No.
There was no way.
It was just something similar triggering old, painful memories. Surely that spiced citrus and woodsy scent from my past wasn’tthisone.
Oblivious to my inner freakout, Roxie continued to pull me along.
We entered the conference room to face off with the coach. He was the last thing I expected. The alpha was older, with weathered lines on his face. His hair was finger-combed back like he’d run his hands through it nervously quite a bit today. The salt and pepper suited him. He was handsome, with a slight rugged edge.
He was wearing a leather jacket and dark jeans with a black T-shirt underneath. Definitely not the beer belly and polo I’d been picturing.
“Well, you certainly look different outside of your regular coaching gear,” Roxie said.
“Shocking, I know,” he said, “but I do have a life outside of coaching.”
“I heard you had a weekend coaching gig, so I thought it was coaching all around for you.”
A laugh burst out of him. “You’ve got me there. Leave it to the journalist to uncover the truth.”
There was something forced about the laugh. I could see the distrust, especially with the way he said ‘journalist.’
It had my hackles rising and my eyes narrowing as I stared him down.
Roxie gave me a look before plastering on a smile and gesturing to me.
“Oh, this is my roommate, Rylan. He’s a physical therapist, but, thankfully, he’s between jobs, so he was able to come with me.”
“Physical therapist between jobs?” He perked up, leaning forward and studying me. “What are the chances that you have a solid résumé?”
“Of course, I have an excellent résumé,” I said slowly, still not trusting this man.
“Well, we just so happen to have an opening for a physical therapist. If you’re interested then send me your résumé. I can pass it along to our hiring team. I’m supposed to sit in on the interviews, so if it all checks out, we could just have a chat while you’re here.”
“I have it on my phone,” I said, glancing at Roxie.
Her eyes were lighting up like this was the perfect opportunity, and honestly, as much as I appreciated her offer of finding me a place at her online magazine, I loved what I did.
Warning flags were going off in my head, blaring loudly enough that I winced. Yet, for some reason, I sat down in a seat, pulling open my documents before asking for his email.
The deep rumble of his voice was almost soothing. My omega wanted to trust him, but I couldn’t. Not when he treated Roxie like the enemy.
He glanced over the résumé, studying it in a way that felt like he was ripping through every shield or barrier I might have.
“Well, it certainly looks like you have the credentials,” he hedged. “Can you tell me why you quit your last job?”
“Unfortunately, my boss and I had a conflict of morals. I didn’t think she treated customers or staff with respect, and respect is something that I take seriously.” It was a pointed jab and he didn’t miss it.
“But you stayed…” He raised an eyebrow, glancing from me to the résumé on the screen of his phone and back again. “For this long?”
He tapped the phone lightly.
“North Crossing is not exactly a large town. There are very few jobs that require my credentials.”
“Are you a fan of hockey?” he asked.
“No,” I said bluntly, “but I don’t have to be one to work with injured players. I’d treat them with respect and dignity, and help them stay strong so they can heal from their injuries.”
Hayes chuckled, holding up his hands. “You’ve got me there. Honestly, this was the perfect time for you to walk through my door. I have an older player who needs a consistent physical therapist. We usually hire someone to come in a few times a month, but I’ve convinced upper management to hire a permanent one specifically for this player.”
