Page 6 of Match Penalty

"Was it? Because from where I'm sitting, I see a lot of parallels. Talented player with something to prove, complicated family dynamics, the weight of everyone's expectations..." She trails off meaningfully. "Sound familiar?"

I resist the urge to squirm in my chair. "JP and I aren't you and Slade. We're not anything."

"Maybe not," she concedes. "But that tension between you? That's something, Cammy. And if you don't decide how you're going to handle it now… it might come out in a way you can't control."

"I can handle it," I say, though I'm not even convincing myself.

Penelope nods. "I know you can, which is why I'm giving the project to you."

My phone buzzes again.

Dad:About lunch, kiddo. Can we reschedule? Drills are going longer than expected. I don't want you to have to wait for me.

Me:Yeah, No problem.

The thought has me wanting to slip out and look out of the windows of the corporate office on the third floor, down to the rink below to see if the drills going late are with JP.

Dad:I owe you.

"You're overthinking this," Penelope says, reading my expression. "Take a breath. Focus on one thing at a time."

"Right," I say, straightening in my chair. "The auction. That's what matters right now."

I try to push back the thought of Dumont coming back after getting kicked off the Blue Devils after his DUI and subsequent injury.

"The media's going to love that JP is making his comeback on the rival team." I mutter.

"They already do," Penelope confirms, sliding a newspaper across her desk. "Look."

The headline fromThe Seattle Sunrisemakes my stomach churn:DUMONT RETURNS TO SEATTLE: A STORY OF REDEMPTION AND SECOND CHANCES

Redemption for him, maybe. For me, it’s a reminder that the man who shattered my trust gets to rewrite his story while I’m left cleaning up the pieces. My fingers tremble as I push the paper away, determined not to let it get under my skin. But the words linger, each one a thorn pricking at the edges of my carefully constructed composure.

The article goes on about his journey—the playoff win in San Diego, the accident that nearly ended his career, the long road back. But there’s one quote that catches my eye.

"Seattle feels like the spot I've been trying to get to for years," JP is quoted saying. "Training under Seven Wrenley? That's been the dream since I was a kid. Sometimes life puts you right where you need to be, and this is where I need to be—with this team."

I push the paper away, ignoring the way my hands shake slightly.

"We should focus on the auction. Autumn is expecting something big, and I want to deliver for her."

"One more thing," Penelope says as I stand to leave. "The auction's closing event—we need something special. Something interactive that'll get people talking and get donors to stay the entire time."

"I've got some ideas," I say. "I'll think about it and get them to you by the end of the week."

As I head back to my desk, my mind is already spinning with possibilities. A skills challenge. The spotlight on JP this coming season. The tension between us on display for everyone to see.

A flash of memory hits me—two years ago at the All-Star Game, before everything fell apart, JP found me: "Just five minutes," he'd said, hands up in mock surrender. "Then you can go back to pretending you don't like me."Those five minutes turned into thirty, and by the end, my cheeks hurt from laughing. When Brynn interrupted us, I remember thinking maybe, just maybe, there was more to JP Dumont than his player reputation suggested.

God, I'd been so stupid.

He doesn't belong here—not in my building, not on my team, and definitely not in my life. Not after how thoroughly he made clear that those three years of pursuit were nothing but a game to him. The ultimate conquest: the coach's daughter who kept saying no.

But the universe doesn't care what I want. It's decided to drop him back into my orbit, and I'll have to deal with the fallout. Because no matter how much I've tried to forget him, there's one thing I know for sure.

You can't outrun your past.

And mine just came skating in wearing a Hawkeyes jersey.

---