"Thanks."
"That guy who tried to hit you … is he okay?"
"Yeah."
"I thought for sure you were going to get in a fight after that. And they kept after you the rest of the game. I saw that slash! Who was that? He didn't even get a penalty!"
"Ledoux. I know. Shit happens."
"I know what you need."
"What?"
"Phone sex."
He choked on a laugh. But hell yeah … that would definitely take his mind off other shit. "Hmmm. Okay. What are you wearing?"
-
Katelyn high-fived Sidney after a successful party to launch the new cocktail menu at Belmondo Wednesday night.
"Great job," Sidney said. "You handled everything and made things so much easier for me. I'm impressed."
Katelyn grinned. "It's what I do."
"Would you be willing to do this again?"
"Absolutely!"
"I have another client I'm working with. We probably won't be ready to launch the new cocktail menu until sometime in May."
"Well, I have a few things booked in May, but the sooner you can get me a date, the better, so I can schedule you in."
Excitement danced in her stomach. If things kept going this way, she'd have to hire an assistant. Maybe find actual office space rather than working out of her home. Somewhere she'd have more storage space for decorations and props she could reuse.
With a huge smile on her face, she drove home from the restaurant, excited to tell Tanner about another job. Except things had been a little weird between them since that night they'd had dinner with his dad.
This morning she'd read the sports section of the Tribune, though, with the news of Julien's contract, and more speculation about how the team likely couldn't afford both him and Tanner, and her mood had dipped even lower.
She wanted to know more about it, to understand this complicated business better, so she spent some time Googling it and wrapping her head around the salary cap issue, nibbling on her thumbnail as she read.
She hated this uncertainty for him. He was such a good player, always trying to be better, working hard, knowing where his weaknesses were so he could overcome them.
She'd known going into this, though, that nothing was certain and a trade was a real possibility. Anything was possible. She knew the other wives and girlfriends dealt not only with trades, but also the knowledge that the players could be hurt … seriously hurt. Ryan Kirby was still out with a concussion.
She'd accepted that back in college, the nervousness about the hard hits and the fights and even the fluke things that could happen when guys were moving so fast on sharp blades. She'd had to deal with it, if she wanted to be with Tanner. She couldn't watch every game on the edge of her seat, peeking through her fingers, stomach in knots. She'd had to get over that and be there for him, really there, cheering him on.
And now she had to do the same with the trade possibility. On the phone with him, she'd tried so hard to be cheerful and supportive. To not let on how anxious she was about what was happening, about how she was dreading the news that he'd been traded. She had to be there for him, rooting for him, supporting him no matter what. She wanted the best for him and his career. Even if that meant leaving her. Because she loved him.
She sighed as she entered her little apartment, flicking on the overhead track lights. She dropped her stuff on the floor, kicked off her heels, and padded over to the bed she'd left unfolded and unmade that morning. She found the remote for her TV and curled up in the pillows to watch the end of the game in Detroit.
Ugh. The Aces were losing. That sucked. Only two-one, but there were just a few minutes left in the game. She sat forward, watching the action as the Aces put some pressure on the other team, bombarding the goalie with shot after shot, which he kept kicking out. Or catching. The whistle blew to stop the play.
She sighed. She did love hockey. She'd missed watching it. She'd missed Tanner.
It was miraculous that their lives had intersected again. She smiled, though it held a hint of sadness as the horn blew to end the game. Well, you couldn't win them all. Losses were just part of the equation.
Tanner would probably call her later, so she slid off the bed and headed to her bathroom to wash her face and get ready for bed. She'd keep her cellphone close so that even if she fell asleep she'd have it right there. She'd be able to commiserate about the loss, tell him about the launch party, and that she likely had another job with Sidney.