Page 49 of Mr. Charming

I wanted to tell her to let them starve, we didn’t need to host them anymore.

“No. No, we’re good. Thanks, Tedi.” Jana sat down next to Kane on the couch.

I could barely look at either of them. The feeling of betrayal was already seeping in.

Tedi leaned over the edge of the couch. “What about you? More water?”

I shook my head and crossed my arms, waiting for them to deliver the blow.

“I have some work to do, so I’ll just be outside on the deck.” Tedi wound around me, but I grabbed her hand to stop her. Let her see what backstabbers our so-called friends were.

“Stay,” I said, staring at Jana and maintaining eye contact.

I’m not sure what I expected, but Jana had no reaction. She could be cold like that when she wanted, but I guess she had to be a tough, business-minded person to run a professional hockey team.

Tedi sat next to me and put my hand between hers.

Kane cleared his throat, shifting in his seat. “Listen, Tweetie, first, we know you’re going to get through this injury.”

“And second?” I raised an eyebrow.

Tedi squeezed my hand, her silent way of telling me to calm down.

Kane opened his mouth, but his wife put her hand on his thigh and spoke instead. “We’re sorry, Tweetie, but we’re trading you to Nashville.”

There was the cold, cunning owner of the hockey team.

She had to be, because Kane was a player first, coach second. He knew what being traded felt like, especially after what our team had achieved together. What we’d won. They’d probably had some conversation on the ride over where she told him she’d do the talking.

I nodded, and Tedi sighed.

“I’m sure you understand, this is just business.” Kane inched closer to the edge of the couch, as if he just wanted to get out of here.

“Of course.” I shrugged as if I didn’t care. They wouldn’t get the satisfaction of a reaction out of me.

“We’d love it if this didn’t affect our personal relationship.” Jana’s gaze veered to Tedi, then to me.

“No. We understand.” Tedi was quick to put the “we” in there.

This affected her too. Her work was here. Her best friend. Her life. Sure, we lived together and said we didn’t need a marriage certificate, but what was going to make her want to upend her entire life and come with me to Nashville? We were either looking at long distance or she moved with me. And her following me wasn’t a guarantee, which was one of the reasons I’d fallen in love with her. She had a mind of her own, goals of her own.

Jana studied me as if she knew the hatred that was filling my veins. My hatred for her, for Kane, for the fucking Florida Fury now. I’d given them everything, and they’d just slammed the door in my face without so much as a conversation beforehand.

“Thanks for coming by,” I said, hoping they’d take the invitation to leave.

Kane went to stand, but Jana put her hand on his thigh again. “Tweetie, please don’t take this personally,” she said.

Tedi shook her head. “We understand, Jana.”

What did she have to understand? She wasn’t the one who hit the ice with a hundred and ten percent every game. Who swallowed his pride when he got put on the second line and stayed faithful because he believed in what they were building. So Tedi might understand, but I didn’t.

And Jana knew I didn’t understand. She knew I was pissed, and this changed our personal relationship with them forever.

“We should go.” Kane took his wife’s hand and stood. “The paperwork will all be signed later today. You’ll have the entire offseason to find a place there.” He ran his hand through his hair. “You have time.” His gaze shot to Tedi. “You guys don’t need to rush anything, is all I’m saying.”

I had never seen Kane uncomfortable like this. He had been the old man on the team before he became the coach, so to me, he’d always been a mentor. Someone I looked up to.

Tedi stood. “Yes, that will give us time to figure out the logistics.”

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