Page 19 of Just One Season
The room bursts into laughter.
“Seriously. She’s had a rough time recently and could use some friendly faces.”
“You’re not going to tell us she’s off-limits?” Lachlan raises his eyebrows.
“I don’t think I have to as we’re not supposed to date team staff.” Atticus glares at Lachlan.
Of course he thinks Lachlan is the most likely to cross that line. He usually is. But this time, I wonder if I’m the one more interested in the pretty new staffer. Not that I’ll do a thing about it. I don’t need woman drama in my life. More woman drama, anyway.
“She just broke off her engagement and is figuring out her life. Don’t mess with her.”
The laughter fades away.
“We’ll be nice,” I say. Lachlan nods in agreement.
I pull on my gray t-shirt, tugging down the hem.
I don’t date because it makes my life too complicated. I’m always on the road during hockey season—which is most of the year—and when I’m here, I like to focus on Ava.
And the one recent time I took a chance on someone, it backfired.
Last fall, I’d gotten involved with a woman who worked for one of the craft breweries in town. I’d met her on a night out with the boys. She and her two friends had sung “Like a Prayer” by Madonna, then Lachlan and Atticus sang that 500 miles song by the Proclaimers.
Sam seemed sweet, but she was twenty-five, more than five years younger than I am, which is usually not myjam. She got attached quickly. But after she came with me to the fall festival last October—most of the team volunteers at the event—and couldn’t figure out how to interact with Ava or Bri, I broke it off. I wasn’t feeling it anyway.
But she sold me out.
Literally sold pictures of me and Ava to the same sleazy hockey tabloid that has the photograph of me and Savannah. NHL Tea. What’s worse is she told the tabloid about how I’d recently taken Ava down to Denver Children’s Hospital for her annual oncology checkup. Ava’s one hundred percent healthy these days, but we still do annual visits to make sure she stays that way. I’ve always kept that out of the press.
As if I don’t have enough PTSD about Ava’s treatment and long-term care. Bri does too. I don’t need to see it in the press.
The team had my back.
They turned the publicity into a fundraiser for childhood cancer research and raised a shit ton of money.
It was another lesson in how I can’t let anyone near my family. I need to protect my daughter in every way I can. And that includes not dating women who could get close to Ava and hurt us somehow.
So just because I have the tiniest little crush on the new PR person doesn’t mean anything will happen.
It’ll stay just that—a secret crush that never sees the light of day.
“Hey.” Atticus is now dressed and steps next to my locker, which I’m staring into blankly. “I know I can count on you to be friendly to Lucy.”
Christ. I’m such a non-threat to women that Atticus is asking me to watch out for his sister. My image is too soft.
“Sure, I guess.”
“And listen—” Atticus slaps his hand on my shoulder. “I was thinking about Ava’s soccer coach situation.”
I chuckle. “Yeah? Why? You have time to coach?” Clearly, Iovershare with my teammates. They’re my extended family, especially Atticus, Lachlan, and Harley.
“No, but my sister coached little kids when she was living in D.C. She loved doing it. I bet she’d be happy to help you out.”
“What? Oh.” There’s no way I’d let someone I don’t know around my daughter. I shake my head. “That’s an idea, but?—”
“Kellen.” Atticus removes his hand from my shoulder and stands up straight. “She’s not some stranger. She’s my sister. You can trust her. I promise.” Atticus walks away.
Past experience and being a professional athlete have taught me to be overly cautious about who I trust with myself and, even more so, my daughter. Ava’s face pops into my head, begging me to be her soccer coach. I know she’s only in kindergarten, but I want to give her everything in life. I’ll have to find another way to help her. Maybe I’ll hire a background-checked professional soccer coach to come in to train her team.
