gone so far as to draft an email to Grey, but some sort of scandal—I can’t remember exactly what—made it less appealing to go after him as a client, and I dropped it.

Apparently, and to the Viper’s benefit, he managed to grow up just in time.

I know about the Vipers and their current position because I stay abreast of all sports news, not because I’m a Vipers fan, or even a hockey fan. I don’t watch sports for entertainment. I watch for information. Lead generation.

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