Playing the Game (The Renegades) (Volume 3) (7 page)

Melanie pulled her buzzing cell phone from her pocket
and glanced at the screen with a hard sigh. “Excuse me Paige, I
have to take this. I’ll talk to you in a bit.” She hurried out of
the office.

A little while later, Paige jumped at a knock on her
door, almost spilling her second cup of coffee. It was Melanie,
looking more frazzled than she had before. “Paige, I need a huge
favor.” Her face was flushed and serious. “I’m so sorry, but I
can’t make the meeting with Tyler after all. I don’t have a lot of
time, but after a very long night and little sleep my day has gone
from bad to worse. My mom fell last night, and we had to take her
to the ER because she hit her head pretty bad. My husband is with
her now so I could try to handle this mess with Tyler, but he just
called and”—she took a deep breath trying to compose herself—“the
doctors say she had a stroke. I need to go.”

“
Oh no, I’m so sorry. Don’t worry
about a thing. You go do what you need to. I’ll cancel the meeting
with Tyler and—”

“
No.” Melanie cut Paige off. “I
need you to take the meeting with Tyler. I have family things to
handle, but this can’t wait either. Since I can’t be the one to
talk to him, it’s up to you. I trust you can handle him. Now I
don’t have time to contact him, so you’ll just need to catch him
when he comes to my office. He’ll be here about nine, and he’s
never late.”

Paige bit her lip. “But I could just text him and
postpone until you get back?”

“
Nonsense. You can do this, Paige.”
Melanie waved her insecurities off. “I’ll check in with you later.”
Melanie headed into the hallway.

“
Okay,” Paige called after her
nervously, not understanding why she couldn’t just postpone the
meeting until later. “I hope your mom is okay.”

“
Oh, she will be—I mean, thanks.”
She disappeared down the hall.

Paige kept her door open instead of closing it like
she usually does, and sat back down at her desk. Glancing at her
watch, it was eight fifteen. She was going to need more coffee to
get through this day. How long could a meeting with Tyler really
take? Surely she’d be out of here before lunch. There was no game
tonight and the players had a day off from practice. As soon as she
finished going through the email requests for the presser today
she’d be done.

Finishing up the last email, her mind wandered to
Tyler. The way he looked at her the other day on the ice. His eyes
held hers while he should’ve been signing his jersey and playing to
the media. She had done her best to avoid his stare, but the few
times she got sucked in she didn’t see this crazy playboy that the
press portrays. He just seemed kind. Flirty, but kind.

Maybe there’s more to him than she thought? But why
did she care?
No, it doesn’t matter what’s underneath all that.
He’s a Renegades player and I work for the Renegades. He’s just my
job
.

A soft knock on the door startled her out of her
thoughts. It was Tyler. Looking at the clock it was only eight
forty-five. Not only was he on time, but he was early. Melanie
didn’t mention that.

“
Paige? I don’t mean to bother you,
but is Melanie around? I’m supposed to meet her at
nine.”

“
Tyler, come on in and sit down.
Melanie had a family emergency.” She motioned to the chair on the
other side of her desk.

Tyler took a seat on the edge of her desk.

“
That’s not really what I meant.”
She glanced at the empty cup sitting beside her laptop. This
meeting would require more coffee. She grabbed her cup off the desk
and stood up.

As she moved past him towards the coffee maker, she
noticed a bruise under his eye. Not thinking, she lightly touched
his cheek, examining the bruise. “Oh my, Tyler, are you okay?”

His golden-green eyes caught hers and her fingers
tingled as she realized what she was doing. Warmth ran through her
veins and heat filled her cheeks. Quickly she pulled her hand away
and took two steps backwards.
What is happening here?

Tyler flashed her a smile before he stood up. “Do you
mind if I sit on the couch? How long do you think she’ll be?”

“
Who?”

“
Mel.”

Her brain slowly processed what he was saying. For
some reason she lost all train of thought when he spoke. That would
certainly need to stop. “No, you misunderstood.” She straightened
her shoulders and cleared her throat. The only way to stop this
nonsense she was feeling was to take charge. “Melanie didn’t say
when she would be back, she wanted me to meet with you
instead.”

“
Oh? Okay. So what did she, or you,
want to talk to me about?” Tyler flopped carelessly onto the
leather couch. Crossing one leg over the other, ankle on his knee,
he watched her.

“
Um, would you like a cup of
coffee?” It wouldn’t hurt to be polite before they got right down
to business.

“
No thanks, I’m good. So is this
about last night?”

“
Well, yes.” Looking around, she
decided to sit on the edge of her desk as she sipped some
coffee.

“
Are you really going to sit all
the way over there? I feel like we’re yelling to each other. And to
be honest, I really hate to be yelled at.” Uncrossing his legs he
sat up straighter clasping his hands together. Tyler’s face was
serious.

Her stomach flopped. She didn’t want to sit right
next to him. She glanced around the room as her sweaty palms
grasped her mug. Her eyes fell on the chairs that sat in front of
her desk. They would work.

She dragged one over to the edge of the couch. She
sat her almost empty mug on the end table beside the couch, and
gently slid into the chair, crossing her legs and adjusting her
skirt. “Okay, the reason we wanted to talk to you was—”

“
Do you have any water?” Tyler
interrupted.

She sighed. “Yes, there are bottles beside the coffee
maker.” Was he trying to annoy her? Once he sat back down she
glared at him. “Ready now?”

She thought about how Melanie had ended up yelling at
him. Obviously that didn’t work, and then there was his comment
about hating to be yelled at. She needed to take a different
approach with him. After all, she wasn’t Melanie. She wasn’t as
close to these guys as Melanie.

“
Tyler, of course this is about
last night. Coach Walker has a press conference this
morning.”

“
You know this whole thing was
blown out of proportion, right?”

“
Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. Why
don’t you tell me your side? Then I can tell you what I think.” She
wasn’t sure this was going to work. And the way he kept
half-grinning at her made her light headed.
I bet if he went up
in front of the press and gave them that smile, he could talk his
way out of anything
.

“
Okay, that sounds reasonable. I
was sitting at the bar minding my own business and talking to
Marco—you know Marco the bartender, right?—when this guy comes up
behind me and starts screaming at me. I just wanted to sit and
drink my beer, so I didn’t react, thinking that he might go
away.”

“
I take it he didn’t go
away?”

Ty shook his head. “He kept yelling, accusing me of
sleeping with his girlfriend. He’s yelling something about months
ago, and quite honestly, I didn’t recognize her. She was a redhead,
and redheads really have never been my type, so the whole thing was
a little suspect to start with. But I just let him yell.”

He shrugged helplessly, and Paige nodded at him to
continue.

“
So then Marco asked him to lower
his voice or leave, and the guy didn’t like that so he threw my hat
on the floor and spilled his beer on me. I won’t lie; that pissed
me off.” He stopped and took a long drink of water.

He was no longer smiling, and she could almost see a
shadow of sadness in his eyes. What was going on in that mind of
his?

“
Then he shoved me. So I defended
myself. After a few drunken swings from him the bar went nuts. I
think people joined in just to fight. It was crazy. Marco called
the cops as soon as a bottle was broken, because his security was
outnumbered. Obviously I got hit.” He brushed his hand over his
cheek. “But I wasn’t trying to fight him, so I did my best to get
out of there.”

“
That’s kind of what I got from the
police report, and I believe you.”

Tyler started to speak before she could even get the
words out. “I swear the police were called to protect me, not
because of me. I—wait, what? You believe me?”

“
Yes, I believe you. Trust me, I’ve
seen enough of your antics to know how you are.”

His face changed, and the gold in his eyes was now
gray. “Yeah, I’ve pretty much been acting like an ass.”

“
I’m glad that you realize that.
But do you know how your actions are affecting your
reputation?”

Tyler stared down at his hands before answering. “I
know how people are talking about me, but it’s just their
opinions.”

“
No Tyler, it’s affecting how they
see you on the ice, too, and that hurts the team as much as it
hurts you.” He frowned at her, and she took a deep, steadying
breath. “You were the player that kids looked up to and wanted to
be. The way you’re headed, no parent is going to want their child
wearing your jersey. Is that what you want?”

He looked away, staring at the TV even though it
wasn’t turned on. “I know. I mean, I hadn’t really cared too much
what they were saying before. But I see what you’re saying.” He
grew silent as he sunk farther into the couch. After a few moments
he spoke. “What am I supposed to do?”

The pain showed in his eyes, and she wanted to fix
this. She wanted to fix him. Now sitting all the way over here just
seemed cold. She moved to sit beside him on the couch. “I can help
you. That’s what I’m here for.” Instinctively she started to rub
his shoulder in a calming way. “Tyler, you need to take control of
your behavior, own it.”

He sat for a moment staring at the floor as she
rubbed his shoulder. Her fingers slowly ran over the ripples of his
muscles. His skin was warm under his shirt, and her stomach tensed
up.
What am I doing?
Quickly she pulled her hand away and
laid it in her lap.

“
How?”

“
Well, maybe we could set up an
interview with one of the media outlets? They could do a feature on
you instead of the garbage stories they normally run. We could show
the public the real Tyler Kidd and at the same time boost your
reputation.” She nodded in encouragement, hoping he’d like the idea
as much as she did.

Ty frowned and looked back down at his hands. “I
don’t know about that. A one-on-one interview?”

“
You’re nervous about that idea?”
How can he be nervous about a one-on-one
interview?

He shrugged but gave her a smile. “Sounds crazy,
right? I talk to the media all the time.”

“
I’m sure you would do fine.” As if
it were as normal as breathing, Paige put her hand on his knee, and
rubbed his leg in a comforting way.

Tyler’s warm, strong hand covered hers. When she
looked up into his eyes, she saw the gold flecks had returned, and
a smile spread across his lips. “Paige.” His voice rumbled.

“
Yes?” Her heartbeat quickened, and
she was lost in his smile, waiting for his next words.

“
Isn’t it time for Coach’s press
conference?”

She let out a shaky breath. That’s not what she was
expecting. She wasn’t sure what exactly she’d wanted him to say,
but it wasn’t that. Snatching her hand back, she pulled her gaze
away from him, and then hurried to her desk. Putting a bit of
distance between them seemed like a good idea since her face was
burning up and her head was spinning.
What is wrong with me? Why
did I have to touch him again?

She needed to get back in control. “Yes, you’re
right.” Turning on the closed caption channel, Coach Walker graced
the television screen wearing a Renegades baseball cap and a
Renegades sweatshirt. She took a deep breath and used this time to
compose herself while she sat on the edge of her desk.

“
Don’t you need to be down there?
You know, to oversee everything?”

“
Me? No. Melanie has someone there
just in case,” Paige said from her desk. Now she was starting to
question why this meeting with Tyler couldn’t wait until after the
press conference so she could be there?

“
Are you going to stay all the way
over there? I don’t bite.”

He doesn’t bite?
Oh the thoughts that those
words conjured up in her brain. “Um, okay.”

Slowly she slid off the edge of the wooden desk and
slinked over to the couch. She didn’t want to look like she was
shying away from sitting beside him; he might think he was making
her nervous. Even though he was.

With her back stiff and shoulders straight, she sat
down and crossed her legs. Her focus was on the television, and
Coach Walker was doing a great job answering the media’s questions.
But she could feel Tyler’s stare on her, and her skin bubbled up
into goosebumps under his watchful eye.

They sat in silence, both eager to see the media’s
reactions, but everything went smoothly. Coach avoided any question
that put Tyler at fault, because this time he wasn’t. He expressed
his support of Tyler and his actions.

“
Tyler might be a hockey superstar,
but he is just a man, and a man is responsible for his own actions.
But, the general public is also responsible for their actions. He
can’t go around thinking he is untouchable, as well as the public
needs to be accountable for how they treat him. After all, without
his hockey status he is no different than you.” Coach’s voice
filled her office.