Page 16 of Coast to Coast

Calliope: Let’s meet at Quincy Market. That way, we can both get whatever we want to eat.

Quincy Market was one of the largest food halls in the country and had just about any option for lunch. Even during the lunch rush, you could find something quickly. Healthy food or junk food, they had everything. Once we picked our lunch, we should easily be able to find a place to sit upstairs.

The rental where I was staying had a great gym where I could get in a workout before I left to meet Calliope. I won’t have Crew until later tonight when I pick him up from Sam and Kelsey’s. They were still living in the city but had purchased a house they were renovating in Concord. Next summer, I would likely stay in their townhouse unless I somehow managed to work out a tradeto Boston. If that happened, I’d sell my condo in Denver and buy a place near Sam and Kelsey in Concord to be as close to Crew as possible.

Was it an unlikely scenario? Yes. NHL players were rarely in the position to pick their teams. Last season had been great for my rookie year, but I wasn’t yet at a stage in my career where I could make demands. If I didn’t play my cards right, I could end up on waivers and be picked up by any team.

Having a nanny, I could trust to travel Crew from one end of the country to the other was the best-case scenario for now. Being as attracted to her as I was, that was dangerous as fuck. I couldn’t risk losing her either to my lust or to that of my teammates. Sam refused to budge on no relationships with teammates, so it was important to stake my claim to her. If they thought she was a live-in girlfriend, none would hit on her, and she’d have better access to the WAG events and support. I just needed to be sure she’d be okay with pretending to be my girlfriend.

I worked out the plan as I lifted weights. It would also be a test of Monica’s confidentiality. Could she be confidential if it meant withholding the truth from Sam and Kelsey? And what if it meant protecting her best friend? This situation could end up leading to a very tangled web. I would promise to take the fall if it failed.

After a good stretch, I showered off the evidence of my workout before dressing in khaki shorts and a T-shirt. I grabbed a Minutemen hat, completing off the Boston uniform, and ordered a ride-share to bring me to Quincy Market. I was a little early, a trait I’d picked up from my mother.

Me: I’m going to get pizza and then head upstairs. Should I order some for you? Or did you want something else?

Calliope: Perfect. I’m running a bit late, stuck in traffic in the Uber. I’ll have a slice of veggie and a slice of pepperoni with a diet coke.

Me: Okay. If you get there before I finish getting the pizza, just go straight upstairs and grab two seats.

I noticed Calliope before she saw me. She wore her hair down, dark curls hitting the middle of her back. Her small waist was complimented by full hips and the most perfect set of tits I’d ever seen. Stop thinking about your nanny’s tits, Tom. I tried unsuccessfully to remind myself that my thoughts were completely inappropriate. I was here trying to protect her from my teammates, but who would protect her from me? My thoughts about Calliope were far from innocent. God, I loved tits.

“Hey,” I said nervously as I approached her at the table, setting down her pizza order.

“Sorry, I was late. You would think I would be able to plan for traffic after living in the city my entire life,” she shrugged.

“I don’t think you ever get used to the traffic. In theory, I’m only fifteen minutes from Logan airport, but one day, it took me ninety minutes to get there.”

Calliope wasted no time digging into her lunch. When she looked up to find me staring at her, she apologized. “Sorry, I went to a late yoga class and completely missed breakfast, trying to make it here on time. I’m starved.”

It was refreshing to have a woman eat a meal without a care in the world. So many women pick at their meals or get stuck with salads. Calliope was making quick work of two huge slices of pizza.

“I wanted to talk to you in person about a couple of things before we head out west for pre-season,” I said before digging into my lunch.

“Sure, what’s up?”

“I know Sam has a strict requirement that you don’t get involved with my teammates.”

“Uh-huh,” she nodded, waiting for me to continue.

“I don’t think it will be that easy to keep them away from you.”

Calliope stopped chewing and met my gaze. “Well, I’m okay with being rude if I have to.”

“Yeah, that’s not likely going to be enough. I had an idea about how to make it a little easier for you. It would also give you an in with the other WAGs.”

“WAGs?” she asked as I realized the hockey world was completely foreign to her. It was tough for even seasoned players to navigate with their significant others and families.

“Wives and girlfriends of the players,” I explained.

Calliope stared at me as I tried to figure out how to ask my next question. She’d stopped chewing, and the rest of her pizza hung limply in her hands.

“I thought we should tell my teammates you were my girlfriend. This would make you strictly off-limits.”

“Uh, how is that going to work? Won’t Sam and Kelsey have an issue with this?”

“Hopefully, the two of them will never know. This is strictly something we would tell only those affiliated with the Blizzards. We might need to tell Monica. Do you think she’ll have an issue keeping this from Sam and Kelsey?”

“I don’t like the thought of putting her in that position. Monica puts all her work into her work, and I would never want her to risk her career to help us lie. I’m not understanding why we would need to fake date.”

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