Page 69 of Reputation
The home team’s horn blared as the ref called the goal.The sound formed a knot in Jax’s gut.
“Fuck!”he shouted as he skated over to the bench.When he reached the door, the rage inside him at his mistake barreled up, and he slammed his stick into the side of the boards.The stick snapped from the impact, the resounding crack doing nothing to quell his inner anger.
Stepping off the ice, Jax slammed the bench door shut and tossed his broken stick to Grayson.He sank heavily onto the bench and rested his forearms on the board in front of him.Hanging his head between his elbows, he pulled in long, deep breaths to cool the rage burning in his chest.They couldn’t afford to let the Titans take a goal, and Jax knew it was his fault.
He’d been distracted thinking about afucking womaninstead of keeping his head in the goddamn game.If they lost this game, it would be on him, and that wasn’t something he carried lightly.
As both teams settled into another change, Jax lifted his head at the same time Brooks skated past where he sat.
Quietly, so only he could hear, Brooks said, “Let it go.We still have an entire third period to play.”
Jax clenched his jaw but nodded.Brooks was right.He needed to let his anger at himself go, at least for now, and get his head in the fucking game.He was the captain of this team, which meant he had to lead by example.His team needed him focused and in control if they wanted any chance to win tonight.
Sitting up, Jax rolled his neck and took the fresh stick Grayson handed him.He still felt the simmering anger inside him, but instead of letting it affect him negatively, he decided to work it to his advantage.He could use it to spark some energy with his team by throwing a few big hits of his own.
Locking any thoughts of Eavie into the vault in his mind, Jax mentally flipped that switch, narrowing his entire focus on the game, ready to let his anger out on the ice for the rest of the period.
Chapter Twenty Six
Eavie
Being back in Toronto returned Eavie to a sense of routine, helping her feel more centered.With the familiar walls of her office and the other executive team members around, she easily maintained her professionalism.
Tuesday and Wednesday were busy with the ownership meeting preparations.She and Mandy spent most of their time confirming details, reservations, transportation, presentations, and collaborating with numerous departments to collect the required information for Jason and Sam to review in advance.Whenever she wasn’t working alongside Mandy, she was with Sam, keeping him moving from meeting to meeting and reviewing year-end budgets and financial documents.
On Wednesday morning, Sam completed his quarterly meetings with the individual team members to check in on their season thus far.As a result, her office was a revolving door of players, and her time was dominated by transitioning them in and out of their meetings while working through her other tasks.
Jax stepped into her office late in the morning for his scheduled meeting.She smiled at him no differently than the other players, but instead of his usual charming greeting or flirtatious banter, all she got from him was a cold smile and a brief nod.Their only verbal interaction was when she let him know Sam was ready for him, and he thanked her.
Eavie tried not to read too much into it, but a heavy ache in her gut told her something was wrong.Despite her efforts to assuage the feeling, she couldn’t stop the doubt from creeping in.They hadn’t spoken since the night in Vegas, and while she reminded herself it wasn’t like there had been ample opportunity, a niggling in the back of her mind made Eavie feel like it was intentional.
They had shared heated glances on the flight to LA, and then suddenly, he’d shut down after the game against the Titans.Yes, it had been a bad loss, but she couldn’t understand how that had anything to do with them.Still, it had been right after that game she’d felt a shift.When she’d tried to catch his eye on the flight home, he’d seemed lost in his thoughts.The feeling was only amplified by his obvious avoidance of her at the office since then.It felt like one minute he was everywhere, and the next, he was gone.
Was this a taste of what would happen if she slept with him?Would he disappear after he’d had his fill?
Wednesday evening was the team’s next game against the Saskatoon Bison.Still worn out from the road trip, Eavie didn’t stay.Instead, she went home to enjoy a quiet evening and planned to go to bed early.She had her date with Austin the next day and wanted to do her best to avoid dark circles from forming under her eyes.
The knowledge that she wasn’t exactly excited about the date settled heavily in her stomach after Austin had called to confirm the time of their reservation, and the reason was laughably obvious.It was because ofhim.
For some crazy reason, Eavie knew it was Jax she wished she was going out with, and a wave of longing rolled through her when she reminded herself why she had turned him down.
Shaking off the thought, she told herself to get the fuck over it.She wasn’t someone who wallowed, and it was stupid for her to be sad because she didn’t get to have a guy.Besides, she might be surprised and have a good time on the date.Maybe she would feel some spark when she met Austin, and the one date could become more.
The next day, Eavie worked hard, knowing she needed to leave no later than six if she wanted enough time to prepare for her evening.As a result, she ate lunch at her desk to guarantee she would finish on time.In the afternoon, Mandy wandered into her office with a slight pout hovering on her lips.
“What have you been so focused on today that you skipped joining me for lunch?I had to sit at a table by myself, listening to the interns talk about their weekends.And let me tell you, it did not sound glamorous,” she said with a shudder.
Eavie chuckled.“Sorry, doll.I have that date tonight, so I’m trying to leave here on time.It just seems like every time I clear something from my inbox, three more things pop up.”
“Oh, right,” Mandy said, standing up straight.“I forgot tonight was your date.Where are you going?”
“Lila.”
“Ohh, fancy,” Mandy said.“Is he picking you up?”
“No, I told him I’d meet him there.”She preferred to come and go on her own on a first date.She didn’t want to find herself stuck alone with someone if the date went poorly.
“Do you know what you’re going to wear?”Many asked, resting her hip on the edge of Eavie’s desk.
