Everything in my heart plummets so quickly I have a moment of dizziness. I subtly reach out and grab the railing. He’s smiling. Why is he still smiling? Is he going to be happy about firing me? Oh my God, my career is over. No hockey team will ever hire me after this. My dad is going to be so disappointed. I’m humiliated. And what will this do to Eli? Will they send him back to the Storm?
“We protect whistleblowers, as you know, so I can’t tell you who it was. But we know it’s a false claim,” he explains calmly as the elevator doors swish open, bringing air back into the elevator that had suddenly felt suffocating a moment ago.
We both step into the hall, but my legs feel shaky. “How do you know it’s false?”
He chuckles. “Because we know you would never do that. You’re one of our most dedicated employees.” He smiles again and adds, “And the person they think you’re romantically involved with is Jude.”
“What?!” I say that way too loud and instantly cover my mouth. “I’m sorry.”
He chuckles again. “It’s fine. I understand why that would be horrifying to you. And of course we had to explain to this employee why it’s a false claim. The fact is we have a strict policy against fraternization with the team, and if we weren’t going to fire you immediately the person had to be told the truth.”
My heart plummets again. “So this person knows I’m Jude’s sister?”
He nods and smiles reassuringly. “We knew this day would come eventually. I’m actually shocked that we kept it in the bag this long.”
“I just…I don’t want this to affect my role or any future role I might have with the organization,” I tell him, which I know he already knows because it’s what I told him when he offered me the internship in the beginning and I had to give him my real last name.
“It hasn’t and it won’t,” he assures me as we reach the doors to the conference room. “We’re not making any kind of announcement or anything, but you can start using your last name if you’d like.”
“No. I’ll stick with Wynn,” I say quickly. This person knows, but that doesn’t mean I want everyone else to know. Others might find out eventually, but it won’t be with my help. I like my anonymity. I really want to know who knows. And I know they did what was expected of them, telling on me, but at the same time I feel betrayed. They should have just talked to me and I could have explained it myself. It feels like whoever did this has it out for me.
He opens the conference room door and I thank him and step inside. The whole PR team is there. My eyes scan everyone—Nadine, Ann, the two guys Ron and Dave who work with our corporate sponsors, and Trish. As soon as my eyes land on her face, she immediately looks away and I know it’s her. And then a light bulb goes off. Sunday when she showed up at work, she must have heard me on the phone making plans with Jude. And I told him I loved him.
I feel a wave of animosity toward her, but I fight to push it down. She did what she was supposed to do. I need to not blame her for this, but I’m definitely not going to go out of my way anymore to force myself to like her. She’s one hundred percent just a co-worker and not someone I need to bond with. I walk around the table and sit next to Nadine, away from Trish.
Mr. Carling announces Ann’s departure and that her last day will be at the end of the month. In that time she’s going to help select her successor. He goes on to say he encourages applications from within. Ann subtly glances over to me when he says that. I don’t react externally, but my heart beats harder.
“Okay, let’s get back to work,” Mr. Carling says. “Elijah Casco is the big topic of the day for obvious reasons, but we also have the NHL Network here doing promos. It was a last-minute request we’re honoring. Dixie, can I ask you to escort them around? I’ll email you the list of who they’ll film.”
“Sure.” I nod.
“I can help too if you’d like,” Trish pipes up.
Mr. Carling doesn’t even blink. “That’s okay, Trish. We’re going to need you to handle the media requests while Dixie works on this.”
“Oh. Okay. Sure thing!” She sounds chipper and she’s wearing a helpful smile, but her arms are crossed and her shoulders are rigid. If anyone else notices, they don’t react.
We all stand and start out the door. I’m grateful I don’t have to go back to my desk right now. I’m still filled with anxiety and feeling antsy. Walking around and guiding this TV crew will be good for me.
Everyone gets on the elevator going up to our floor, but I wait for the other one going down and then make my way down the hall that leads to the arena. I swipe my pass card, which is dangling on a lanyard around my neck, and enter the arena. Just as I knew they would be, the halls are empty. Not even the coaching staff comes in on the day after a long road trip.
My heels click down the curved concrete hallway that circles the arena. My phone bings and I pull it out. It’s an email from Ann with the details of who and what the network wants to film. Apparently they’re doing new promos for the team and some players are coming in to be filmed. As my eyes run down the names listed on the email I start to hear muffled voices coming from just up the hall, in the team dressing room. Levi Casco. Jude Braddock. Duncan Darby. And…
Elijah Casco.
15
Dixie
Fuck,” I mutter under my breath as my heart starts slamming against my rib cage and my anxiety levels peak again.
“Potty mouth at work?” I hear my brother’s voice and snap my head up from my phone to see him standing in the doorway to the locker room. “Classy, Dix.”
“Sorry.” I clear my throat and shove my phone in the pocket of my blazer. “I need to go meet the crew. Welcome back.”
I brush past him without looking inside the room because Eli is in there. I need a minute to make sure my game face is in place before we make eye contact. If I looked at him right now, with no time to prepare my poker face, I’m pretty sure everyone would be able to see the desire in my eyes and know that I’ve seen him naked.
“No quip about how it’s a miracle I’m here early?” he calls out after me. “No barb about our losing streak?”
