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With Christmas less than a month away, Falcons operations had started winding down which Allie thought was amusing. Hockey didn’t take a holiday. In fact, the Falcons were playing right before and right after Christmas—fortunately it was a homestand for the players and their families. But around the offices, staff was wrapping up projects, others were planning vacations and some were already talking about January. The Falcon Foundation committee was no different. With the last meeting of the year and only two planned in January, Allie worried about the details.
“Shouldn’t you be getting to the meeting?” Kyle asked.
“I’m in no rush,” Allie said without looking up from her computer. She was still pouring over foundation emails and documents. Her new job as director of financial and support services would start January second, and she wanted to be prepared. If she did well there, she might get an even better job in the organization in a year or two.
“But it starts in a couple of minutes.”
She glanced at her phone. No text from Cavallo to say that he wouldn’t attend. Her heartbeat quickened. A part of her didn’t want him there while the other part was desperate to see him. She had no idea how to handle it. She tapped her fingers on the desk, staring at her phone, waiting for the text. Would he do it with only seconds to spare? Send another infuriating message to say he couldn’t make it?
“Allie. Hello?” Kyle said, waving his hand in front of her face.
She looked up at him. His green eyes were narrowed with confusion. “What?”
“You gotta go. Normally you’re the first one there.”
“Right, okay.”
She gathered up her papers and her coffee. It was her fourth that day and her body vibrated from all the caffeine. Thoughts whirled around in her head, and she couldn’t stop her hands from shaking. Damn Cavallo. Why didn’t he text to say he couldn’t make it? She hated wanting to see him.
Allie entered the boardroom and from the corner of her eye she could see all the usual suspects, including Cavallo. Her breath caught in her throat but she kept her composure. She sat in her normal seat and was glad that Cavallo wasn’t in his. She scanned the room, nodding to all in attendance, refusing to make eye contact with him. She passed out the agenda and started the meeting which, thankfully, Tiffani took over.
For the first time since she’d taken the job, she barely listened to anything going on around her. She pretended to make notes, nodded when she thought she had to and tried with all her might not to look at Will. She could feel his intense gaze on her, but she wasn’t giving him the satisfaction. No way! She sipped her coffee and doodled on her notepad.
“Allie, are you all right with that? Are you even listening to me?”
Her attention snapped back to Tiffani, whose blue eyes had fire raging in them. “Sorry, I missed that last part.”
Tiffani huffed. “I think you missed a lot more than that. I said that since we are so under budget this year, I wanted to purchase small gifts for all the volunteers. I’ve already priced out a few things, and nothing would be more than ten dollars a person. It’s just a token thing. I also thought it would be nice to gift them all some raffle tickets. That wouldn’t cost us a thing.”
“Yes, that’s very nice. I don’t see why we can’t do that. Should we vote? Or is that not necessary?”
“Not necessary,” Cavallo said. “Nice touch, Tiff.”
Allie’s gaze shifted to Will. He stared back and she felt like a surge of electricity was coursing through her veins. The coffee wasn’t helping.
“I think that’s it. Everything else is under control,” Tiffani said. “I think we’re fine until January.”
Allie’s gaze returned to Tiffani. “Wonderful. Then let’s adjourn until the new year. In case I don’t see you all, have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.”
Allie gathered her papers while the ladies filed out. Cavallo darted for Allie and her body tensed while blood started racing through her veins.
“Hey, I thought we could talk,” he said, his back to the few ladies left.
She didn’t look up from her papers but put a smile on her face, mostly for the benefit of the others loitering about. None were paying attention, but Allie couldn’t know for sure.
“About what? I thought we said all we needed to.”
“I hate how I left it. Do you have a few minutes?”
“No, sorry. And as for how you left it, really, it’s fine. I get it. Have a good life.”
She side-stepped him and left the boardroom. She wondered if she’d been too harsh, but then again, he’d left her hanging. It was all for the best anyway.
#
“DO YOU THINK YOU’LL get your own office?” Kyle asked the next morning. Henry, the executive director of the Falcon Foundation, had sent over boxes of documents for her to review. She was thumbing through them, trying to organize it all.
“I didn’t get that impression from Tyler. Right now, I’m just a minion.”
“Henry’s looking at early retirement so that’s probably why they are priming you for the position. He can’t wait to get out of here.”
“How do you know all this?”
“Everyone thinks I’m a big oaf so they tell me shit. I guess they trust me.”
“I don’t think you’re a big oaf, and I do trust you.” She set one of the boxes to the side. “Tell me, do you like your job?”
“I love it. I’m probably the minority around here.”
“Who else likes their jobs?”
“A lot of the new people love it. They’re working for a professional hockey team. It’s not until upper management crushes their dreams do they realize how bad it really is. I think if a few people were fired, there would be more happy faces around here.”
“Like?”
“McIvor for sure. He’s an ass at the best of times. Dick Johnson is a tool. He thinks his shit doesn’t stink. If you ask me, Strewchuk is the only one around here keeping this team going.”
“How do you know this?”
“I told you. People trust me.”
Allie tackled another box. The foundation wasn’t nearly as badly managed as she thought. Henry kept a tight and organized ship with what little resources he had. His staff of two, well, now three, had a lot to do but managed to keep the foundation respectable. The only downside had been the gala and other wife-sponsored initiatives, and Allie had begun to turn that around.
“One of the great things about you is how likeable you are,” Allie said. “I wish I was that likable.”
Kyle grunted in protest. “I think you’re great. I love working with you, Allie. Other than my guys, you’re the best person around. My job got a lot better once I started sharing an office with you.”
“I love working with you too.”
Someone knocked on the open door. Allie looked up to see Cavallo on the threshold. His hair was damp from his after-practice shower. His tailored suit fit him perfectly. Her body froze.
“Hey, Will. Nice to see you,” Kyle said. “What can we do for you?”
“I came by to see Allie. It’s foundation stuff.”
“Perfect timing. I’m taking my lunch,” Kyle said.
Allie wanted to reach out and stop Kyle from leaving, but he stepped over her and the boxes and disappeared down the hallway. Cavallo walked into the cramped quarters and shut the door, an action that made Allie swallow hard. She got up and sat on the edge of her desk while Cavallo took the chair she normally used.
All she could think about was the speech he was going to give her. The thought of it made her angry. He’d already explained it all to her. How many times did he need to explain it? She’d gotten it loud and clear the first time, so why the need to drag her through it again?
“I figured the only way you’d talk to me is if I trapped you.”
She bit the inside of her lip and grasped tightly onto the edge of the desk. “Why do we need to talk?”
“Because I was a jerk.”
“If you’ve come to reiterate your position, to absolve yourself or whatever the hell you think you need absolution from, please don’t waste my time or yours. I get it. You can’t get involved with me or screw around with me, whatever it was that you wanted to do with me. If you want forgiveness, I will. Will Cavallo, I forgive you for being a jerk. Are we done now?” She couldn’t hold back her annoyance and she didn’t try. She’d wasted enough time thinking about him, wondering where it all went wrong and she didn’t want to hear a long list of why they couldn’t even try to make it work.
“I don’t know. Are you done? Because you seem to be the only one who gets to talk,” he said, exasperated.
Her hazel eyes opened wide. He had her full attention. “I’m sorry. Please, talk. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say,” she said sarcastically. “Is it going to go something like this: Allie, you’re a nice person and what I did was because I’d had too much wine? Or how about this: Allie, you’re sweet and I’m a scumbag. We’d never work out. Here is my personal favorite: Allie, you’re a nice girl, and one day you will find the perfect guy for you, but it’s not me because I’m a piece of shit.”
He shook his head and sighed. “You have quite the imagination. No, I wasn’t going to say anything like that. It’s funny, I thought you weren’t the spoiled-rich-kid type. I can see my first impression was wrong.”
She clenched her fists, trying to keep her anger in check. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d rattled her. “Let me get this straight. You kissed me, immediately regretted it, avoided me at every opportunity, and now you want to talk, clear the air, but you thought you’d insult me first? How do you want me to behave? Not only do I feel a bit humiliated and a tad on the defensive, but I’m hurt too. So sorry if the so-called rich spoiled brat is coming through.”
He threw his arms up in the air. “When I came here, this is not how I envisioned this going. Not by a long shot.”
“I’m not sure why you’re even here.”
He was about to speak but caught himself mid-breath. Allie waited, but he just stared, a hard stare that made her wither. He exhaled deeply. “We’d get in trouble.”
Those few words made Allie gasp. Did he have anything else to say? His stare was so intense Allie thought she might self-combust.
“Who would know?” she finally said.
“That’s just it. I’ve had weeks to think about this. Not many people know you around here. If we were careful, who would find out? But then what if your uncle found out? He’d ship me out of town the first chance he’d get.”
“He wouldn’t do that,” Allie said above a whisper. “He wouldn’t like it, but he’d also want me to be happy. You also happen to be one of the few players he likes.”
“And the guys. Do you know what would happen if they found out? I’d be a pariah. None of them would trust me again. No team would want me. I’d be finished.”
“No one would find out.”
“The risk is huge.”
“Am I worth the risk?”
His eyes met hers again. “Totally.”
She wanted to jump into his arms but anyone passing by could see them. Instead she remained planted where she was. “Now what?”
“I’m going to get up and leave, but I want to see you later. I hope to see you later. Come by my place? Say seven? I’ll make dinner and we can talk further.”
“I like that idea.”
He stood, nodded and left. Allie wanted to scream at the top of her lungs and dance around her eight-by-eight office, but she remained calm. She got out her phone and called Cate. Damn voicemail. She left a message and collapsed onto her chair.
“Something happen to you?” Kyle asked when he returned twenty minutes later. “Your face is all red and blotchy. You have a reaction to something?”
Allie smiled as a lightbulb went off. “Yes, must have been that granola bar. I’m going to take the afternoon off if that’s okay. Maybe have this looked at. Do you mind?”
“Nah, I won’t tell if you don’t.”
She grabbed her coat and purse. She had an evening to prep for.