Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 113072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
“You okay, Petrov?” I ask him.
“No,” he says dramatically. “Coach Zoe, I have skated years without knowing that new blades would make me total badass.”
My heart lifts as I press the button for an espresso shot. “So you’re a fan of the profiled blade?”
“One practice,” he says, holding up a thick finger. “That is all it took. I love the new steel. We have a saying in Russia: Never wrestle bear after drinking vodka, and always listen to smart women. I almost forgot the second one.”
I bark out a laugh. The small victory feels good. No—it feels great. Inch by inch I will win this team over.
“Hey, Lexei!” calls one of the guys in the corner. It’s Aiden Sharp—the coaching assistant. “Did you see this video of Merritt punching a fan?”
My heart lurches. “Video?” I gasp.
Aiden looks up from the phone. “Merritt was brawlin’ with a fan last night. It’s got a hundred thousand views already.”
“Oh no.”
“Yeah, it’s bad.” Aiden chuckles. “My father is going to blow his gasket so hard they’ll feel it in Jersey.”
A video. Oh God.
My espresso streams into the cup, but I no longer need it. I sink onto a chair and google Chase’s name.
My phone lights up immediately with links to several gossip sites. And the first headline I see sends a new wave of nausea through my belly. Video: Chase Merritt slams fan!
I hit the play button with a shaky finger. And there he is, grabbing the fan and shoving him out of the way. The camera follows the fan all the way to the floor. They even caught the sickening little bounce.
My first thought is a selfish one—At least my face isn’t visible. My hoodie hides me pretty well. But then I scroll down to read the comments, and any relief I feel is quickly drowned out by the horror of what they’re saying about Chase.
Guess those anger management classes aren’t working, huh Merritt?
Lost all respect for #41. Used to be a fan, but no more.
Typical entitled millionaire athlete. Zero accountability.
Oh God. This is so bad. And it’s probably all my fault. Chase is going to murder me.
His teammates are talking about him, too. In the corner, I hear someone mutter Chase’s name and the word video.
“That’s how you lose sponsorships,” someone else says, and I die a little more inside.
My phone lights up with a text from Darcy.
Where are you? Here somewhere?
OMG what happened last night?
Nolan wants you in a meeting in 5 minutes.
It’s about the Chase Merritt incident.
And what the hell happened? You need to fill me in later.
Oh my God. They know I was there!
“Zoe! I found you.”
Darcy’s voice startles me so badly that I drop my phone on the floor. “Holy crap.” I leap off the chair to retrieve it. “I’m getting your messages. Is this bad?” I ask in a hushed tone.
She gestures for me to follow her out of the lounge, and I do. “I’m not sure yet. It’s bad for him. But maybe not for you.”
My heart drops anyway. “Darcy, am I about to be fired?”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” she whispers. “But they’re going to ask you a lot of questions about how you and Chase ended up in that bar last night.”
A wave of nausea rolls through me. “How do they know I was there? Did Chase complain about me?”
She gives her head a slow shake. “Not that I know of. But there’s this split second in the video when you can see the patch on the shoulder of your Legends jacket. It says ‘coach.’ And when Steve Sailor watched the frame-by-frame, he saw it.”
“Oh shit,” I say slowly. “The PR guy.” I met him once, when he asked me a few questions for his press release.
She nods. “He’s not a bad guy, but he’s really excitable. And today he’s in full damage-control mode. Our phones are lighting up like Times Square during a power surge. Everybody wants a quote about Chase punching a fan.”
“But he didn’t! He just sort of pushed the guy away from me.”
“Yes, but…” Darcy lays a hand on my arm. “I know you’re panicking. But you probably know how all this works—if the fans think they saw something, then they saw it. And it’s Sailor’s job to apologize, not explain. So Chase is having a really bad day.”
“And now I am, too,” I add slowly.
She bites her lip. “Look, I’m going to need a full report later on how you ended up in a bar with Chase in the wee hours…”
“It’s not for the reason you think.” I sigh.
“Unfortunate.” She flinches. “Let’s go, missy. I need you in the war room for that meeting. Smile pretty and kiss Nolan Sharp’s ass.”
My stomach bottoms out. “I’m going to have to, aren’t I? This is terrible.”
“It’s not great,” Darcy says, leading me into the office suite. “Please don’t get fired. We still have to get pedicures together.”