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“Did you know about this?” I whispered. The rest of the guys had started to talk amongst themselves and things were starting to get heated.
Coach blew his whistle, interrupting the conversation. “Now, you boys know that I didn’t want to do this, but it came down from management.” He looked to the owner’s box over his glasses. I followed his gaze, and even from the ice surface I could see her blond hair.
Colton gave me a nudge. “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her.”
“I can’t believe she did this.” I was still in shock, and things seemed to be moving in slow motion, including my feet.
“Me neither,” Colton said. “What did you do to get on my sister’s bad side?”
I leaned over the boards and barfed up my protein shake. I hadn’t done anything. But if she believed the magazines, she wouldn’t know that.
“Whoa.” Colton stepped back. “Can we get someone to check him out?”
One of the medics stepped onto the ice and shuffled to where I was standing. I brushed him off. “I’m alright.”
But reality was settling in. Everleigh must have believed the news story, and the worst part was that she didn’t even ask me for the truth. She’d just gone straight into her vindictive, jealous, boss girl mode and tanked my career. My urge to clarify what happened with Paula totally disappeared. I wouldn’t be calling or texting Everleigh ever again.
She wasn’t who I thought she was; she was who everyone else thought she was – a stone-cold bitch.
NINETEEN
EVERLEIGH
The Alport Roomwas one of my father’s favorite places to lunch. I found it a little stuffy and old school, but it had great food and impeccable service. But I didn’t think that I was going to be able to eat anything.
My stomach had been churning since morning practice. It had started off great. The team had seemed cohesive and I’d felt a sense of pride as I watched Number Eleven and Number Seventy-Seven practice an intricate-looking play over and over again. Their smiles and high fives had been visible even from way up in the owner’s box. But then Coach had worked them harder than I thought necessary. He was turning out to be a real asshole, and I fumed as I watched the way he kept the players going, even after a few of them had thrown up.
It dawned on me that the team’s issues weren’t with the players. As I watched the practice unfold, I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t seen it before. The problem was with the coach – and a GM that couldn’t stand up to him. Shame filled my guts, leaving no room for lunch.
Smoothing the already smooth table cloth, I scrolled through my phone while I waited for my father to arrive.
An alert for team news popped up, and I clicked on the link. But when the headlines appeared, I thought that there had to be a mistake. Article after article showed photos of the players partying the night before the season opener. And that wasn’t the worst part. The photos of Gunnar with a woman walking his dog were hard enough to look at, but when I read the details about her, I had to run to the bathroom.
Leaning over the toilet, I dry heaved twice but didn’t throw up. It hadn’t taken Lockwood long to get back on the bunny train. I pulled up his phone number and almost pushed ‘send’, ready to scream at him. But instead, I slipped the phone into my handbag, reapplied my lipstick, and headed back to the table.
Gunnar was just another player now. And maybe Coach was right to bench him.
“Everleigh.” My father’s voice boomed as he approached the table. I stood and did the double cheek kiss he loved so much.
I tried to give him a big smile, but could feel the sides of my mouth quivering.
“Everleigh, sweetheart. What is it? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Dad,” I whispered, glancing around to make sure that we weren’t causing a scene. “Sit.”
My father kept his eyes on me as we took our seats across from each other at the table. After the waiter took our order, he leaned in and folded his hands together. “I know when something is bothering you.”
I gave my father a smile, the one I’d perfected for business meetings. “This is a business lunch, Mr. King.”
Approval shone in his eyes. “Of course, Miss King. What’s first on the agenda?” He seemed happy for the distraction. He twirled his old fashioned, the ice cubes clanking in the heavy crystal glass – his signature drink.
Talking about business was what we did. There was no way I could tell my father that the man I’d fallen in love with had replaced me in a matter of a week with a piece of trash. Even though we couldn’t be together, I hadn’t stopped thinking about Gunnnar. But he had found me easy to replace.
“Well, as you saw, the season opener didn’t go the way we’d hoped.”
To my surprise, my father waved it off. “They just need to find their stride. We’ve got a good team.”
“I know we do.” My mind replayed the practice I’d watched that morning. Their play had been a work of art. “But Coach feels like we’re missing a player.”
