“I knew you could do it.” Greg smiled. “We really are so lucky to have you as a part of the team.”
Miriam didn’t feel lucky. She gave Greg a tight smile in return before she got up and walked out of his office.
It was amazing how quickly this day had gone from the best to the worst.
She grabbed her purse on her way past her desk and started shoving the essentials in it—her phone, a couple of loose business cards off her desk for Vinny and Grant, a candy bar from her super-secret stash. Each item was handled roughly as if they were the offending party who brought Silas back to Waterfront.
“Hey.” Harris appeared beside Miriam. “What’s going on?”
Miriam slung her bag over her shoulder. Harris was one of the few people who hadn’t worked at the office two years ago. He didn’t have a front row seat to the Miriam-Silas drama, and she wasn’t about to rehash it with him right now.
“Nothing.” She moved to push past him.
Harris reached out and grabbed her arm. “Doesn’t sound like nothing. You went from being excited about the new contracts to walking out of Greg’s office looking like you’re about to cry.” He paused. “Did he fire you?”
Miriam shook her head in quick, jerky movements. “No. Why would he fire me?”
“Then what’s going on?”
She yanked her arm free and started walking toward the front door. “Nothing.”
Harris followed behind her. “Where are you going?”
Miriam growled. “Geez, Harris. Why do you care so much?”
Hurt flashed across his face. “Because I’m your friend.”
Miriam instantly felt like a jerk and stopped her irritated stalk to the door. It wasn’t Harris’ fault that Silas was the Storm’s new forward or that he’d broken Miriam’s heart into a thousand pieces. “I’m sorry. I was just a little...unprepared for the list you showed me. And now Greg wants me to go meet with the players, and I have a bunch of businesses to reach out to and will be totally behind schedule.”
It wasn’t a complete lie. She was supposed to be spending her afternoon reaching out to people in the community to try to schedule appearances. But even if she didn’t have to go to the arena, she’d still be behind schedule. How was she supposed to focus on work right now?
“Let me help.”
Miriam looked up at Harris.
“I can drive you out to the arena. That way you can work on the way and not lose any time.”
A rush of warmth spread through her. It was nice to remember not all guys were total jerks. “And what about you? Won’t that put you behind?”
A corner of Harris’s mouth lifted. “I’ll catch up later. Besides, I kind of want to meet Silas Jenkins.”
Miriam’s stomach dropped. “Wait, are you a fan?”
Harris ducked his head. “Yeah. I know I probably should have hated him since he scored so many goals on Finn last season. But—”
“Come with me.”
Harris’ head shot up. “What?”
“You can drive me out to the arena and meet your hero in the meantime.” And keep him away from me.
“You’re not upset about my wavering loyalties? I thought your reaction meant you’re just as mad at him as the rest of the Storm’s fans.”
Yes, but for a very different reason. Miriam waved a hand in front of her face. “Of course not. He’s part of the Storm now, so it looks like it all worked out in the end.”
Harris’ face lit up and Miriam tried not to roll her eyes. She was counting on his fanboying to work in her favor. With Harris there to distract Silas while Miriam connected with Vinny and Grant, she would be able to hightail it out of there before any awkward moments with Silas. It was win-win.
She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Allie while Harris grabbed his keys.
Miriam: We need a lady date. STAT. Lots of ice cream!!!
Allie’s response was immediate.
Allie: Is everything okay???
Miriam: Too much to text.
Allie: Oooooh. Cryptic.
Miriam sent an eye-rolling emoji as Harris reappeared.
He smiled at her. “I’m ready when you are.”
She shoved her phone back in her purse. “Sounds great.”
Except nothing was great at all.
Silas
Silas loved being back in the ‘office.’
Looking out onto the field in Florida filled him with more emotions than he was prepared for. It was so overpowering that he hadn’t been able to step foot on the turf right away. He lingered at the entrance for a moment, in awe of the fact that he was actually back where he belonged.
He was home.
Now he just needed to show everyone that he was here to stay.
So many of the players were the same guys he played with years ago—no small feat in a league that had players bouncing around from team to team like ping-pong balls. Plus, there was still a level of distrust simmering in the air every time they were together—which, admittedly, hadn’t been that often.
Silas was determined to show them that he planned to play for the Storm as long as Greg would keep offering him contracts. He also knew that he could tell everyone that until he was blue in the face, but those words meant nothing if he didn’t have the actions to back them up.
He needed to give every workout, every practice, his all.
And that’s what he was doing now. Even though they were in an air-conditioned arena, his forehead dripped with sweat from the intensity of that day’s practice. The team was currently running shooting drills, and Silas had yet to get one past Finn O’Brien. No big surprise there. Finn was one of the best keepers in the league, a fact that Silas had noted every time he played against the Storm the past two years. Even now, when Silas wasn’t taking shots, he watched how Finn ran back and forth inside the box, oftentimes diving to make the
