Page 49 of Puck with Karma
“What time is it?” I don’t want to waste time looking at a watch if I am too late already.
“You got fifteen minutes until your ass needs to be in the seat,” Xander informs me.
I grab a new pair of ankle boots and sit down on the bed to put them on.
“Can you do me a favor?” I am struggling with the damn zipper on one of them. “Look up on my phone best hair extensions in the city, and leave it in the browser. I don’t want to forget to look it up on my break.”
“You want more extensions?” He sounds incredulous.
“No, I want them to fix the one that fell out,” I explain. “If it can be fixed. I may need a new one.”
While I am still messing with my shoes since my socks feel all funny in there now, he sits on the bed next to me, my new cell phone in his large hand.
I don’t have a security code set up, so he can get right in. Besides, he was sitting right next to me when I set it up two nights ago, and I don’t have anything to hide.
“Nothing?” I notice the frown on his face, but it disappears when he hears my question.
“I was just concentrating.”
“On what?” I laugh. “How to spellextensions?”
“Smartass,” he mutters under his breath. His huge thumbs type on my screen before he throws it in my lap. “There you go.”
“Thanks!”
I jump up, put the phone in my purse and grab my binder. When I turn to say goodbye, I am taken aback by the look on his face. It’s almost as if he doesn’t even like me right now, which is very weird. Scared to start an argument with no reason, I just smile and lift myself up to kiss him on the cheek.
“I’ll see you tonight.” I hesitate. “Or whenever you have time to stop by.”
Xander doesn’t respond. Instead, he nods, never taking his eyes off me.
Grateful that my apartment is incredibly small, I turn around to leave. I don’t even dare to breathe until I am out in the hallway.
“What the hell was that?” I start talking to myself as I wait for the elevator. “That’s what I get for hooking up with a stranger on my very first day in a new town.”
I am very disappointed in myself at this point. I have a plan, I want a career. And what do I do as soon as I have theopportunity to make something of myself? I jump in bed with a hockey player. If my mother could see me now…
Speaking of my mother, she’s been trying to get a hold of me. Other than sending her a quick message to let her know I was okay, I have not communicated with her or my father at all.
When I get out of the building, I am once again hit in the face by the cold blistery wind. To think that I knew what winter was all about is a joke right now. At least I have my coat on this time. Although, the cute boots I’m wearing are not made for what’s happening here. All I have to do is cross the street to the arena, but my feet feel like popsicles by the time I make it inside the building.
I walk fast, trying to warm up a little before I reach the small cubicle that was assigned to me. It is right outside Laura’s office, and I feel like she has an eye on me at all times.
Her voice reaches my ears before I get there. Since there’s nobody else around, sound travels, most likely a lot louder than she thinks.
“There is no way to get out of the contract unless he breaches it.” She doesn’t sound happy at all. “It would cost the organization a lot of money to make that happen,” she continues, annoyance clear in her voice. “And all for what? So your daughter’s boyfriend can have a shot at a first line position?”
My eyebrows go up into my hair at hearing that. It’s obvious what she is talking about. I hold my breath and stay back a little so she wouldn’t see me.
“Whatever,” she sighs into the phone. “I’m done talking about this for now.”
There’s a long pause where I’m not sure if the person on the other end is still talking or if Laura hung up.
“I can’t do that, Roger,” she snaps, making me jump in place. “He got his warnings, and Coach knows that his star player isone indiscretion away from being let go. I thought I had him the other day, but I couldn’t close on it.”
I try to breathe normally and walk toward my designated area, making some noise now so that Laura knows I’m here.
“Ugh, I have to go.” That’s followed by some light shuffling of papers.
