Page 27 of My Lucky Charm

I raise a brow.

“You can’t talk about your work or your athlete,” she says. “He needs to be able to trust you implicitly. These boys need us on their side. You’re a part of the team now.”

Something inside me squeezes at that. I sign the NDA and hand the pen back.

Beverly slides the paperwork into a file folder. “I hope you can make him love it here so he sticks around and helps us get that cup.”

I frown, aware there is a line of worry etched into my forehead. “I’m not sure anyone can do that.”

She studies me. “I think you can.”

Her belief in me bolsters me more than it should.

She doesn’t wait for me to respond. “This is the off-site practice facility, but you’ll be at the arena sometimes too. At both places, there are lots of spots where you’ll be able to set up shop if you have things to do while he’s in practice. And of course, you can come to any of the games you want to.”

I don’t bother telling her that Gray practically banned me from practices and games, because I have a feeling he would ban me—and everyone else with a pulse—from every aspect of his life if he could.

I take what the coach said to heart. I work for him, not Gray. And if that means going around him, or behind him, then I will.

“There’s really no way for me to do all of this without actually talking to him, is there?”

Beverly laughs. “Unfortunately, no. You’ll need a list of his favorite foods, any schedule he has for laundry and dry cleaning, and probably a bunch of other personal details I’m forgetting. Once he accepts that you’re part of his team, hopefully he’ll let you in.” She lets out a slight gasp. “Oh! That reminds me, you’ll need a key.”

“A key?”

“To his apartment,” she says.

A what? To his what?

“I’m pretty sure he’s not going to let me into his apartment,” I say.

“For now, just do your best.” She hands me a folder with the words Welcome to the Team printed on the front.

I wince a smile. “Right.”

Beverly taps the folder. “Everything you need to know about working here—pay schedule, benefits, protocols, rules—it’s all in here.”

I look down at it, like it’s a baby with two heads. Benefits?

“Would you like a tour?” she asks, standing. “Are you a hockey fan?”

I stand, forcing my brain to get with the program. “I’d love one! And . . . not really.”

“Well, we won’t hold that against you.” She comes out from around her desk, and only now do I realize how short she is. “This place and this team have a way of winning people over.”

I think of Poppy. She was definitely won over by this place and this team. And I decide I’m open to being won over. By the team. By the sport.

By Gray.

I have a sinking feeling that in order to do this job, really do this job, I’m going to have to get him to at least tolerate me.

Can I do that while remaining entirely professional?

The jury’s still out on that one.

I don’t really believe there’s any danger of anything but a purely professional relationship between me and him, anyway. I’m not in the habit of falling for guys who treat people like garbage.

Oh wait. I kind of do.

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