Page 16 of Broken As Puck

He left, and Assistant Coach Willets followed close behind. Chelsey dithered, as if unsure whether to go or stay. I noticed the camera in her hands and wondered if she’d been snapping photographs of the meeting for social media. Perhaps she wanted some quotes to go alongside them.

“We should all go for drinks at Rinkside,” Jesse declared, bounding to his feet and heading straight to Chelsey. “Want to come? I promise we’ll keep the antics to a minimum.”

“No tequila,” Austin insisted, loud enough to be heard over everyone else.

Jesse grinned mischievously. “I’ll limit myself to one. How’s that?”

I groaned, knowing I’d have to go along to keep him out of trouble if nothing else. It didn’t seem to matter how little tequila Jesse had; as soon as a drop of it hit his tongue, he became a magnet for scandal.

Besides, it actually wasn’t a bad idea. The outing, not the tequila—that was a terrible idea. It would do the team good to spend more time together off the ice. We needed to bond.

“No tequila,” I reiterated, meeting Jesse’s eyes. “Let’s keep you out of the headlines.”

He winked at Chelsey. “Unless it’s for something good, right?”

“Seriously, Jesse, we need to be careful,” I warned.

Jesse waved his hand dismissively. “It’s fine. Nothing will go wrong.”

Chapter Six

CHELSEY

I stared at the autographed puck on my desk, uncertain what to make of it. I didn’t understand why Matt had given it to me or, worse, why I hadn’t gotten rid of it yet. It would be easy to sell the puck online, or if I was too lazy for that, to regift it to my parents. They were both avid ice hockey fans.

Yet here it was. On my desk. Just as Matt had intended.

Fuck my life.

I picked up the clear plastic display box containing the puck and turned it over. Each side was signed by one of the famous Wright brothers. No, not the airplane ones. The NHL legends. I admired Wayne and Pete Wright, but I couldn’t keep this. Surely accepting a gift from Matt skirted professional boundaries.

“Are you a fan?”

I jolted, caught off guard by the voice behind me. “Sorry?”

Stella nodded toward the puck. “Of the Wright brothers?”

“I am.” I sighed and placed the box back on the desk. “One of the players gave that to me as a welcome gift.”

Hopefully, she wouldn’t ask for too many details. I didn’t tell them about my past with Matt when I took the job. I hadn’t flat out said I’d never had anything to do with any of their players, but they hadn’t asked and I hadn’t volunteered the information.

“Hmm.” Stella raised her pencil-thin eyebrows. “Do you know the rules around fraternization with the players?”

My heart skipped. “I assume it’s not allowed.”

She waggled her French-manicured hand back and forth. “It’s not strictly forbidden, but it’s frowned upon.” She dragged over the nearest chair and perched on it. “Mostly, I just want to caution you that having a romantic or sexual relationship with a player—or part of the team’s management—would look bad in the industry. People might think you use your ‘feminine wiles’ to get ahead.”

I chuckled. “Feminine wiles?”

“I know it’s ridiculous, but this is still a male-dominated industry and there are plenty of places where they embrace the old boys’ attitude. I’m not saying I think you’d behave inappropriately. You should just be aware of the framework you’re operating within.”

I rested my elbow on the desk and sent her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry; I have no intention of fraternizing with anyone.”

It had been far too long since any “fraternizing” had happened in my life, full stop.

She smirked. “Maybe not, but whoever gave you that might have fraternization on their mind, even if you don’t.”

I rolled my eyes. I highly doubted that. It was more likely that Matt was trying to smooth things over. He was just going about it in a way that unsettled me. It would be easier if he simply left me alone and pretended we were strangers.