you. You are, hands down, the worst employee I’ve ever had, and you are your own worst enemy.”
“Everyone’s right about you,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “You are a bitch.”
“Go clean out your office, hand in your keys and leave the building.”
Killian
Sidney’s words from last night still echoed in my head. She wanted me to take the call to Indy, pure and simple. Actually, I didn’t have much choice because my contract required it. Up until recently, I’d managed to avoid getting the call with my reckless behavior. But she’d forced the issue by making a call to her hockey scout friend. To give her credit, she probably did it with the best of intentions, but I didn’t need her interference. I could manage my own career my own way.
I’d been silent all morning at practice. The guys knew I was in a mood and avoided me. I figured a hard practice and weight lifting would work my anger away, but I was still every bit as pissed off as I had been first thing this morning. I had to do something about it.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I thought about the confrontation I was about to have with Sidney. It was a bad idea to do this right now, but I had to. The resentment had built to a level I couldn’t keep inside anymore.
I opened the main office door and found Sidney leaning against Barb’s desk. They were talking, but stopped to look over at me.
“Hi,” Sid said, smiling.
“Hi, Killian,” Barb said.
“Good morning, ladies. Sid, have you got a minute?”
“Sure, come on in.”
She opened the door to her office and I followed her in. She closed it behind us and I sat in my usual seat in front of her desk.
“I fired Nicole this morning,” she said in a weary tone.
I grunted a response, my sarcasm pouring out unchecked. “Maybe you can reassign me to be your assistant.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked with an edge, walking around to her side of the desk.
“Just that you call the shots. All of ’em. I don’t want to go to Indy. And you know why. But you forced the issue because we’re seeing each other and now I’m not gonna have a choice.”
Her emerald eyes blazed angrily. “You’ve still got the same choice you always had, Killian. The call won’t come if you bust up another player in the next game so bad you get ejected. Or if you go get into a bar fight and get arrested again. I’ll say one more thing. For you to say I made the call because of our relationship is possibly the most insulting thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
I stood and slammed my palms on her desk. “I don’t see you trying to make any of the other guys into six or seven figure earners,” I said bitterly. “Only the one who’s fucking you.”
She shook her head dismissively. “I don’t need your money.”
“I’m well aware of that, Sidney. But you also don’t want to be the girlfriend of a guy who drives a ragtop Jeep.”
“Says who?” she challenged. “I support the professional growth of everyone around me. That’s how I lost the assistant I loved, Andrea. I promoted her because I knew she could do more. And I know you can do more. You should be playing at a level that challenges you, not one that keeps you complacent.”
“You don’t get to decide that for me.” I turned toward the door, needing to escape my clawing feelings of inadequacy. “We’re too different, me and you. You belong with some rich guy you don’t have to sneak around with because he’s beneath you.”
“I don’t want a rich guy,” she said hotly. “And you are not beneath me.”
“Well, I don’t want a woman who goes behind my fucking back and tries to make me into something I’m not. All I want is to play hockey. I’m a Flyer. And obviously that’s not good enough for you.”
“You are being totally unreasonable. I’m leaving for New York in half an hour. I’ll see you when I get back.”
I opened the door and walked out, not looking back, grateful that Barb wasn’t at her desk so I didn’t have to fake a pleasant goodbye.
I needed a place to gather my thoughts, so I headed for the locker room. The place was empty and I sat down on the bench in front of my locker, thinking about the exchange between me and Sidney. Part of