Chapter 14
Zaila
That night at the awards banquet, Gunnar and I won the scavenger hunt and, awkwardly enough, a two-night stay at a five-star luxury resort in San Antonio. But when our names were announced, he’d already disappeared.
I learned later that he’d flown back to Houston on his private jet, much like a little boy would race home, but, well, richer and more ostentatiously, leaving me to look even worse in front of my colleagues. For the remainder of the two-day retreat, Jay vacillated between glee and attempted commiseration that people were gossiping about me trying—and failing—to seduce Gunnar.
And just like he’d disappeared from the retreat, Gunnar withdrew quickly and completely from my work life when we returned to the office. I never even had a chance to ask him what he’d said to Jay. Perhaps that was for the best, and at least the overt gossip died down after the retreat was over, though everyone still seemed a bit distant and distrustful. But my hurt at Gunnar’s abrupt dismissal of me festered. So I threw myself into my job. Despite the moment I’d thought we had during the storm, the man had made it clear he didn’t enjoy my company or respect me enough to explain why he no longer wanted to be seen with me—though I was pretty sure he knew about the gossip and part of me wondered if he was trying to protect me.
Still, I’d have preferred an honest and thoughtful conversation. Heck, just a text explaining his position would have been welcome. Such authenticity was essential to me; I’d watched my parents discuss most decisions, and my father was always attentive and listened to my mother’s reasons. He treated her as an equal, and I would settle for nothing less than a true partnership in my own life.
While I spent two weeks worrying over Gunnar’s withdrawal and my coworkers’ tittered conversations and long stares while they kept their distance—all except Tim, who’d become my friend and champion—I also had the long-put-off lunch with the CATS. One afternoon Naomi Kramer, Ida Jane Dolov, Keelie Bouchard, Vivian almost-Cruz, and Paloma Whittaker walked into my office and surrounded me, herding me out of the building and into a waiting SUV, driven by another hockey wife, Millie Stol. They took me downtown to a well-known Italian bistro and plopped me into a chair. The best part was them all cupping their chins around the table and staring at me like I was a butterfly pinned to a display board.
“Spill,” Naomi said. She was married to Coach Adam Kramer and one of the original CATS. I’d noted that the others looked to her as a leader.
“What? That you abducted me?”
“Pssh. That wasn’t even close to an abduction,” Ida Jane cut in. “But now that I think about it, we should try that sometime. Keelie’s so good with her golf clubs?—”
“Hush, Ida Jane. You’re scaring her,” Paloma said.
She was older than the other women by a few years and had a Zen quality that reminded me of my mother. She was also married to the head coach, Silas Whittaker, so she held a lot of sway—Ida Jane hushed.
I blinked as I considered Mom’s recent return to declining. She’d perked up for a while after I moved in with her, but that wasn’t holding as a long-term trend. I’d come into the kitchen last Saturday and found her at the round oak table that had been scrubbed nearly white. Her eyes were dull, her hair lifeless, and her back bent. This had to be more than continued grief. But when I asked, she hadn’t been willing to tell me anything, just said she was seeing her doctor. Her current state nibbled constantly at the edges of my consciousness, making concentrating difficult.
“I’m curious,” Vivian said with a shy smile, smoothing her red hair back from her face. She had freckles across her nose that made her look soft and friendly, and her eyes smiled even before her lips quirked. I knew, deep in my bones, that I liked this woman. She seemed like someone I could get close to. I didn’t know much about her story, or even her last name, just that she was engaged to Lennon Cruz, the big, gruff D-man who seemed to be a second team captain to Cormac Bouchard. I suspected it was his emotional intelligence that earned him players’ respect, but I didn’t fully understand him yet. I just knew I’d liked him the few times we’d spoken.
“We’re all curious,” Naomi said, leaning forward.
My palms began to sweat. “I can’t imagine why you’re interested in me.”
“Well,” Keelie said. She set her chin on her palms, and her big engagement ring flashed. Cormac had made quite a statement with her jewelry, and from what I’d read and seen, those two were madly in love. “Gunnar likes you. Like, a lot.”
I scoffed, an instinctive reaction that caused Ida Jane to wag her finger. “Honey, I saw it with my own eyes. That man is enamored.”
“He sure is, and I heard about the canoodling at the retreat.” Naomi’s eyes sparkled. “And I have to know how good that was.”
I swallowed, my throat dry and my eyes and nose stinging. “There’s nothing between Mr. Evaldson and me. I earned my position. In fact, Lydia hired me, and I’d never met Mr. Evaldson until the day I dumped soda all over him?—”
Vivian rubbed my forearm while Paloma reached across the table and patted my hand. “Forgive Naomi. She has a tendency to think everyone’s as forward as she is,” Paloma said.
“For what it’s worth, we were all hoping for canoodling,” Millie explained. She was quiet, one of those who watched interactions before jumping in. That seemed to balance out Luka Stol’s impetuousness. The league sportscasters had commented on how levelheaded he’d been on the ice since marrying and the birth of his daughter. “Gunnar is way kinder and much lonelier than the world realizes.”
Vivian pulled back her hand and resettled in her chair.
“It’s because we care about him so much that we want to get to know you,” Paloma said. “He’s a good man who has developed an influential organization, and we want to see him happy.”
“And you do that,” Ida Jane said, clapping her hands and looking every inch the cheerleader she must have been in high school.
“Don’t pressure her, Idge,” Millie murmured.
“No pressure,” Keelie said. “Just…affection and interest.”
“Also, once we adopt you as a CAT, you’re one of us for life,” Paloma added.
I forced a smile as I ran my finger down the menu and swallowed. These women were kind, open, and interested—so unlike the current office dynamic where everyone avoided me…so they could talk about me. What did I have to lose? “I’m attracted to him,” I said softly.
Hoots followed.
