Page 130 of Body Check

Gavin smiled. “I’ll pass that along.”

A former hockey player himself, Ned was a good egg. They butted heads sometimes, but in the end, Ned loved hockey and wanted the team to win.

As long as he continued to trust Gavin would deliver that win, Gavin’s career was likely secure.

Gavin was going to have to keep making trades until he built a team that would win. A team that could take them all the way to the Stanley Cup.

“How’d it go?” Amelia asked the moment Gavin passed her desk on the way through his outer office.

He glanced around. “Well, I think, but let’s talk in here.” He nodded toward his inner office, and she raised an eyebrow, but followed.

With the door closed, he sighed, his shoulders lowering.

“That stressful, huh?” Amelia asked with a sympathetic smile.

“Yeah,” Gavin said. “I think I pulled it off though.”

She grinned. “I knew you would.”

“I’m glad one of us has confidence in me,” he said with a twist of his lips.

“Pfftt.” Amelia waved him off. “You wouldn’t have even attempted what you did in there if you didn’t have some confidence in yourself. I know everything going on has been overwhelming and maybe that confidence has been shaken, but you’re the same badass negotiator you’ve always been.”

“I did get Moon signed,” he admitted.

“And you got Finn O’Shea on board with the organization, which is a huge coup if you ask me.”

“I did, although Declan had as much to do with that as anything,” Gavin pointed out.

“Who you had lined up to go to bat for you if the bigwigs weren’t on board with everything. You outmaneuvered them and you know it.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Gavin grinned.

Amelia laughed. “Yeah, you did! Now, let’s get back to work. This organization doesn’t run itself.”

“True,” he admitted. “Although I have one thing to do first. I need to let Dakota know how the meeting went.”

Amelia gave him a soft smile. “And that right there is how I know this relationship is different than the one you had with Rory. You’d never have picked him over work.”

“It turns out, this old dogcanlearn new tricks after all,” he admitted.

THIRTY

The following evening, Dakota watched with concern as Gavin paced the condo, rubbing his head as he waited for his brother to arrive.

“He’s probably not even coming,” he said with a sigh as he tweaked the shade on the large picture window for the fifth time that evening.

Dakota, who was feeling simultaneously worried about Gavin’s stress levels and exasperated by his inability to sit still, rolled his eyes and stood. “He’s not supposed to be here for another ten minutes.”

“I know, but?—”

“Gavin!” Dakota cupped his cheeks and looked into his eyes. “You’re worrying unnecessarily.”

“I’m not! I’m being realistic.”

“Oh, shut up and kiss me you ridiculous man,” Dakota muttered, pressing closer.

Words hadn’t worked for reassurance, so maybethisapproach would be more effective.

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