Page 49 of Face Off

It worked? The fans were supporting him? I cleared my throat and nodded. “That’s good.”

She cocked her head with narrowed eyes. “Isn’t it?”

I turned away from her and hurried to the elevators before anyone else could confront me about playing favorites. It wasn’t like Mikey was the only player I posted about. He just happened to be in several of them.

The lift stopped, and the doors opened to the locker room floor.

My stomach was a giant knot. Why was I so nervous to talk to the players?

I wasn’t. That was the problem. It wasn’t the thought of walking in on their practice like I belonged there that had me thinking I might throw up. They were nice. I’d even had the chance to talk to Coach Romney and Coach Rust. They were all great guys.

There was only one of them causing my mini freak-out.

Mikey. The one I should be the most comfortable around. The one I knew the most, even if it wasn’t all that much.

We confided in each other. He cared for my daughter. We knew each other’s secrets. We were clearly past the line of just colleagues or acquaintances. We were friends.

That was a good thing. It was just what I needed right now.

So, dear stomach? Why are you freaking out?

Because my mind knew it was more than that. How could I act normal around him when I admitted to myself that a part of me was falling for him?

A teeny-tiny part. Nothing to be concerned about. I was sure it was just a crush that would fade with time and more exposure. It likely had more to do with how he treated Sadie than anything else. I wasn’t used to seeing a man in her life, and I liked it. Too much. I would probably feel the same way if it was any man, not specifically Mikey.

That wasn’t true.

But whatever it was, it managed to be enough to change me from a respectable woman to a giddy teenager who wanted to drive by her crush’s house to see if he was home.

I needed to put on my big girl pants and be professional.

The elevator doors opened, and I stepped into the black and maroon hall decorated with mementos and a timeline dotted with important moments in the Fury’s history.

I could hear the distinct sound of sticks slapping pucks, so I walked straight out through the tunnel that led to the ice. I stayed back enough to not be seen while I took in the energy radiating from the players. They were flowing through a shooting drill in perfect synchronization. It was memorizing to watch, and after a few seconds, I looked at their faces, recognizing each as they passed.

“Hi, Holly.” Amelia walked over from the bench. “What brings you down?”

“Chloe wants some quotes from the guys to post tomorrow before the game.” It was the big charity game that we were focusing on as a team to help bring in more donations.

“Cool. Who do you want?” she asked.

I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I’d been too busy not freaking out about seeing Mikey.

“Whoever’s available.” Since Chloe didn’t name anyone specific, I figured it didn’t matter. Fans liked hearing from Hartman, of course, but I wanted to make sure it wasn’t always the same players that were featured.

She looked back at the bench. “They should be done in a few minutes, but Nikolai came off a minute ago with equipment issues. Come over here.”

I followed her, eyeing the enormous Russian I hadn’t really had a chance to talk to.

“Hey, Holly needs help.” Amelia shook his padded shoulder. I wondered for a moment how she could be so brave, then I remembered he was her brother-in-law.

He shifted on the bench to face me, sweat dripping down his face and making his hair damp. “Da?”

I blinked. This was Elena’s husband. She was one of the kindest people I’d ever met. He couldn’t be that bad. “I just need a quote about tomorrow’s charity game. Maybe how you feel about the competition, how the team is looking, or something about the children’s hospital?”

That was the main charity that the Fury foundation supported.

His eyes lit up. “The children’s hospital is very good. They helped my sister. I am happy to support them.”