She tore her gaze away, turning back to Alice and Sasha. “Really, welcome aboard, Alice. We’re lucky to have you.”
Alice’s smile brightened this time, more sure of itself. “Thanks. I’m glad to be here.”
Hillary gave them both a final nod before retreating, heels clicking against the concrete as she made her way back to the safety of her office.
The rest of the afternoon passed in the safety of her office. Emails, scheduling, reports, things she could control. Things that didn’t make her heart race.
Near the end of the day, a knock sounded at her door.
Her pulse leapt. Murphy.
“It’s open,” she called, straightening in her chair.
But when the door swung in, it wasn’t Murphy’s broad shoulders that filled the frame. It was Coach Wagner.
“Got a few minutes?” he asked, his gravelly voice carrying the weight of years behind the bench.
“Of course,” she said, gesturing to the chair across from her desk.
She worked with him often enough, but a visit like this usually meant something was up with a player.
“Wanted to check in on a couple things,” he said as he sat down. “First, Sven. You hear anything I should know about?”
Hillary shook her head. “Nothing from me. Has he got himself in a tight spot again?”
Sven wasn't new to her. He was a great player and stand up guy, despite being a playboy. But he always had a spotlight on him because his father was hockey royalty, and of course, his penchant for the ladies.
"Not that I know of, but I know my players, and something's brewing there."
Hillary nodded. "Okay, let me know if you need me."
“Alright, there's one more thing,” he said. Then his expression softened into something more serious. “Murphy.”
Her heart plummeted.
“What about him?” she asked carefully.
“I think maybe all this attention is getting to him,” Wagner said. “He’s been pushing himself too hard since he got back from Christmas. I’m worried he’s putting too much pressure on himself. Could be the new notoriety. Could be something else. But with him being so young, maybe we can pull back his media availability."
Hillary forced herself to nod, though her chest was tight. “Already done. We can work on making sure fans can’t get to the bus before games. I just need to coordinate with some arenas. What do you think?”
“I hate to put more work on your plate, but that kid just killed himself in practice, and we need him loose and relaxed,” Coach said as he took his hat off and ran his hand through his silver hair.
“Not a problem, that is all part of the job.”
“Good. Keep being the best PR person around.” Wagner stood, gave her a nod, and left.
The office fell quiet again. Hillary’s gaze drifted to her desk. Specifically, to the folded note still sitting there from this morning.
I hope you’re not working too hard.
Her throat tightened.
“What’s going on, Rookie?” she whispered into the empty room.
36
HILLARY
