“Leon, why don’t you just shut up when Miss Clark and Gareth arrive?” Austin Fox suggested.
Alvarez stared at him gloomily. “You can’t just shut me up! You may be the captain, but we’re still a democracy here.”
“Okay,” the captain replied, stretching. “Let’s vote then. Who’s in favor of Leon shutting up? Let’s all practice raising our hands like Lucy said.”
Jack grinned as everyone raised their hands and the corners of Moreau’s mouth twitched, although their goalie usually only smiled when he had prevented a goal.
“Ha ha,” Leon replied sourly. “You’re all…”
The team would never know what they were, because at that moment the door opened. Four people streamed into the room, three men and a woman. It was a miracle that Jack even noticed the men, who were Head Coach Parker Gray, General Manager Thomas Lyle, and possible owner Gareth Clark. His gaze was on the woman. It would always be on this woman when she was nearby. There was nothing he could do about it; it was his body reacting — and it had not forgotten what had happened a week ago. Penny was carefully trying to ignore him. She smiled, carefully letting her gaze glide over the twenty-six men in suits in front of her, but deliberately skipping over him. Not that the others would notice, but Jack was not theothers.
He slowly leaned back in his chair, clasped his hands behind his neck, and let his gaze wander over Penny. Automatically, his pulse pounded and images of an 18+ nature flooded hismind. He had expected her to put on a business suit, wear heavy makeup and high heels, and generally meet the misguided requirements that people assumed of their female superiors. However, he'd been wrong.
Penny looked no different than the last time he had seen her, except maybe a bit more rested. She was wearing baggy, cream linen pants again, suitable for a jungle expedition but not for California in January, albeit clean ones this time. The blouse she wore might have looked professional — if it didn’t have hundreds of butterflies printed on it. Her face was tan but still untouched by mascara or lipstick, and her short hair curled softly over her ears.
Compared to the three men, whose suits only differed in color, she seemed ridiculously young and out of place, so he could understand his teammates’ confused and alarmed expressions.
“Huh,” he heard Dax mutter from a chair away. “That’s Darron Clark’s daughter?”
As if on command, Lucy jumped up and walked toward the group with a smile. “Hello, boys…and welcome, Miss Clark.”
The corners of Jack’s mouth twitched. Only Lucy had the guts to call the multimillionaire Clark and the two, seasoned hockey greats in front of herboys, but it immediately served its purpose. The atmosphere relaxed and Penny’s stiff shoulders dropped an inch.
“Hey,” Penny replied, grasping Lucy’s hand. “You must be Miss James from PR?”
“Yes, exactly. I’m here to remind the boys of their p’s and q’s,” she said cheerfully, nodding to the team…or maybe just to Leon Alvarez. “Please, feel free to call me Lucy. Everyone does.”
“Gladly. I’m Penelope or Penny.” She glanced over Lucy’s shoulder at the men. “That goes for you, too.”
“I’m still Mr. Clark,” her brother stated curtly, leaning against one of the tables along the edge of the room.
“And I’m still impatient,” Coach Gray interjected, glancing at his watch. “We have to be at the airport in an hour and a half, so hurry up and say what needs to be said. I also have a few notes about the Seattle Snakes, who we’re playing against today, but that will have to wait until the plane.” He pressed his lips together, clearly dissatisfied with the prospect.
Lucy rolled her eyes, stepped aside, and made a sweeping gesture across the room. “Great. As you may know, Darron Clark has decided to step down from his duties with the Hawks. Within the next few months, Penelope and Gareth will…”
“Mr. Clark,” Gareth replied calmly.
“Fine. Penelope and Mr. Clark will familiarize themselves with all the tasks their father previously performed and accompany the team to some games. To get to know you better,” she concluded.
“Wait,” Dax said loudly. “That’s the big announcement? You still haven’t told us which of them will get the team!"
Lucy raised an eyebrow and looked at her boyfriend in annoyance. “Didn’t we discuss this earlier? If someone wants to say something, raise a hand.”
“Oh, come on, Lucy. The rules don’t apply to me,” he said indignantly. “Otherwise, there is no benefit to sleeping with you.”
Lucy frowned. “One more comment like that, Temple, and I’ll put you on the front steps so you can think about what you did wrong!”
Temple, he mouthed in disbelief.
“Lucy, he’s right,” Austin Fox said, raising his hand above his head. “It’s great that you want to accompany us, Mr. Clark…Miss Clark. However, the last few weeks without specific informationhave caused some unrest and I would like to spare the team from wondering what exactly is going to happen to us.”
“Unfortunately, it’s not that simple,” Gareth Clark said, pushing off the table. “We…”
“Oh, come on,” Penny interrupted. “Let’s be honest, Gareth. Our father isn’t deciding who will take over the team for another three months. He’s making it dependent on which of us does better.” A cynical smile tugged at her lips, which Jack could barely reconcile with the happy, laughing Penny in his head. “He’s basically pitting us against each other. The winner gets the Hawks.”
“Oh shit,” Dax muttered.
“Right,” Penny agreed tensely.
