chance to avoid dealing with it.
As I got off the elevator to Krista’s office, Charlie came to mind. I wasn’t lying when I told her she reminded me of Krista. Snark seemed to be her middle name, and whenever she bothered to look my way, her glances were often filled with disdain. I enjoyed needling her for the sole purpose of watching her get riled up, but besides those fractious moments, I had never really given her a second thought.
Her reaction last night, after I saved her ass, had been unexpected. Instead of melting down after being accosted, she had tried desperately to warn me off, even after I offered to help. Which told me one thing. The chick was deep into some serious shit. Why had she been giving that guy money? Who was Yazimoto?
She wasn’t sitting at her desk when I walked into the office, so I headed towards Krista’s corner office.
Krista sat with her stilettos up on the desk, her phone pressed to her ear. The second she saw me, she said into the phone, “I’ll call you later.”
Without waiting for a response, she hung up and tossed her phone on the desk. “How are you doing?”
I ignored her question and leaned back in my chair to look over my shoulder. Charlie’s desk was still empty. Had she even come in today? She had played it so tough last night, but if she owed someone money, she was in way over her head. What if something had happened to her last night because of my interference?
I kept my voice casual. “Where’s Baby Krista?”
“Charlie?” she looked perplexed. “She went to get my coffee.”
A smidgen of relief trickled through my veins. I wanted to talk to her. Find out what last night was really about.
“Tell me about Charlie.”
Krista gave me a sharp look, her voice curious. “She’s whip-smart, does the work of three average PAs, and is a workaholic. Why?”
I shrugged. “No reason.”
She eyeballed me for a moment before she shifted gears. “Let’s talk about who you’re going to marry.”
I crossed my arms, feeling defensive. Everything in my body wanted to fight this plan. “Fine.”
“We’ve hit a few snags.”
My mind started to wander. Maybe I could sit this year out. What if we brokered a deal where Mark suspended me for a year so I didn’t have to get married? It would kill me to not play hockey, but it might be a better alternative than having to marry someone. Would he go for that? Could I go an entire year without playing hockey?
“Mica, are you listening?”
I worked to focus back on Krista. “Sorry.”
She paused and folded her hands on the desk. “I know you have issues with marriage.”
Just the word marriage made my throat tighten with discomfort. Almost like a noose was tightening around my neck. I couldn’t rationalize how I felt, it was just the reaction I had. I worked to explain how I felt to Krista. “I swore I’d never get married.”
Her voice softened. “Because of your parents.”
My parents were the last two people I wanted to talk about. “I don’t want to get into it.”
She glanced down at her files. “I will be honest with you. None of these candidates will work.”
Relief seeped into my veins. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t think marrying a complete stranger, when you are so averse to marriage, is our best game plan. And frankly, I’m not sure that any of these women would be capable of keeping their end of the bargain.”
I didn’t want to know. “What does that mean?”
“I think most of these women would agree to marry in name only, but before the ink dried, they would start working to make the relationship real.”
I inwardly shuddered. I’d take a year off from hockey. Anything was better than this. “Tell Mark to suspend me for a year. Let’s work that angle.”
She paused and studied me. “I have a better idea.”
Honestly, anything was better than this marriage plan. “Talk.”
“I told Mark Ashford you were marrying someone nice. Someone who was a good influence on you.”
I rubbed one eye. Krista, once she got hold of something, never seemed to let it go. It was pointless to argue. My best option was to hear her out before working on her to nix the marriage and get me suspended long term. “Right.”
She took a breath. “I was thinking about Charlie.”
I frowned, not connecting the dots. “Okay.”
“She’s a good girl. She has a great reputation in the industry, and all the players love her.”
Wait.