Page 24 of Wicked Truths
I’ll have to ask her about it the next time I see her.
As if conjuring her up in my mind, she pops her head through my open door. “Hey, I need you to meet with the head coach and the goalie coach to go over player public relation stuff.”
“What kind of stuff? They do realize today is my first day here, right? I haven’t even been able to go through the binder yet.”
“They want you to have a public relation lesson day with the guys.”
“That sounds pointless. These are grown men, not toddlers.”
They should already know what is good press, and what is bad press. They should know what will reflect negatively on the team, but I am new and don’t have a leg to stand on, so I agree.
“Alright, show me the way.” I close the binder and leave it on my desk before following her down the stairs to the ice.
The air is chilly, and I wish I had a hoodie or something to keep me from freezing. Hopefully, this won’t take too long. My gaze wanders around the ice, looking for the coaches before meeting Rhett’s gaze.
Damn, he looks great in his blue and white practice jersey.
Alexandra nudges my side with her elbow before our phones ding.
“That’s too much of a coincidence, right?” I say as I dig my phone out of my pocket.
“It has to be related to work because no one else would message both of us at the same time. Either that, or it’s a hell of a coincidence.”
Looking down at my phone, I see a message from Dad.
Upper staff meeting in five minutes.
“Upper staff? Like upstairs?”
Alexandra nods as she reads the same message on her phone. She looks across the ice at an older man and yells, “Sorry coach, but there’s a meeting with the boss. We will have to reschedule.”
He nods, looking unaffected by the sudden change of plans.
“Come on, we have to hurry. We can’t keep the boss waiting.”
“Yeah, that would be bad. The last person to make him wait lost their job and had to move away.”
At least that’s the story that was told.
No one keeps Arturo Marino waiting, not if they want to see another day.
Chapter Seven
FRANCESCA
Despite needingto leave the ice in order to make it to the meeting without being late, Alexandra and I stay put for several moments.
I break my gaze from Rhett’s heated stare and turn to face Alexandra.
Her gaze is laser focused on the three guys on the ice, and I can’t tell if she’s curious about hockey or if she’s crushing on one of the players.
I watch her silently, hoping it’s not Rhett that she’s crushing on. When Rhett skates down the ice closer to us, her gaze stays down the ice.
She’s watching Joey from across the ice. It seems like something could be going on with the two of them. They work together here, and I would assume she works with the other side of business.
And from my own experience, it’s important to find someone that knows all about the business and the family.
If not, it will be the driving force between you, like it was for me and Rhett.