Page 6 of The Attack Zone
“Easy for you to say,” I say. “Cassie at least liked you as a friend when you decided you wanted to be with her.”
Our coach chooses that moment to walk past us and lets out a light chuckle before hollering at the whole room. “Gentlemen! Let’s stop gossiping and get moving.”
Well, that’s embarrassing.
Then Coach gives me a nod and says, “We have work to do, Greggs.”
“Yes, sir,” I mumble. I grab my stick and waddle out of the dressing room.
The moment I step on the ice, a different man takes over. I feel like myself, my true self, when I’m skating. When I’m out in the real world, I seem to fumble and question my every move, but here I’m a force to be reckoned with.
I glide effortlessly from line to line, warming up and listening to instructions from our coach. Caleb and I are usually paired together on the defensive line, and while Caleb is by far the best defenseman in the NHL, I like to think it takes a special kind of player to be able to read him and be in sync with such a dynamic player. He was our MVP when the Blizzards won the Cup last year, and he deserved every bit of it. But I really love playing with him—he’s a good player and an even better person.
As we work on drills together, I’m reminded of how quiet Caleb used to be. He’s grown so much in the past year. He and Cassie are the best people, and as annoyed as I am that they’re forcing us together, I have to figure out how to work with Stacey to make this wedding work.
Even if it kills me.
CHAPTER 3
STACEY
THE NEXT DAY
My office isn’t fancy. I work for non-profits for a living, and while I do well for myself, I need my clients to know I’m not wasting the money they pay me on frivolous things.But shoes aren’t frivolous, I remind myself. Shoes are a necessity. I just happen to like nice ones and own about fifty pairs. So sue me.
Today I’m wearing purple pumps that make me feel like I can change the world. Which is probably good because that’s kind of my whole thing, making the world a better place. I board the elevator of my office building and take a long sip of my flat white. The flavor reaches my tongue right as my phone buzzes with a reminder. I have a meeting in ten minutes with a potential new client. Luckily, I already prepped my notes, and I feel totally ready, although if I don’t know if I have the capacity to take on any more clients.
Maybe I can finally cut Mitchell Greggs off...?
No, I can’t.Rebounds for Rescuesneeds me, and I wouldn’twant to upset Caleb or Cassie, or Thomas King or Hazel for that matter. Mitchell may drive me a bit bonkers, but I like the other people in our little group, and I need to buck up and deal with it. Plus, the dogs he rescues really do need homes.
This whole wedding thing isn’t going to help though. It means even more time with him. It means working together. It means having to agree on things.
Ugh.
The elevator doors open and I walk down the narrow hallway to my office. I unlock the door and take in the view. That’s the one thing I splurged on: I have an excellent view of the Denver skyline. My office might basically be a closet, but it has a floor-to-ceiling window, and I love it. I pull my laptop out of my purse and settle in at my desk to sign on to my video meeting early. I’m never late and I’m not starting now, especially not with a potential new client.
I’m knee deep in spreadsheets and fundraising data when my phone buzzes yet again. My morning went off without a hitch and while I seem to have accidentally skipped lunch again, I’m in the zone. This happens sometimes—I get so focused on my work that I ignore other things. It’s part of why I can’t be in a serious relationship. I’d choose my job every day of the week. So, I continue to ignore my phone, and I ignore it again when it buzzes with a reminder two minutes later.
I’m so close to reaching my quarterly goal for Caleb’s non-profit,Smashing Barriers, I can taste it. He and Mitchell both have big galas coming up and if I can just get a few more big-name folks there, I think both of them will reach their goals.
The problem with working with Caleb, even though I think he’s great and I love what his non-profit does in the community, is that it means I find myself involuntarily thinking about Mitchell Greggs much more than I’d like.Before I know it, I’m completely tuned out and paying zero attention to my beloved spreadsheets.
Dammit.
I flip my phone over and see that I have a message from none other than Mitchell himself.
Mitchell: Hey—we should talk wedding planning soon.
Good lord, I do not want to do this. Well, not with him, anyway. I love planning events. It’s my co-planner who’s the problem.
Stacey: I was thinking ... Maybe I’ll just plan it. We can tell Caleb and Cassie you helped if you want, but I can easily handle it.
I wait as he types his response, eager to see what he says.
Mitchell: No way. I know you can handle it alone, but we’re doing this the way Caleb and Cassie want. You already deal with me at work, I’m sure you can deal with me a few extra hours a week.
I know he’s right. And it’s not even like I hate Mitchell, exactly. He justreallygets under my skin. Whenever he’s around I can barely see straight, let alone put together cohesive thoughts. Still, Caleb and Cassie asked us to do this. I guess I can do what he’s asking. For my friends, of course.