10

Ainsley looked around the office, which was warm and welcoming, bright with the huge windows behind the modern, white table-style desk, a tall white bookshelf on one side with a shelf entirely devoted to pictures. Most were of the little girl she’d just seen, but a few were of Rebecca with Scott, then Rebecca with another man.

Then Rebecca with them both and the little girl. A tender family portrait that showed the three adults were very clearly in love.

Ainsley had heard rumors of poly relationships among the team, but she hadn’t paid much attention to them. The idea of being with more than one person had never appealed to her, but she didn’t judge. Actually, she was impressed that some managed the complexities of it. That they found that kind of love with more than one person.

After Isaac’s death, she’d never known that kind of connection with anyone. Gordon had come close, she had loved him in a way, but sometimes she wondered if it was simply the result of being alone for so long. Maybe she should stop waiting for Mr. Right. Where would he even find her? She did nothing but work and hang out with her son. Her Minecraft skills were exemplary, but wouldn’t lead to romance.

She had to get herself out there. Or lower her standards. Probably both.

No man would ever measure up to Isaac. Some would pretend, but she knew exactly where that led.

The door clicked and she turned as Rebecca stepped into the office.

“I’m sorry, today has been a day. Everyone’s getting sick, including Mrs. Bower’s nanny. I wasn’t supposed to come in today, so I had all the little ones when I was called in to put out some fires. I had to bring them with me, and Scott left the gym to come get them.” Rebecca shook her head, looking a little frazzled. “More than you need to know. He will be fine. He’s an amazing father. He’s just never had so many kids to watch over, on his own…” She took a deep breath. “When are you meeting with Mrs. Bower? Would you like some coffee?”

“No, thank you. I’m meeting with her in about fifteen minutes.” Ainsley grinned as Rebecca headed to the other side of the desk and leaned on it. “Believe me, I know how you feel. Being a mother with a demanding career can be challenging, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Yes! Exactly!” Rebecca lowered to her office chair and took a deep breath. “I wouldn’t normally dump something like this on someone so new, but I tried to get the message to Silver before her meeting, and I don’t think she got it.”

“All right… Would you like me to bring her a note?”

“She won’t read it, she’s overscheduled herself again. But I need to know how to handle the conflict with her meeting with Donnell Priest, the same day as his nephew shows up for training camp. The press will have a field day if it gets out. If he’s a potential investor it will ruin any chances the young man has of being taken seriously unless I play this right.”

Ainsley’s brow furrowed. “Mr. Keane mentioned a new prospect as well. Though… I assumed she wouldn’t be involved with the players at all. She handles marketing and the Ice Girls with her brother, right?”

Maybe she hadn’t done enough research, but she’d tried to come prepared. Finding details without stooping to gossip columns proved more difficult than she’d expected. Many of those in management on the team had vague titles, and their positions seemed to overlap. Oriana Delgado, the eldest of the siblings, worked in the medical department, but also sat on the board.

To say thing were complicated here would be an understatement.

But Rebecca simply smiled and shook her head. “Silver has her hands in pretty much everything. Mr. Keane has final say, but neither of them handle the team roster. That responsibility lies with Silvers husband, Dean Richter, who I’m sure you know is the General Manager.”

“Silver Bower… But she’s married to your…” Ainsley inhaled slowly. She had to stop being surprised that not all the relationships in and around the team were monogamous. The ‘default’ didn’t apply here. Which made sense, if she thought about it. Building a space where people were comfortable exploring something other than the norm would expand the possibilities. Some players wanted to be here because they didn’t feel they fit anywhere else. One of the many things she loved about the team.

That lack of judgment might be one of the reasons she’d gotten the job.

She cleared her throat and shook her head. “I’m sorry, I must sound unprepared, but I intentionally ignored the rumors. I know how harmful they can be.”

“I know you do, and don’t worry. Silver wanted to support you out of outrage at how you’d been treated after the scandal with your former boss. I realized you’d be a good fit when I saw how you responded to it.” Rebecca held up a hand when Ainsley’s lips parted. “This wasn’t a pity hire. Your qualifications are exemplary. I’ve spoken to a few of your past managers—not my job, but Silver didn’t want to leave this to Human Resources. She wanted to give you the job the second she recognized the name on your application from the video that had gone viral.”

Face blazing, Ainsley inclined her head. She’d hoped to start off fresh here, but apparently her shame wasn’t a secret.

Rebecca continued. “There was some bitterness from your old managers—they believe you used your looks to get ahead—but once I got them past that, most admitted you’re a hard worker. You went out of your way to learn about new software, the inner workings of the company, the needs of the customers that weren’t immediately apparent. They had you doing work that wasn’t part of your job long before you were promoted. I believe you’ll be able to meet all Silver’s needs and that’s no small task. As you can see, those can change day to day.”

Nodding, Ainsley stood and checked her watch. She had five minutes. “I’ll do my best.”

“Good. And I look forward to working with you. Perhaps you can give me a head’s up if she’s planning to go on a social media rant. Give me a chance to do damage control.”

“Or I can talk her out of posting the rant at all?”

With a chuckle, Rebecca came around the desk and walked her to the door. “If you pull that off, I’ll be even more impressed. Have a great day, Ms. Lalonde. Honestly, I’m positive you’ll do well here.”

“Thank you. But please, call me Ainsley.” Ainsley stepped back into the hall, more confident about her position with the organization than she’d been before. The chat with Rebecca had been exactly what she needed.

“I will. And call me Becky. We aren’t formal here. Except with Mr. Keane. He’s been good for the team, but he’s a very private man and can be a little intimidating. You likely won’t be working with him very often, so you’ll have a chance to settle in before—”

“Damn it, Becky, will you stop hogging my PA?” A teasing voice called from down the hall. Sharp heel clicks approached as Silver Delgado joined them outside the door of Rebecca—no, Becky’s office. Dressed in a metallic grey skirt suit, pale blond hair pulled back in a sleek bun, Silver looked stylish and professional, and much more poised than Ainsley had expected. She didn’t seem like a model playing at being a businesswoman. Her confidence made it hard to believe she’d ever done anything else.

Becky arched a brow. “You were in a meeting.”

“I was, but I know how to manage my own schedule.”

“You really don’t. What if whatever you were discussing with Mr. Priest took longer than expected? Your new PA would be standing in the hall, waiting for you. You have to give yourself more time between meetings. Or rather—” Becky’s lips curved as she glanced over at Ainsley. “—your personal assistant will make sure you haven’t overlapped.”

“One of the many reasons she’s here. Now stop mothering me, Becky. I know what I’m doing.”

“Uh huh. Speaking of Mr. Priest—”

“Hadn’t planned to. See you at lunch, Becky.” Silver motioned for Ainsley to follow her. “Love the woman, but she worries too much.”

As they walked away, Becky let out a soft laugh, mumbling under her breath before retreating to her office.

Silver’s corner office was at the end of the long hall, almost twice the size of Becky’s, but there were two large desks set in front of the windows. The office wasn’t as neat as Becky’s, with several boxes of books and paperwork against an empty, antique rosewood bookcase, but it seemed like there’d been some recent changes to it. The two large desks that matched the bookcase were practically untouched, with big, comfortable looking, leather, executive chairs behind them. The desk directly across from the door had two small, leather chairs in front of it. There were two large, framed prints set against the wall by the bookcase, one of Marilynn Monroe looking thoughtful, and the other of two dragonflies, rising up over a field of flowers.

Stepping up to her side, Silver sighed and looked around the office. “I’d hoped to have this all set up before you got here, but Becky’s right. I tried to do too much and…” She motioned at the boxes. “This happened. But it will come together. I hope you like your desk? Most PA’s have smaller ones, but I wanted you to feel like this is your space, as much as it’s mine.”

Sweet, but not necessary. When she’d been Gordan’s assistant, she’d had a small office close to his, not much different than Becky’s. She wondered if Silver had ever had a PA before. But she wouldn’t ask. She appreciated the job, never mind all the effort that had gone into making her feel welcome.

“This is perfect. Thank you. And I can get the office organized in no time. Don’t even worry about it.”

Silver frowned. “That’s not your job.”

“Mrs. Bower—”

“Silver. Please call me Silver. I’ll go nuts having someone around all day, treating me like I’m their…” She didn’t finish the sentence. Instead, she walked over and dropped into one of the chairs in front of her desk. “I’m your boss, and I get that. But I didn’t think I needed an assistant. My husband insisted as I started getting involved in more around here. The team is losing momentum and I need to fix that. Whatever it takes.”

“I understand. And I’m ready to do whatever you need from me.” Ainsley moved to the second chair, glancing at Silver, then sitting when she nodded. “What specifically would you like me to handle? Your schedule is obvious, but do you have a secretary to take your calls, or would you like me to handle that as well?”

“I had an amazing secretary. I hired her after I got rid of Anne…” Silver rolled her eyes. “Long story, I won’t get into it now. Megan got married and moved to Alberta with her husband this summer. I wasn’t sure if I should hire another secretary too. Human resources takes care of that, and they had a list of people who would have been perfect, but…I don’t know. I’m not easy to work with, and bringing in two new people? No. Just no.”

Ainsley inclined her head, seeing how much the idea overwhelmed Silver. She was good at playing the part of a savvy businesswoman, but now that they were alone, she’d let the mask fall. Which was good. It would be easier for Ainsley to figure out Silver’s needs if she wasn’t pretending she didn’t need anything.

“If taking calls and managing emails takes too much time away from my other tasks, I’ll hire a secretary for you. Let’s give it a week to see how things go.” Ainsley relaxed as Silver nodded, the tension in her expression fading. “Becky mentioned sending you messages that you hadn’t seen. Do you want me to sort through those and see if there are others to take care of?”

“Yes, that would be awesome. But first tell me what she wanted. I feel bad not taking her calls all the time, but some days I just want to throw my fucking phone off the roof. Ever since news got out about Keane thinking about selling the team, it just doesn’t stop ringing.”

“Is that why Mr. Priest was here?”

“Yes. He’s got the money to take over, but I had to find a way to make the idea appealing. Me saying I might do a movie for him wasn’t enough incentive.” Silver’s lips slanted. “But he welcomed that idea as well. I think he knows I’m desperate.”

Not a great way to do business, but Silver was in over her head. Ainsley was good in a crisis, so long as she wasn’t the cause. Maybe she could help Silver negotiate more strategically, once she established what kind of advice would be welcomed.

“He asked you to invite his nephew to training camp?”

“He…well, yeah, pretty much. I told him I could only do so much, but he believes the kid wasn’t given a fair shot. He wasn’t even drafted and his stats are just as good as some of the guys picked in the first round. Players were invited months ago, so convincing my husband to add to the list wasn’t easy. And I couldn’t very well tell him why I was doing it.” She rubbed a hand over her face. “My past is messy. I don’t want it fucking up everything I’ve built. The person I’ve become. But life doesn’t come at you, asking you nicely what you’d like to deal with today. How do I look at my husbands and say ‘Yeah, so I was really desperate to get an audition, so I found this producer at a club and gave him a blowjob under the table. But he said I have talent and not because I swallow!’.”

Ainsley blinked. Quickly schooled her features. Yes, she could see that being an uncomfortable conversation to have with one’s husband. “That puts Mr. Priest in a strong position to negotiate, but all you could offer was his nephew getting a chance to prove himself.”

Please tell me that’s all you offered.

“Exactly, but that was enough for him. I was nervous to have him come here, but he was the perfect gentleman. He just wanted to let me know what he was willing to do.”

“Which is?”

Silver pressed her eyes shut. “He’s looking into the team. If he thinks it’s worth investing in, he’ll make an offer. Give it a year in Dartmouth to see if he can make things work. If not, he’s moving us to San Antonio.”

“Do you think he’ll find a reason to keep them here?”

“I hope so.” Silver’s tone was tight, and she lowered her gaze. “It’s all I could think of. If Keane sells, we’ll have no more than a year. If Priest buys the team, we’ll have at least two. All I can do is buy us some time.”

“It’s a start. But right now, Becky seems concerned with how this will play out in the media. Mr. Priest’s nephew…”

“Russell. Russell Priest.”

“All right, Russell will be at a disadvantage if it gets out that his uncle bought his way into the team.”

“But he didn’t!”

Ainsley gave Silver a level look.

The woman sighed. “I get what you’re saying. But the meeting was private. Can’t we go with him coming to see his nephew try out and then became interested in the team?”

Opening her briefcase and pulling out a notebook, Ainsley nodded. “I’ll suggest that to Becky. She wants to be prepared and that’s reasonable. From the sounds of it, Priest won’t be announcing his interest in the team anytime soon, but his nephew will be in the media already if he does well. If we control the narrative, we can keep the stories separate. Hockey fans aren’t interested in what the investors, or even the owners, are doing.”

“Exactly! That will be perfect. I don’t want Russell having a hard time, he really is an amazing player, and if he performs like I think he will, all everyone will talk about is how awesome we are at finding talent.”

“But if he’s mediocre, and this gets out, the story will be about a rich kid getting an opportunity he doesn’t deserve.”

Silver’s lips slanted. “You’re going to spend a lot of time making sure I’m realistic about shit, aren’t you?”

Ainsley had never heard anyone, especially a woman, swear so much at work, but she was strangely relieved that Silver didn’t filter her language. She wanted the woman to be comfortable and honest.

“Realistic, yes. But if you’d like I can also help you present your ideas so they might become the reality. Though you manage quite well on your own, considering you did get the young man an invitation. Mr. Keane asked if you’d like to see his tryouts.”

“You talked to Keane?”

“I did. He was…” Ainsley’s cheeks heated. She stared at her notes. “He’s impressive.”

“That’s one word for him.” Silver gave her a knowing look. “But he’s technically your employer, so you’re not going there again, right?”

“Not even considering it.”

“But he’s hot and you’re tempted.”

“Silver, you do know this conversation is inappropriate?”

“You brought him up.”

Deep breath. Focus on the task at hand. Becky had warned her about Silver. So had Keane. Both did so fondly, but in a way that made it easier to adjust to the fact that she wasn’t dealing with a stressed-out corporate-type. Silver was still the starlet she’d been in Hollywood. Only edgier, a little more settled down, and less willing to smile for the camera.

I can do this.

“I did, but I’d be grateful if we could change the subject?” She breathed out a sigh of relief at Silver’s nod. Then bit back a groan when she realized she hadn’t relayed the whole message. “Mr. Keane rescheduled the board meeting to after lunch. Is there anything you need me to prepare before then?”

“No, I already sorted everything out and left the notes…” Silver looked around her office, shoulders slumped. “Holy fuck, this place is a disaster. I can’t believe I met with a fucking billionaire with my office looking like this.”

“I’m pretty sure he didn’t care that you’re doing some redesigning before the season begins. He hasn’t given you anything, and you’ve already offered his nephew an amazing opportunity.” Simply changing the way things were perceived had Silver nodding and smiling. Ainsley smiled back, then stood, looking around. “Would you like me to get things organized in here? Help you find those notes?”

“That would be perfect.”

“Great.” Ainsley stood, heading over to the boxes. She brought two to her desk, wincing as she began pulling out files. Player files, Ice Girl files, and tax forms were all haphazardly stuffed into the same box. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to Silver’s filing system. Or a system at all. How in the world did she find anything?

At the other side of the office, Silver began putting books on the shelves, humming to herself. The books were placed on the shelf with no thought to the sizing, subject, or alphabetical order. Ainsley took yet another deep breath and fought the urge to take over that task as well.

One thing at a time. This wasn’t her office.

The door opened suddenly. The harsh scent of cigarette smoke hit her and she blinked at the young man who burst in, red-faced and breathless, black suit jacket and tie undone, his dark, golden brown hair windblown. He lifted a cigarette to his lips with a shaky hand, his eyes locked on Silver.

“Anthony said I can take my son out for lunch.”

Silver frowned at the man, striding over and taking the cigarette from him. She strode back to her desk and dropped the thing in her coffee cup. “You’re not allowed to smoke in here, Ford. Sit down and pull yourself together.”

“Sorry.” Ford raked his fingers through his hair, then glanced over at Ainsley. “Shit, I’m…I apologize for bursting in like that.”

“That’s quite all right.” Ainsley placed the player file on top of the others she’d piled up on her desk. This was Silver’s brother and he clearly needed his sister’s support for whatever he was dealing with. “Would you like me to step out for a bit so you can talk?”

“No, it’s all right. I shouldn’t—”

“Ford. Sit.” Silver put a hand on her brother’s shoulder before he could stand. “Ainsley, could you get us some coffee? I swear, things aren’t usually this dramatic.”

“They totally are.” Ford ducked as his sister lightly swatted the back of his head. “What? You know I’m right.”

“Shut up.”

“I come here to talk to you and you tell me to shut up?”

“Oh my god, you’re impossible.”

“Wow. Totally feeling the love.”

Ainsley bit back a laugh and caught Silver’s eye. “I’ll be right back.”

Grabbing her purse, she hurried out of the office. She’d passed a Timmies on the way here, and going there for coffee would give the siblings time to work out the issue Ford was having with his son. Whatever it was sounded complicated, but none of her business.

Which included half the things she’d learned in the last thirty minutes, but she was used to knowing quite a bit about her employers’ personal lives. Sometimes it helped her do her job better. Knowing when to reschedule appointments because her boss was going through emotional trauma, so they could put their best foot forward with a business partner, made their lives easier. Which was exactly what she was there for.

She had a feeling she’d have to be extra attentive of the family dynamics with Silver. The Dartmouth Cobras didn’t belong solely to the Delgados anymore, that much she knew, but Silver wasn’t the only one with her hands in everything. It was hard to imagine a man like Keane, who was so distinguished and in control, managing a company alongside someone so young and unpredictable, but he seemed to manage. Somehow.

Maybe she should ask him how he did it.

Or maybe you should find every way possible to avoid him.

Yes. That was a better idea. He was already slipping into her thoughts way too often. Her skin prickled as she walked by his office. She swallowed hard, hoping he wouldn’t come out. While also hoping he would.

When she reached the elevator without seeing a single person, she was both relieved and disappointed. Maybe she had been on her own for too long. Finally being back into the chaotic rush of the business world, which no one ever saw unless people like her weren’t doing their jobs, was invigorating. She had to keep calm. Give herself time to adjust to this life again. Only, this time, without giving in to temptation.

One thing for sure. Her job definitely wouldn’t be boring.

And she was looking forward to a quiet night of Minecraft with her son.