hockey program every summer to hone their skills. This year the host school got some impressive current and former NHL players to come on board certain days, so they’re both excited about that.”
My eyebrows rose. They were going to a special hockey school to be trained by NHL players? How expensive was that?
I tried to act casual instead of excited. “When do they leave?”
“Next week,” Richard said with a smile. “So you’ll have peace and quiet in the house to work with your tutors.”
I groaned, which got an even bigger smile out of Richard. “I already know that failure is never an option for you,” he told me seriously, and I nodded reluctantly in agreement. “I have every confidence that you will be able to catch up to where you need to be academically.”
I was almost relieved when Richard left me alone with one of the teams in the afternoon. I was exhausted, and it was only two o’clock in the afternoon. I had no idea how he could do this for twelve to fourteen hours a day. The team was polite to me, but they were all giving me ‘why are you here?’ looks. I guess Richard hadn’t warned them ahead of time that he wanted me to sit with them. I didn’t have a lot of feedback to give them, because it looked like they had everything worked out. But I did mention some potential problems with how they were categorizing pointe shoes. Not all brands were created equal. Dancers had to be specially fitted with shoes at least once a year and were very particular about what went on their feet. Most professional dancers even preferred to get their shoes from the same maker for consistency.
They were willing to listen to my suggestions for products that people didn’t usually think of when they thought of ballet – first aid. We were always dealing with blisters, scabs, and raw feet. Sprains weren’t uncommon, and I didn’t know any dancers who didn’t have an impressive supply of icy hot and pain patches.
I didn’t quite understand all the tech-specific lingo when they discussed the algorithms they used to link products, so I tuned out for a good part of the discussion.
I could see why Richard didn’t want Maverik or Kingston here, though. His employees treated him almost like a king or a god. Richard’s word was law, and wherever he went, everyone immediately came to attention. There were people who fawned over him and tried to anticipate his every need or want, there were people who looked up at him with adoration, and there were people who shot him looks of envy when they thought he couldn’t see. I don’t think anything got past Richard, and I saw where Maverik had gotten his intensity from.
Richard was a completely different person within these walls. I understood why he wanted this persona to be completely separate from his role as a father and fiancé. He was always on the tip of his toes here; there wasn’t time to relax or even take a breath. Everyone around him always wanted something.
Richard had an inner drive that I admired, but I wasn’t sure that anyone else would ever be able to step into his shoes. I thought about our conversation when Richard had told me that he wanted to make sure that the guys could support themselves if the company ever went under. I think he knew that neither of them had the interest or necessary dedication to keep the company moving at the momentum that it currently was.
I met with Richard briefly to share my thoughts on what the team had shown me, and he noticed how tired I was.
“I’ll have one of the guys bring you home,” he said with a smile. “I’m sure you’d like to see some of the city, so Merelle will make sure you get to see the highlights.”
Merelle, one of his assistants, gave a sharp nod and immediately spoke on her headset. Her assistant walked me downstairs to where a car was just pulling up. See? Efficient, and almost magical.
It was a short walk from the lobby doors to the car idling out front, but I didn’t make it there without an issue. I was looking down at my phone, wondering if I should call Ryan, or if telling him I was hanging out at Awake would make things worse between us, when a stranger got in my path. I stopped in my tracks, but he kept