Page 35 of Hot Puck
And I plan to be the one to help him achieve it without compromising his need to take care of his family.
Switching off the engine, I grab my bag and step out of my rental. I chose a more appropriate outfit today. Linen lounging pants and a casual short sleeved summer sweater seemed more appropriate for a day at the Hawkins home.
It’s a more relaxed look, and while it’s not my usual armor when dealing with business, I feel comfortable and confident.
And I admit I’m hoping Chase will find me—if only a little bit—more approachable. If we’re going to do this the way I’ve suggested, I want us—need us—to be friends.
I can only hope my position as the Rogues’ GM doesn’t make things harder to navigate. I’m not oblivious to the possible pitfalls of the situation. And I’m very aware of everything that can go wrong with an in-name-only marriage.
It’s still the best way to ensure Chase and his sisters get what they need and want. And I refuse to examine why I’m so determined to help them this way.
Lost in thought, I barely step onto the crumbling path to the Hawkins’ front door when it flies open, and Cassidy and Crystal come barreling out onto the porch.
My smile is automatic, the joy at seeing them again spontaneous and exciting.
Children of any age have never been a regular part of my life. I’m not completely ignorant about them but I’m surprised by how much fun I had with Candace and the twins yesterday afternoon.
Before they reach me, the girls are talking at once and while their voices are similar, they’re saying different things and the words are a jumbled, mangled together mess and in no way understandable.
“Slow down, slow down.” I laugh when they skid to a stop in front of me and simultaneously suck in a breath like a pair of synchronized swimmers. “One at a time, please.”
“Can you give us a ride to camp?” Cassidy asks with a pair of caramel-brown pleading eyes identical to her sister’s.
“I can. But where’s your brother?”
Crystal rolls her eyes, and I have to stifle a grin at the typical teenage action. “He’s busy on the phone.”
“Oh?” I glance at my watch. Who is he talking to at seven in the morning?
“Someone we don’t know,” Cassidy adds. “About playing hockey.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Drake?”
“No. Morgan, I think,” Crystal says with a scrunch of her brow.
Chase must have made the call because I didn’t give Drake any of Chase’s information or even a heads up. As much as I want to give Chase a helping hand, I want him to deal with this part of his career himself.
I’m going to be in control of a lot of what happens in his professional life from here on if he decides to take me up on my offer to play for the Rogues. Letting him take care of his choice of agent will keep Chase from feeling as though I’m taking over completely.
Not to mention my position as GM makes my involvement a conflict of interest. I’m already thinking I need to hand over Chase’s contract negotiations to Oakley.
“If your brother says it’s okay, I can take you where you need to go,” I tell them.
“He will. Candace isn’t awake yet, so he has to get her up, feed her, change her, and we’ll probably be late like we are every day of the week,” Cassidy gripes with a pout and folded arms.
I have to hold back a smile. “Okay. Let’s get inside and see what he needs help with before I take you to…where am I taking you?”
“Summer day camp.” Cassidy glances at Crystal. “We didn’t want to go but Dad enrolled us, and Chase said it would be good to keep things like before.”
“And it is,” Crystal rushes to add. “We wanted to go. When Dad signed us up.”
“Before…” Cassidy swallows, her eyes filling with tears. “Before Mom and Dad…”
My throat grows tighter, and my chest aches deeper with each word they say.
These girls have lost so much this year, and yet they’re still levelheaded enough to know what their brother said is true.
Sticking to some of their usual routine, doing things the way they were always done, can give them a small amount of the comfort their situation has done its best to rip away.
