She dropped into her chair, tugging her blazer tighter around her shoulders, and froze.
On her desk sat a to-go cup of coffee and a brown paper bag with a blueberry muffin inside. A folded note leaned against them.
I hope you’re not working too hard.
For a second, she wanted to crumple the note, shove the coffee into the trash, and demand he stop because it was too much. Too thoughtful. Too comforting.
But another part of her—the louder, more dangerous part—knew if he ever did stop, she’d hate it.
She closed her eyes, forcing that thought away, and put the note in her drawer, along with all the others. She powered up her laptop, pulling her focus into emails and spreadsheets, intothe endless churn of things that never demanded more than she could give.
Still, before diving in, she lifted the cup and took a sip. Vanilla latte, perfect. The taste hit her tongue, warm and sweet, and she let herself savor it just for a heartbeat before setting it down.
Her phone buzzed.
A text from Sydney.
Sydney-Hey, Natalie’s officially moved to Glendale. She’s looking for a job—anything in PR or admin. Know of anything?
Hillary’s fingers hovered over the screen before typing back.
Hillary - I’ll keep an eye out.
She set the phone face down, exhaled, and pulled up her to-do list.
Yes. Work. Work she could handle.
Even if Murphy kept sneaking his way past every defense she built.
By mid-afternoon, Hillary needed to stretch her legs. Emails and spreadsheets blurred together, her mind restless in a way coffee couldn’t fix.
She made her way down to the ice, where she spotted Sasha with a camera slung around her neck and Alice at her side. Alice looked like she was trying to disappear into her gray sweater and black pants, arms crossed loosely over her chest, but her wide eyes gave her away.
“Hey,” Hillary greeted, stepping up beside them. “You must be Alice.”
Alice straightened quickly, offering a polite smile. “Yeah. Hi. It’s really great to be here. Thank you for the job.”
Hillary waved the thanks away. “You earned it. Sasha said your graphics work was excellent, and being Coach Wagner’s daughter didn’t hurt either.”
Alice’s smile warmed, a little shy but genuine. “I guess that did help.”
“You got it because your work speaks for itself,” Sasha chimed in, nudging her shoulder. “She’s a natural.”
Alice’s cheeks flushed, but she didn’t protest.
“Welcome to the team,” Hillary added, her tone firm but kind.
Alice nodded, and Hillary could tell she wanted this. She wanted to belong.
Turning toward the ice, Hillary let her gaze sweep the players, her eyes landing, inevitably, on Murphy.
Their eyes caught.
He lifted a hand in a half-wave, lips tipping into the smallest, crooked smile.
Against her better judgment, Hillary smiled back, returning the wave.
Then he was off again, skating hard. Too hard. She could see the way he was pushing, digging into each stride like it was punishment instead of practice. Her chest tightened. She hoped he was taking care of himself.
