Page 22 of Reputation
“Chemistry isn’t everything,” Eavie interjected sharply before taking another breath.“I mean, yes, it’s important, but I have to be able to stand his personality.This guy is the textbook definition of arrogant.I’ve dealt with his type for years.They are all the same.”
“How do you know?”countered Joyce, placing one fist on her hip.“You just met him.”
Eavie couldn’t help but remember her odd feeling that something about him today didn’t seem real.Like he was wearing a mask to hide the person she’d met last week.She shook her head, dislodging the thought before she allowed her hormones to turn it into hopeful logic.
“All I’m saying is that just because your last relationship with a hockey player ended disastrously doesn’t mean it will happen again.You were so young last time.You’re both adults, and he’s not some high school boy.He sees you as you are now.”
This time, she shook her head sadly.“It would be the worst idea to get involved with him.”She laughed almost hysterically.“Hell, I literally can’t get involved with him.I signed a policy against it.I cannot blow this chance with my career or reputation.”
If she wanted to keep this job, she had to keep her hands to herself.And even if, in a year, she didn’t get the offer, she needed her pristine reputation to get another one.
Looking down, she admitted what she was most concerned about.“I’m more worried that if he doesn’t lose interest, what if…what if I won’t be able to resist him?”
Saying the words out loud to Joyce made her realize how much the thought had weighed on her.She hadn’t given it purchase in her mind until now, but it had been rolling around in the back of her thoughts since she’d talked to him today.It didn’t matter how often she told herself she would get over it or that he wasn’t her type.Deep down, she knew this was unlike any attraction she had ever felt, that he might be different.
Joyce considered her for a heartbeat before she nodded her head.“I get it.Maybe the best thing to do is not think about it too much and see what happens.”
Eavie chuckled, “You know that’s never been my strong suit.I like to be in control.”
Smiling, Joyce said, “Oh, I know.But maybe it’s time someone strong enough to challenge your control came into your life.”She emphasized the wordstrongwith a wink.
An unsolicited image of Jax’s muscle-laden arms in his tight t-shirt from today presented itself in her mind.
Slapping it away like she was swiping left on a dating app, Eavie shook her head at her friend.Joyce was the fiery one who enjoyed a man challenging her.It was not something Eavie was familiar with.She usually chose quiet men who, she hated to admit, were easily controlled.None of them ever challenged her in any way, which was what she preferred…right?
It occurred to Eavie then that might be why she got bored with them after a few months.None of them elicited the same spark that seemed to engulf her whenever she was near Jax.
“I don’t want to think about it anymore tonight.It’s getting cold, and I could use a good workout to deal with all these confusing thoughts,” Eavie said, reaching for the studio door.
“Fine, but don’t think this conversation is over.”She pointed a sassy finger at Eavie to emphasize her point.Joyce held her stare for a beat before she followed Eavie into the studio.“Let’s kick the crap out of some punching bags!”
Laughing, Eavie shook her head at her friend.They didn’t talk about Jax for the rest of the evening, but later that night, nestled in her extravagant bed, thoughts of him edged through the silence.
She could feel her body responding to just the idea of him, as it had earlier in the day.She hadn’t planned on this complication, and she would have to figure out what she was going to do about it.She was not about to risk the reputation she’d worked so hard to build for a man.
Chapter Nine
Jax
Jax drew in a breath of the crisp, ozone-scented air from the refrigerated ice beneath his feet.He felt the cold tease his nose and lungs; the smell making him feel at home as he warmed up.Being in skates on an ice rink, inside or outside, had always come naturally to him, like it was part of his DNA.
Game day morning skates are the player’s time to get their head in the game and focus for the puck drop in ten hours.Coaches join, but only in a casual capacity.There are no new plays or drills on game day.It’s the only time the players get to choose what they do.Some will work pre-existing plays together.Goaltenders do it to prepare their bodies, while others do it as a mental exercise to connect them to the ice.
For Jax, morning skate was about being with the boys—about connecting with each name transcribed onto the game sheet.It’s about building a team mindset and checking everyone’s readiness for the upcoming game.Today especially, with the excitement and pressures of the first regular season game aligning with the home opener, Jax made sure to chat with each player.He tried to spend a good portion of morning skate with the rookies, in particular.
Over the hour and a half of open ice time, Jax skated around, wandering from player to group and back to player.He asked Hans Mueller, an off-season trade from the New Orleans Rougarou, how he was adjusting to the location change.
He worked on a few cross-ice passes with Patrick O’Toole, known as Patty-O, a rookie from Harvard University.He also watched the defensive pair Jean-Pierre and Sergei work with centers Josh Leo and Graham Halpert, called Big Tuna, on two-on-one rushes, commenting on the plays.
“Leo, don’t be afraid to fake a one-timer before tossing it to Big Tuna.JP’s a big guy, so you want to get him off balance,” Jax said, referring to Jean-Pierre.“Make him think you’ll throw one at the net so he drops to block.That’ll open the field for Leo to shoot it home.”
Finally, he worked with Alex Nordstrom and Mitchell, his first-line wingers, on plays that took them from the defensive zone through to the offense, throwing shot after shot at their goal-tender Marc MacDonald.They wanted to ensure he was well and truly warmed up for tonight’s game.
Following morning skate, the boys took their time showering and changing.The locker room on game day was the central hub for hype, with music blaring from a communal playlist and chirps being thrown from one player to another.From here, the group would slowly find their way to the team lounge, where the specialized chefs and dietitians served handcrafted meals that would fuel them for their game tonight, followed by a quick, players-only meeting.After that, they would head home for a few hours of rest before they would be due back at the arena for tonight’s game.
Leaving the locker room, his hair freshly washed and slicked back by nothing but the residual moisture from his shower, Jax wandered down the curving hallway of the player level, accompanied by Scott Brown, Scottie, another defenseman and Mitchell.
“You guys see the new girl today?”asked Mitchell.
