She’s silent for a moment, but when she speaks, her tone is much brighter. “It’s going really well, actually. We’ve been on a few dates now and I think it’s going to really be something.”
“That’s great!” I exclaim, genuinely happy for her. “Tell me more about him! I’m dying to get back home so I can meet him.”
“Oh, well, it’s still pretty new,” she quickly sidesteps my request. “I don’t want to go on about him too much already in case it doesn’t work out.”
“I suppose that makes sense.” A little weird, but I guess understandable. “You’ll have to tell me more, though, when things get more serious.”
“Yeah, sure, of course. Hey, I gotta go now. Lots to do. I’ll talk to you later.”
“All right, talk to you later.”
Blaire hangs up and I frown down at my phone. That was… strange. Why’d she get so nervous when I asked about her boyfriend? Are things maybe not going as well as she’d like?
I hope it works out for her. Blaire deserves a nice guy in her life.
I tuck my phone away and grab Gizmo’s cat food out of the bedroom closet. After feeding him, I order an Uber and head out to go to the Night Hawks’ stadium.
By the time I arrive, I’m feeling calmer and the excitement for this job is building back up. The Uber drops me off near the employee entrance. I hop out and gaze up at the colossal structure with the Night Hawks’ logo emblazoned above the door.
“Woah,” I murmur, staring up at the fierce looking hawk. “Scary bird.”
“Glad you think so,” a deep voice says behind me.
With a yelp, I whirl around and come face-to-face with a big bald man who looks to be in his fifties or sixties. He grins at me and chuckles.
“Sorry about that,” he says. “Didn’t mean to scare you. I’m guessing you’re Rylee Benson?”
“Uh… yeah. I am.”
He extends his hand. “Coach Sullivan. Pleased to meet you.”
I relax and slip my hand in his. His fingers engulf mine and he gives me a firm shake.
“Oh, it’s nice to meet you too,” I reply. “Sorry, am I early? I thought practice started at nine.”
“It does,” he sighs. “The team’s already in and practice should be in full swing. I’m late. For the record, I’m never late, but I was on the phone with my granddaughter, Hadley. Anyway, it’s lucky I am late, since now I can walk you in and introduce you to everyone.”
“Great,” I reply with a grin. “That sounds great. I appreciate it.”
“Follow me.”
He leads me inside and we stop at security to get my visitor’s badge before continuing on to the ice rink. As we approach, I can hear the team shouting and cheering each other on as they work on the ice. Coach Sullivan and I walk through the tunnel leading to the team’s bench. I’m right up close to the action now as the guys skate back and forth across the arena, scrimmaging and holding nothing back. I watch them as Coach talks to other members of the coaching staff, but then he stands next to me and blows his whistle. I flinch and cover my ears as the sound rings through my head.
The team stops what they’re doing and hurries to gather around us. I look around, searching for Jensen and Carson as Coach begins speaking.
“Gentleman, let me introduce you to Rylee Benson,” he says, his voice booming. “She’s the reporter from ICON who will be working on the two features about us. I expect you all to treat her with the utmost respect as she does what she needs to do, got it?”
“Yes, Coach,” they all reply in near unison.
Damn… Coach Sullivan has these guys on lock.
I finally spot Jensen and Carson, who both give me wide smiles and waves. I wave back, feeling immediately more at ease now that I’ve found them among the crowd.
“All right, Miss Benson,” Coach Sullivan says, turning to me. “What do you need from my guys to write your articles?”
“Oh.” I’m a little caught off guard by the question and flustered as the entire team watches me expectantly. I take a moment and solidify my confidence before raising my chin and putting on a self-assured smile. “Well, for the first week, I’ll just be watching and getting to know all you guys. I want to get a feel for the best ways to photograph you all in action, as a group, in small clusters, and as individuals. I’ll be carrying my camera around pretty much at all times, so just ignore it and go about your practices like normal. We’ll need to take a group shot for the article, but I’ll let you all know when that will be because we’ll have to bring in extra lighting and equipment. I’ll also make sure to schedule it before practice so you guys aren’t so… sweaty.”
That earns me a few laughs, and I relax even more.
