Page 46 of The Closed Off Captain

“I’m heading to my office; that’s where my lunch is.”

“I’m heading to the kitchen. Come on.”

“Gunner’s that’s where the players eat.”

“You’re staff.”

“Yeah, but I’m not a player.”

He stares down at me. “Fine.” He turns and strides away. I watch him go a moment and then back to my office.

I’m busy at work when my office door opens, and Gunner walks in and sets a white box on my desk. “What’s that?” I ask.

“Lunch,” he grunts and then sits in the chair in front of my desk.

“What are you doing?” I question.

“Eating lunch with my fiancé,” he grunts out.

“Aren’t you supposed to eat with the team?”

“Coach said it was fine.”

“Okay.” I open the box and my stomach growls at the smell of the food. “This looks really good.”

“It's dairy free, wheat free, and nut free.” He doesn’t say anything else as he goes back to his lunch.

I watch him a moment and then take a bite. The salmon melts in my mouth, and the rice is just as good. “Thank you, Gunner.” He nods and keeps eating. He seems to be in a surly mood. “Are you up to date on you pain pills?”

“I don’t need them.”

We eat in silence for a little while. When I finish, I throw the box away. “Thank you; that was really good.” He doesn’t meet my gaze, and I sit back in my chair.

“What’s bothering you?”

He looks up and meets my eyes. “Nothing.”

I know something is, but I chalk it up to him being frustrated he can’t practice with the team. I work for a little bit, but he makes me crazy just sitting there. I close my laptop. “I’ve got some things I’ve got to do. I’ll catch you later, okay?” I escape into the hallway, leaving the hulking hockey player behind.

I really do have to get some things done, so I wasn’t lying.I seriously hope he gets cleared to play soon, or he’s going to drive me crazy.There’s nothing worse than an athlete that can’t play the sport they love.

Chapter 22

Chloe

The next two weeks pass in a blur of games, work, and more work. I manage to make my standing Sunday date with Grandma May two weeks in a row. We lose four games and win two without Gunner. The team is frustrated, Coach Seers is on edge, and Gunner is driving me insane. I’m ready for him to get back out on the ice. Because of his injury, they’ve kept him completely off the ice. They want him to have the best chance possible to heal. He’s kept up his workouts but nothing on the ice and nothing with his left arm or shoulder. He’s brought lunch to my office every day that the team is here. I’ve told him a hundred times not to, but he doesn't seem to be listening.

The door to my office opens, and Gunner walks in, carrying two boxes.Speaking of Gunner...“Hey.” I don’t even bother telling him not to do it anymore; he keeps doing it. It used to make me nervous, but I’ve grown accustomed to his presence. Now, I just work through it. I tried making conversation one time; it was too painful to continue. So now, I just work. He seems to be content to just eat in silence. Sometimes, I wonder if he comes to eat in my office simply to get a break. He's with people twenty-four seven. I know he loves what he does and loves his teammates, but I can imagine it gets to be a bit much. “Thanks for the food.”

He nods and eats his own. As usual, he stays quiet, and I continue working. “The engagement picture proofs are done.”

I look up. “Oh boy. Are they terrible?”

He slides his phone across my desk, and I pick it up and take a look at the first image. It’s one of the first ones we did, the one with his uninjured arm around my waist. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t...this. There are only a few of them; I’m sure we’ll get the rest of them eventually. When I get to the last one, I pause. It’s the one of my hands over the back of his jersey. You can’t even see either of our faces, and yet there’s something so intimate about the picture. I quickly swipe to the next one; I don’t want to dwell on that one. I swipe through a few of them again. “You look really good, Gunner.” It’s not a lie. The man knows how to wear a suit.

“Nobody will be looking at me when they see those photos.”

A corner of my mouth turns up, and I slide the phone back to him. “Well, I’m glad they’re not terrible. As soon as you get the final ones, make sure you post them on your socials. I’ll post them as well. Hopefully, they will do what we need them to.”

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