Page 54 of The Huckleberry Bookshop

“So it’s a personality conflict?”

Mullens shook his head.

“You slept with her?”

He frowned, showing his disapproval at the question.

“What?” Louis shrugged. “She’s cute.”

Mullens growled at the thought of the other man checking her out. Athena wasn’t just cute. She was gorgeous, smart and strong-minded. She was exactly the kind of woman he’d be proud to take home to meet his family, if there was anything left of it.

“So it’s pride then? You can’t take instructions from a woman?”

“I take instructions from Karlene,” he pointed out, referring to the team’s physical therapist.

“So it’s Athena?” Louis seemed conflicted.

“No, sir. She’s great.”

“You’re not happy here?”

“No, I am,” he said, realizing with surprise that it was true.

“So, what do you need from me?”

“Nothing. I’m good.” He jiggled his legs, ready to suit up and get on the ice for practice.

“Then do me a favor and show up at your meetings with her, be respectful, follow the diet plan and call her by her real name.”

“I am. I will.”

He’d obviously let his own problems dominate his life for much too long. He should have manned up, apologized to Athena immediately after their first meeting and set things right. He hadn’t done that.

Even worse was that he wanted her to date him. After all that? What was wrong with him?

“I don’t call her Tina to be mean,” he explained. He needed that distance, because calling her by her real name felt too intimate. It felt like stepping off a cliff and realizing there was nothing below to catch him. Just free-falling.

“Fine. But it obviously annoys her. So stop. And get the other guys on board. Clean up their diet, clean up their attitudes and be the role model I hired you to be. Lead this team into some wins.” Louis stood up, indicating the meeting was over.

Mullens sighed, resting his elbows on his knees. Louis made it all sound so simple.

“Come on, man,” Coach said, stepping toward the door. “It’s either figure it out or I have to start shuffling people.”

Mullens couldn’t move, his thoughts stuck in neutral.

“I don’t know what to do to help,” Louis said, “and I don’t want to lose either of you. But the dynamic is clearly not working. I’m going to need to provide feedback in her exit interview.”

“No. Don’t fire her.” He shook his head. “It’s me. When I’m around her, I…” His throat closed up.

“What? Feel anger? Resentment? Oppositionally defiant?” Louis seemed amused.

Mullens looked up, meeting his coach’s gaze, hoping the man could read him, fix him, make it all better—without him having to say a word.

“Well?” Coach prompted, suddenly somber.

“I feel like she might have the power to break me.”

“The channel went live!” Athena couldn’t look away from her online cooking show.

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