Page 26 of Chips & Checks
I do a double-take. “Briggs?”
Before I can leap to any wild conclusions about her meaning, Violet gives her head a tiny shake. “No. My biological dad.” She hesitates before explaining, “Jaime Mitchell.”
“Oh.” I grimace. “Oh.Shit.”
Violet lets out a tiny sound that I think is supposed to be a laugh but comes out more like a sigh. “You’ve heard, then.”
I nod. “I mean, the guy’s a cautionary tale.” Jaime Mitchell played back in my dad’s day. Like Chad, there were lots of rumors about him, but he managed to slide under the morality clauses of the NHL’s radar… until he got caught on camera verbally abusing some chick he’d deliberately pigged in college. His career went down the toilet overnight, and he got blacklisted from the league. I knew about him, but I didn’t realize he had akid. Although I guess it makes sense. Guys like him are obsessed with sowing their wild oats, or whatever.
I’ve never understood that. Sure, I make it a point not to get emotionally invested in my hookups, but I’ve never understood the point of cruelty. From a purely selfish standpoint, sex is better with an enthusiastic partner. If I just wanted to get myself off, I’ve gothands.But sleeping with women, for me, is a bit of a sport—the more times I get my partner off, the better I feel about the match. If one night of mutual fun ended with my partner getting pregnant and having to handle that on her own, I’d be a fucking jackass.
Also, my mom would kill me.
And Dad would withhold all huggles until he took his last breath.
Violet shifts from foot to foot. Despite her height, she usually gives off the energy of someone who takes up a lot of space. Right now, though, she’s shrunk down so she’s smaller than ever. “My dad lost his career. And I can’t have that on me. Not over this…”
“Let’s at least talk to the front office,” I suggest. “Maybe they can transfer Chad to another PT or something.”
She keeps picking at her nail. “I can do it. I don’t need you getting involved.”
“Are you always this stubborn?” I cross my arms. “Youjustsaid you’ve never had a witness before. Now you do. And witnesses are very important when it comes to harassment on the job.”
She drops her hands to her sides. “I said I’d handle it. Let’s do your session, and then if it gets you to drop this,Iwill talk to the people upstairs. Alone.”
I want to argue, but her glare is so intense that I decide to go along with her for now. She doesn’t need me butting in. I’m onday two of practice with my new team and fighting with Violet about this isn’t going to do me any favors.
I am, however, going to make sure that the folks in the front office hear about this. I’ve seen too many guys get away with too much bullshit in this sport. Violet might not be my girlfriend, but she is my coworker, and I’m not going to let one of my teammates get away with harassment.
She doesn’t want my protection. Fine. But if no one else is going to say something, I will.
This isn’t about being her boyfriend.
It’s about being a decent fucking human.
I’m going to check that shit.
Chapter Five
Violet
As soon as I send Bowen to the showers after our session, I lock up the therapy room and head for the stairs. It’s sweet that Bowen came to my defense, I think. But I also feel thetiniestbit like a piece of meat that he and Chad are fighting over, which is one reason I want to make this report alone.
I’m a few feet from the elevators when Dad calls my name. “Violet! Hey, kid, what’s up?”
I turn to face him because I think of Briggs Sawyer as my father. He adopted me. He raised me. He’s the only dad I’ve ever known. My uncle, Latham, was around more when I was younger, but he never filled the same role Briggs did. He never treated me like I washis.
“Hey.” I tuck my hair behind one ear, then mentally kick myself. Dad knows all my tics. If I get too twitchy, he’ll guess that something’s up, and the tiny incident from earlier will snowball out of proportion.
But it’s not the only tiny incident,I remind myself. In fact, Chad’s bullshit is one of the reasons I’ve been worrying about Bowen’s behavior. I don’t needtwocreepers on my regular docket.
Dad gives me a funny look as he hits the button for the elevator. “Everything okay?”
“Yup. Sure is.” Wow, that wasnotconvincing. I follow my weaksauce response up with a smile that, apparently, doesn’t do the trick, either. “Why do you ask?”
“You seem… upset. Is everything okay with Bowen? You were off at the team dinner.”
Bowen isn’t the problem. The elevator door opens, and we both step through. I lean against the metal railing that runs along one wall and study Briggs’s face. “You’ve never asked me about my clients before.”
