Page 33 of Thrown for a Loop
He’s never sat this close to anyone he wasn’t taking to bed. But for once in his hectic life, he doesn’t want or need anything more than what this moment of peace has given him.
Chapter 13
Present Day
And that’s all for now,” I tell Tyler Jackson, who’s just finished up a thirty-minute session with me. “We’ll do this again soon,” I say over the pounding headache in my temples.
“Thanks, Coach Zoe,” he says gruffly before skating toward the exit.
I just gave the worst coaching session of my life. We worked on lateral movement. I think. But I’m bleary and distracted after a poor night’s sleep.
Luckily, Chase wasn’t arrested last night or even seriously questioned. It helped that he hadn’t really done anything wrong and that the bartender and another bystander were willing to say so.
It also helped that the cops were Legends fans. It was them, in fact, who put him into the damn taxi. So in the end, I wasn’t even able to help at all.
The upshot is that I was out until two in the morning for nothing. And I’m angry with myself for butting in. I shouldn’t have given Harp my number and asked him to call me. All I did was make trouble for Chase.
You’re too impulsive, Zoe, my mother always says. And it’s the one bit of criticism that is always on point.
After changing out of my skates, I open my Legends locker gingerly. No nasty notes today. Small mercies. I stash my skates and then ride the escalators up to the fourth floor, looking for a free cup of coffee. I pause outside of the office complex, where Darcy is on the phone. Actually she’s on two of them at the same time.
Yikes.I turn toward the players’ lounge instead. There’s laughter in the corner of the room, where a couple of guys are watching something on one of their phones. But Chase isn’t here.Thank God.I can’t face him right now.
I head for the coffee counter, and I’m just slotting a Nespresso pod into the gleaming machine when Alexei Petrov hurries into the room and approaches me. He presses his hands together in the prayer position and does a little bow.
“You okay, Petrov?” I ask him.
“No,” he says dramatically. “Coach Zoe, I have skatedyearswithout knowing that new blades would make me total badass.”
My heart lifts as I press the button for an espresso shot. “So you’re a fan of the profiled blade?”
“Onepractice,” he says, holding up a thick finger. “That is all it took. I love the new steel. We have a saying in Russia:Never wrestle bear after drinking vodka, and always listen to smart women.I almost forgot the second one.”
I bark out a laugh. The small victory feels good. No—it feels great. Inch by inch I will win this team over.
“Hey, Lexei!” calls one of the guys in the corner. It’s Aiden Sharp—the coaching assistant. “Did you see this video of Merritt punching a fan?”
My heart lurches. “Video?” I gasp.
Aiden looks up from the phone. “Merritt was brawlin’ with a fan last night. It’s got a hundred thousand views already.”
“Ohno.”
“Yeah, it’s bad.” Aiden chuckles. “My father is going to blow his gasket so hard they’ll feel it in Jersey.”
Avideo.Oh God.
My espresso streams into the cup, but I no longer need it. I sink onto a chair and google Chase’s name.
My phone lights up immediately with links to several gossip sites. And the first headline I see sends a new wave of nausea through my belly.Video: Chase Merritt slams fan!
I hit theplaybutton with a shaky finger. And there he is, grabbing the fan and shoving him out of the way. The camera follows the fan all the way to the floor. They even caught the sickening little bounce.
My first thought is a selfish one—At least my face isn’t visible. My hoodie hides me pretty well. But then I scroll down to read the comments, and any relief I feel is quickly drowned out by the horror of what they’re saying about Chase.
Guess those anger management classes aren’t working, huh Merritt?
Lost all respect for #41. Used to be a fan, but no more.
