Page 33 of Aftersome
“Yes… I… I’m fine, I didn’t mean to, you know, put your pen… in my mouth.” As the words came out, I immediately wished I could take them back. I was the definition of a hot mess right now and all I could think about was finding the nearest exit out of here.
I couldn’t even look him in the face. I was beyond mortified with myself.
“Wren, relax.” His voice came over me like a soothing balm. Soft and understanding, I raised my head until our eyes met. “There’s no need for you to worry so much. You’ll fit in just fine here, and as far as Villareal goes, he’ll come around.”
The mention of Mal had me tensing. Just how much did Jim know about why I was here? Apparently the expression on my face had given it away because a sigh along with a somber smile greeted me.
“Can I be honest with you?” Jim asked as his shoulders slouched back.
Confused, I slowly nodded my head. “Of course.”
“There were a few other people who were, let’s say, more qualified for this position than you are.” His mouth twitched as I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
At least he knew.
“And I promise you, I don’t mean that in a bad way. I just want us to be on the same page with everything.”
The same page. Right. That made sense.
“Oh, yes. Of course.”
There was a brief pause as he cradled his hands together and placed them on the desk in front of him.
“Mal has been a part of this organization for six years now. And until recently, I knew nothing about him. And I knew most all the players here.” His eyes dropped shortly, and on a sigh he lifted them. “It never bugged me that I knew nothing about him, partly because he was adamant to remain closed off. Plus, his temper never really made it easy for anyone to get close to him.”
That sure sounded like Mal, but he wasn’t in his twenties anymore. He was a thirty-one-year-old man who was possibly even more jaded now than he once was. But what I didn’t expect to feel was sympathy. He had no one. He wanted no one and for some reason, that hurt more.
“He needs… something.” He sighed. “Something other than what he’s doing.”
My throat clogged as I nodded in agreement.
“So, if I have to hire you in order to help one of our players, then so be it. His mental health, his well-being is a hell of a lot more important than playing hockey.”
I couldn’t agree more but coming from someone like him, a person who profited immensely off the team, it was nice to hear.
“I agree, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up for an immediate change in Mal. If he’s anything like he was in college, then it might be a little difficult.” I tried breaking the news as delicately as I could, but James only smiled.
“Oh, I know how stubborn he can be and I promise you, I have no expectations in regard to how all of this will go. I don’t know the nitty-gritty details of how you two know each other, but James seems to think you may be his only option.”
Dammit, James.
Why does everyone seem to think that I’ll be the only one who can save him? Because that’s what it seems that I’m doing, right? When I thought he had officially moved on and was living his life, he wasn’t. According to James and Jim, he seemed worse off now than ever and now I felt as though this was a high-stakes mission.
This wasn’t just about reuniting, this was about saving someone’s life.
“Well, I’ll try to do my best.” My voice wobbled as my heart rate began to take off.
The last thing I wanted to do was make promises I couldn’t keep, and already I could feel the uncertainty creeping back in.
I didn’t show it, but I felt it in the depths of my gut along with worry for what the future would bring.
“That’s all we can ask for, Wren.”
With one last smile, he then returned to busying himself at his desk, while I went back to finishing the paperwork with a whole other feeling swirling around in my stomach.
Fear.
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