Page 16 of Coach Sully
“I’m psyched about the coaching spot. It’s the show I’m not looking forward to. Trying to find love on camera? Seriously? I mean, can you imagine a worse person to do this?”
“It might not be so bad,” he says, pulling at the silver lining.
“It’ll be fine. It’s only six months of filming,” I say, trying to lighten the mood.
“Filming is six months. But the woman you meet might be forever.” He gestures with his beer bottle.
Huh?He’s right. There’s a chance that could happen. “Holy shit.”
As if I manifested her from my thoughts, Kendra breezes through the front door with Pierce Haldermann, one of the other executive producers. Seems like a stand-up guy, being the one who was on board with letting Kendra be my point of contact during production. Following behind him is a handful of whom I assume are the camera crew. I forgot they were attending. Something about getting a few shots for promo material and asking my old teammates what they think of me coaching and being on a dating show.
She assists them in setting up in one of the back corners, then circulates the room, socializing with guests. Her long-sleeved dress is short and tight, showing off each curve. My fingers itch to dig into those curves again. It’s fascinating to watch her work. She makes it look effortless. She’s a boss.
I can’t take my eyes off her. When she seems pleased with what she and the crew are accomplishing, she retreats and visits with Micky, who’s with Raleigh, Birdie, and Jordan—the WAGs of my former teammates. Kendra fits in like they’ve been lifelong friends.
Jesus, all I want to do is talk to her, but I’m in a fishbowl here. Everyone’s eyes are on me, hence me hiding in this dark corner sipping whiskey… and keeping my eyes on her and that body that continues to punish me from across the room.
After arriving at Sugar and Ice with a few of our camera operators and getting our team set up, I delegate tasks to ensure we capture the shots we need. I want it to look like a party and get clips of Sully interacting with his closest friends. He’s not doing me any favors by sitting in the corner and cutting his eyes… mostly at me.
Thankfully, the rest of the guests are loosened up. It helps to arrive after they have a few drinks in them. Sometimes, people perform in front of the camera, especially one-on-one, and forget how to act normal, but when you put them in a room full of their friends first, you can usually get more candid takes. This is an important night for Sully, celebrating his new position as head coach as well as his new role of most-eligible bachelor.
Once we’ve got most of our shots, I chat with Micky and some of the girls. I’ve previously been introduced to them, but this time I actually have time to get to know them. Raleigh is the wifeof Barrett Conway, who’s sitting with Sully. Barrett and Sully are best friends. They spent most of their hockey careers playing together and retired only a year apart. Sully is the godfather of their children. Their kids call him Uncle Sully. When she pulls out her phone to show me pictures with him, my heart melts into a puddle. He looks like a fun uncle.
I resist the temptation to turn around and look at him. I need to go over there and rip off the Band-Aid. It’s not like we can ignore each other. After all, I owe it to him for letting me keep my producer spot, even if I have to share the role with Jeremy. I haven’t decided if being coproducer is a blessing or a curse. In some ways, it feels like a punishment. If it were up to me, I’d be casting anyone but him, but my hands are tied and so are his. We’re both trying to do what’s best for our careers.
The soundbites we captured from his former teammates were all positive, and naturally, everyone is excited for him. There isn’t a bad thing about this guy—other than the fact that I can’t have him. I risk a peek over my shoulder, and he’s laughing with Barrett. One of the camera operators has the shot. They’re definitely getting his good side. Granted, every side is his good side. His gaze meets mine, and I turn my back to him again but still feel his eyes on me. Every time I look at his face, I’m reminded of the way he stared at me while his tongue was between my thighs. I can still feel the way he held me in his arms all night after fucking me within an inch of my life.
The room feels smaller and heat licks up my spine as I sense his presence growing closer. The women are talking about the Lakes and the recent Stanley Cup win. I smile and nod, playing my part, but can’t help but think about the fact that we’re in the same room, yet couldn’t be farther apart. Seconds later, a hand brushes my back, and his deep voice booms in my ear.
“Can we talk?”
My knees nearly buckle, but I turn around with a fake smile pasted to my face. “Of course!” I tell the women I’ll catch up with them later, and he leads me to the dark corner booth he was sitting at with Barrett Conway moments ago.
We sit down and stare at each other for a moment. I wonder if he’s feeling the same thing I am, unsure of how to speak to me. Where do we even stand now that everything’s changed?
“So…” I say, needing to fill the air.
He laughs, but it’s devoid of any humor. “What the fuck, Kendra?”
I exhale, wanting to avoid his eyes but unable to look away.
“I’m sorry for not answering your calls,” I say. “I wasn’t allowed to say anything, and I didn’t know how to talk to you without unloading… and honestly, I needed a couple days to work through the realization that you and I weren’t happening. I mean, it was just one night—” I’m rambling.
“You couldn’t have given me a little heads-up?”
“I wasn’t even supposed to know it was happening, it was confidential. Pierce only told me so that I wasn’t blindsided by losing another show. I would have been fired if it came back that I told you.”
He exhales, looking down and nodding while rubbing the back of his neck. “I understand.” His arm drops, and he raps the table with his knuckles. Finally glancing up at me again, he says what we’re both thinking. “This sucks.”
I nod. “Bad timing.” It ended before it even began.
“I really did like you, and hope you’ll give me another shot in six months when it’s over.”
What?
“What do you meanwhen it’s over?” I ask with a raised brow. This isn’t just some promotional stunt. Well, it is, but the women he’ll meet are real, and there’s a solid chance he could meet hisfuture wife. That’s the goal of the show, the love he develops has to be genuine, or the audience won’t buy it.
“I’d like to pick up where we left off.”