Edge(68)
“But next year?”
“One thing at a time, okay? Let’s go shower and get to practice. The last thing we need is to be late today.”
She nodded numbly. Her miserable expression reinforced what I already knew. Butch Price was a mean bastard. And I was at the top of his shit list.
Chapter 12
Dell
I hoped my father got the message I was sending with my icy glare – Don’t you dare speak to me.
Luke and I were the focus of everyone’s confused look or knowing stare. This was just the kind of drama I’d always avoided.
“Did you know about this?” Vic murmured as I worked out a kink in his neck.
“No.”
“That’s fucked up.”
“Yeah,” I said, still numb from the news.
“Poor Luke,” Vic said, shaking his head.
My dad was making Luke’s line work late at practice. He’d given his coach talk to the entire team and staff before diving right in to practice. I’d heard it all before – no slacking and no excuses was the abbreviated version.
I’d turned ten shades of crimson when he’d emphasized in front of everyone that no fraternization between players and staff would be allowed. No exceptions.
The man who had held my hands and patiently glided backwards for endless trips around the rink teaching me to ice skate when I was little was now publicly humiliating me. I hadn’t even moved here yet, and already this job had turned out to be too good to be true. But I was bound by a contract and had been replaced at my former job.
My options were limited, but I wouldn’t relent quietly. I bided my time, organizing my new office, and eventually, as I knew he would, my dad wandered in.
“I meant to call you, but this all happened very quickly,” he said sheepishly.
I held my tongue, fighting back the profanities I wanted to scream at him. The rolls of bandages I was loading into a cabinet suddenly became fascinating as I focused all my attention on them.
“Can I come by and see Kyler at your new place?” he asked.
“We haven’t moved in yet. You’re welcome to come by my boyfriend’s place – that’s where we’re staying. Or will I be fired if I go home with him?”
“Adella …” He sighed, already sounding exasperated. “Relationships between players and staff are a bad idea for everyone. I’ve been coaching a hell of a long time, and I know a thing or two.”
“You bring crazy to a whole new level!” I rounded on him angrily. “You just can’t let me be happy, can you? How dare you come here and order us around?”
“I’m the coach of this team. That’s my job.”
“Drop the façade, Dad.” My voice was laced with sarcasm.
“I won’t have you speaking to me this way, as a member of my staff or as my daughter,” he said, his tone cool and level.
“In that case, how can I help you, sir? Because if you’ve got no business with me, I’d like to get back to work.”
He pointed a finger at me, a storm of darkness brewing in his eyes. “I’m looking out for you and Kyler, Adella. The last thing you need is to get knocked up by another hockey player.”
His words stung. “You think so little of me, Dad.”
“No, it’s just the opposite. I think very little of him. His father lost everything from chasing women and drinking. I’ve asked around, and Luke’s quite the ladies man.”
“Oh, really? Since when? Since he met me?” My tone was defensive on Luke’s behalf because I knew down to my bones that he wasn’t messing around on me.
“That’s only been a couple months. Be smart, Adella. Don’t waste all you have to offer on a hockey player who’s probably slept with hundreds of women.”
His hair was silvery gray now, but his harsh, judgmental tone was the same one I’d been listening to for two decades. I was tired.
“I haven’t been with anyone since John, Dad. Only Luke. It took five years for me to think anyone was worth taking a chance on.” I sank down to my exam table with defeat. “And now my own father is here trying to sabotage it and embarrass us both in the process. It’s crushing, to be honest with you. Why can’t you just support me?”
“I do.” His voice was impassioned now, and he moved to stand in front of me. “You deserve better than him, Adella.”
“Better than the man who makes me happier than I’ve ever been.” I shook my head. “You’ve been lobbying for six years for me to be with John, and we both know what kind of man he turned out to me.”
He cringed, making the lines on his face stand out. “I didn’t think he was capable of that.”