I nodded my understanding.
“He’ll never play pro hockey again,” Orion said, his expression drawn and tense. “I know that for a fact. I thought we could work with him, but he’s killing us. And it fucking sucks to cut someone who loves this team as much as Shuck.”
“Yeah, he was loyal to the core,” I said, remembering all the times Shuck had stood up for one of the guys with no concern for himself.
“And he cried, so now I feel like a complete asshole.” Orion blew out a breath. “Sorry. I should’ve just said I cut him and left it at that.”
“Actually, it’s really good to know shit gets to you. I respect your decision. It was the right one. I love Shuck, too. If that’d been easy for you, I would’ve been fucking pissed.”
The corners of his lips edged up in a sad smile. “Thanks, Killian.”
“Was Bruce any help?”
Killian shrugged. “Bruce has a hard time with that stuff. He just sat there the whole time looking sad.”
“I’m sorry, man. That’s not a job anyone would’ve wanted to do. Shuck’s been a big part of this team.”
He nodded and rubbed his forehead.
“But we don’t work our asses off to lose,” I continued. “We’ve got to have a solid goaltender. So let’s move forward. I’ll let the other guys know about Shuck.”
Orion’s expression was grateful.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something else, too,” he said. “Sidney.”
The back of my neck tingled with awareness. “What about her?”
“You tell me.”
“What’ve you heard?” I asked.
“Nothing. I can just tell there’s something happening with the two of you.”
“What do you wanna know?” I asked defensively. “I haven’t slept with her.”
He put up a hand to stop me. “Hey. Relax. I’m mostly asking because I wondered if you needed someone to talk to about it.”
“Mostly?”
“We all know relationships with staff, or in this case, an owner, can be problematic. But one of my best friends ended up marrying our team trainer. It was right for them. So I’m not judging.”
My shoulders dropped with relief. “I don’t want any problems for her. She’s worked hard to get where she is.”
“She has,” he said, nodding. “But I imagine her intelligence and tenacity are part of her appeal.”
I nodded my agreement. “There’s not really anything about her I don’t find appealing. But . . . I don’t know. We both know it’s not the best idea.”
“Do what you think is right. Sometimes these things aren’t crystal clear. But don’t talk about her to the other boys.”
“No, never.”
“I’ve noticed changes in you since she came, and they’re all good, Killian. I like you a hell of a lot more than I used to.”
I laughed a single note as I remembered some of the shitty things I’d said to Orion when he first arrived.
“So I’m pussy-whipped now?” I shook my head with disgust at the thought. I’d hardly even had any of the pussy in question, so it seemed pretty unfair.
“Nah. You just stopped acting like a pissed-off teenager. Having someone around to impress will have that effect on a guy.”
“Yeah.”
“Do Bennett and Liam know? You three are pretty close.”
“Liam suspects. But things between me and Sid are between me and her, so I won’t be talking to anyone about it.”
Orion nodded. “Good. If you ever need a friend, I’m here. Not just for this, but for anything.”
“Thanks,” I said, standing. “I appreciate it.”
I left the office, wanting to stop by Sidney’s office and see her. But I had to stop doing that. It would create talk, if there wasn’t talk already.
Instead, I lifted weights. When I finished, I texted all the guys on the team that we were meeting. I wanted to tell them about Shuck in person.
It was mid-afternoon when I decided to put my skates back on and practice shooting. I brought out a bucket of pucks, shooting all of them and gathering them up to do it again several times over.
I needed the shooting practice, but I was also thinking about Sid. She was always the last one in the office. If I waited long enough, I could go up and see her without anyone knowing.
At six, I decided it was late enough. I took a quick shower, dressed in a clean T-shirt and sweats and headed upstairs.
The main office area was empty when I walked in, but her door was closed, which meant she was still here. I knocked softly and pushed it open.
“Hey,” she said, standing up from her chair behind the desk. Her hair was wound into a bun today and she was wearing glasses. And, as always, she looked sexy as hell.
“Hey.” I walked in and closed the door. “You feel like getting some dinner? We can go into Indy if you want.”
In the big city an hour away, we could get lost in the crowd and maintain our privacy.