The kids threw question after question at me, but I didn't mind. Most of them were about when I would play again, and more than a few looked surprised when I said I didn't know.
"Yeah, I know, it's shocking to me too," I said, unable to keep the gloom out of my voice, but why hide how I felt about it? Hockey was my life. Obviously I wasn't pleased with this development.
Kendra clapped her hands. "Okay, guys, I think we've had enough of Tyler's time today."
"Can we train now?" Tim asked, standing tall and looking straight at me.
"You don't have hockey today," Kendra said gently. "It's on Monday, remember?"
I saw the disappointment immediately take over their faces and quickly added, "I'll be here on Monday, buddy."
Tim pursed his lower lip, the way my niece used to do when she was four.
"Hey, I'll make you all a deal. Everyone who wants autographs can get one today, but that's only on paper, okay? And we can do stuff like sign pictures or shirts during our sessions."
"Awesome! I knew you would be cool," Tim said, making me smile as the other kids laughed and cheered.
For the next five minutes, I just signed random slips of paper, laughing when the kids carefully folded theirs like it was a prized possession. Kendra watched me silently, jutting out her hip. That woman was just too sexy. The way she was standing made her curves stand out even more, and I liked them far too much.
Once I was done signing, I ordered an Uber. Kendra walked outside with me, and I had to make a concerted effort not to check her out. For the foreseeable future, I would focus on one thing only: getting back on the ice. I couldn’t allow myself any distractions, not even one as tempting as Kendra Douglas.
Chapter Two
Kendra
"That went great,” Tyler said as we walked out of the building.
"You were a hit. I don't know anyone else who's been so well received."
"Singing my praises. I like it." He winked.
The man was sex on a stick, no question, but I’d heard rumors about him that he was not a one-woman man.
I looked at him with narrowed eyes. "You have a reputation for being cocky and self-confident.”
Totally unfazed, he said, “You can add stubborn to that list. Doesn't always get me what I want, but I can't change who I am."
Something told me Tyler Maxwell didn't like to pretend to be anyone else other than who he was, and that was the part I thought was refreshing. But judging by his reply, the rumors were true. He was a tad full of himself.
Since I started this job, I’d met many people who were guests at the Chicago Sports Center volunteering for various reasons, and most did it for PR purposes, not because they cared about what they were doing. And to be completely honest, I'd expected the same from Tyler. I knew he came from a wealthy family. The Maxwells were a fixture in Chicago, and they’d owned the Maxwell Bookstores chain years ago before selling the business. I wasn’t sure what the rest of his family was doing, only that one brother was involved in the wine business. Maxwell Wines were my favorite.
Tyler was the hockey world’s darling, so I sort of jumped to conclusions about his intentions. Besides, the exact words of his team’s management were "He needs to clean up his image for the sponsors."
But he'd been so open and fun with the kids. It was unexpected and made his hotness score skyrocket in my book, which was problematic for me. His smile was a little too sexy, and let's not even talk about that body. It was so sinful and perfect that it was hard to look away.
Thank heavens he was cocky, because that was a turn-off for me.
Whew. I’m safe.
"Okay, then, so what's the schedule?" he asked while we approached the Uber he’d ordered a few minutes ago. I tried not to focus on how sexy his ass was. The rest of him was just as delicious. He was really tall, and his muscles were so defined that I could see the contours through his shirt. The jacket he put on only highlighted how broad his shoulders were.
Oh, Kendra, get yourself together.
"They have hockey training twice a week in the afternoon. Are you sure you're going to be able to do it for the whole season?" I asked warily.
His face darkened, and he looked away. "I'm not sure. It all depends on when I'm allowed back on the team. But I do want to be prepared if that happens. I want us to have a plan so I don't leave the kids high and dry, okay? During the season, the training program is pretty much full time, so once I'm back on the team, we either have to move training to the mornings—”
I shook my head. I loved that he was trying to accommodate the kids, but mornings wouldn’t work. "That's not possible. They have school."
"I thought you might say that. Anyway, we're going to need a plan for that at some point."
"Sure, that's no problem. Let me think about what might work and talk with the center’s staff.”
“I'm going to make this clear to them next time, so they're prepared and aren’t disappointed further down the road."
Aaaaand that’s my heart sighing. He could not possibly be sinfully hot and have a decent personality. He might have been a bit cocky—though in his line of work, it was probably a necessary evil—but to be sexy and caring? It should have been illegal to be both. "Thanks for coming here today.”
“Will you be here at every training?" he asked, fixating his molten brown eyes on me as he opened the car door.
"No, but I’ll be here next time just to make sure everything is going smoothly."
"I can't wait."
After he left, I went to my office. The headquarters of The Illinois Volunteer Society was in Bucktown. I was currently in the Ashburn neighborhood, so I got on a bus, planning to use the long ride to write some emails on my phone. My job mainly consisted of looking at each of our volunteers and finding an activity that would interest them, then, of course, setting up everything.
I was pleased that I’d been right in Tyler’s case. He looked genuinely thrilled after today’s meet and greet.
The office was empty when I arrived, but that was normal since most of us were out in the field most of the time. I knew my sister, Emma, was here somewhere, though. She’d promised to wait until I was done so we could grab dinner together. Our boss, Henrik, said we were two peas in a pod, and as soon as my sister joined the company, he put her in my small office for us to share.
I headed straight to my chair and sat down. Our office consisted of two long glass desks, leather chairs, and a small shelf for extra paperwork. Emma had hung a brightly colored painting on her wall. I just had a calendar. It seemed practical, though I could admit it was a bit boring.
My mind immediately flew to Tyler, and I started fanning myself, wondering how exactly I was going to handle working with him.
I had met my fair share of celebrities, but he was the only one who made this kind of an impact on me.
Emma burst into the room the next second, giving me a start. My sister looked nothing like me. She took after Mom, with long blonde hair and green eyes. She was also creative, like Mom used to be. I didn’t remember much about Daddy, but Mom always said he had a practical side, so I guess I took after him.