11. Wren

11

WREN

" J im?" James announced as he slowly opened the door and stuck his head through. I couldn't see anyone yet, but once the door was swung open all the way, I caught my first glimpse of Jim.

"James, I was wondering when you'd come see me." He smiled as he set down some paperwork onto his desk and glanced over at me. "And you must be our new employee, Wren."

Immediately, I got good vibes from Jim. Clean cut with salt-and-pepper hair, he reminded me of Rob Lowe. Attractive for his age and a friendliness to him that made me feel more at ease.

Sitting behind his desk, he quickly rose to his feet, giving me his full height and grin.

"Yes, hi. It's nice to meet you." I smiled back with my hands clasped together in front of me.

Feeling a tad bit underdressed in my jeans and white blouse, I awkwardly swept my hand down the front of my shirt. Though James was dressed down, I still felt out of place.

"Likewise." He nodded and sauntered over to where James and I stood. Then, reaching a tanned palm toward me, I slowly placed my hand in his as he gave it a brief shake. "Welcome to the Seattle Orchids. We're happy to have you on our team."

Happy?

Not sure he'd still feel the same once he realized my qualifications were less than adequate. I could sense a termination in my future.

"Thank you." I forced a smile and took a peek over at James who was grinning from ear to ear. "I'm happy to be here."

"Took a bit to convince her, but my baby mama was able to seal the deal."

Rolling my eyes, a short chuckle fell past my lips. If it wasn't for them both, there was no way I would be here right now. Without the support of Kate and the safety of James.

"And how is Kate doing?" Jim asked.

"She's great, besides the damn morning sickness. It was kicking her ass for a while but her doctor was able to prescribe some medicine that seems to be helping."

"That's good to hear, I'm glad she's feeling better." Jim nodded and with the wave his hand, he motioned for me to sit down in the small sofa-like chair that sat in front of his desk. "Come sit, I'm going to get you the paperwork to fill out, then James can give you the grand tour."

I took a few steps toward the chair and dropped down into it with my hands locked together in my lap. It felt so surreal being here. I couldn't remember the last time I felt so out of place somewhere. Just a couple days ago, I was in the comfort of my home, stuck in the same routine I'd been in for years.

Until now.

Now, I was here.

Far from home. Far from everyone.

My stomach was in an endless twist of knots and fearing that any second I'd come face to face with Mal. Like at any minute he could come barreling through that door, demanding that I leave.

"This should be all you need to fill out."

Peering up, Jim had extended his arm out while his had held a small stack of papers for me. Gingerly, I grabbed the stack and gave him a soft smile.

"Thank you."

Jim went back to his desk and about halfway there, he gave me a curt nod in return before taking a seat across from me. With the papers resting in my lap, my eyes landed on a small cup that was filled with a bunch of fancy pens. My stare collided with Jim's and silently, I motion with my hand and the rise of my brow if I could use one.

"Oh, of course. You can use a pen. I'm sorry."

My cheeks flushed, only because I noticed his slightly went pink.

Then grabbing a smooth, black pen, I lowered my eyes to the paperwork in my lap.

"Hey, so while you're busy doing that, I'm gonna go chat with Coach real quick. I'll be back to give you the tour, though, when you're done, okay?" James announced from behind me, causing my head to snap around and find him lingering at the door.

Oh god, I didn't want to be left alone.

Talk about awkward. It wasn't Jim's fault, though. I just think that over time from talking to strangers over the internet, I forgot how to interact with them in person.

"Okay," I responded over my shoulder, though it was anything but okay. Even if there was going to be minimal to no conversations going on at all, I'd rather have James in here to divert the attention away from me. Immediately sensing my discomfort, James gave me a sympathetic smile along with a brief thumbs-up and quietly left the room.

Dammit.

I then got back to filling out the paperwork. I knocked out the basic questions first: name, date, previous employers. Every now and then, I found myself peering up and when I did, Jim always took notice and smiled.

God, he must think I'm strange.

Once I made it to the second page, a list of what my duties would be stared back at me and a feeling of uneasiness swept through me. A long list of expectations and goals that all blurred together as one had me gnawing profusely on the pen in my hand.

"You okay there?" Jim asked, causing the pen to slip from my mouth.

Oh my god, I just put his pen in my mouth.

Again, I couldn't stop my cheeks from heating. I was blowing it. It didn't matter that I already had the job, once he realized just how unprepared and quirky I was, I'd get let go.

"Yes… I… I'm fine, I didn't mean to, you know, put your pen… in my mouth." As the words came out, I immediately wished I could take them back. I was the definition of a hot mess right now and all I could think about was finding the nearest exit out of here.

I couldn't even look him in the face. I was beyond mortified with myself.

"Wren, relax." His voice came over me like a soothing balm. Soft and understanding, I raised my head until our eyes met. "There's no need for you to worry so much. You'll fit in just fine here, and as far as Villareal goes, he'll come around."

The mention of Mal had me tensing. Just how much did Jim know about why I was here? Apparently the expression on my face had given it away because a sigh along with a somber smile greeted me.

"Can I be honest with you?" Jim asked as his shoulders slouched back.

Confused, I slowly nodded my head. "Of course."

"There were a few other people who were, let's say, more qualified for this position than you are." His mouth twitched as I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

At least he knew.

"And I promise you, I don't mean that in a bad way. I just want us to be on the same page with everything."

The same page. Right. That made sense.

"Oh, yes. Of course."

There was a brief pause as he cradled his hands together and placed them on the desk in front of him.

"Mal has been a part of this organization for six years now. And until recently, I knew nothing about him. And I knew most all the players here." His eyes dropped shortly, and on a sigh he lifted them. "It never bugged me that I knew nothing about him, partly because he was adamant to remain closed off. Plus, his temper never really made it easy for anyone to get close to him."

That sure sounded like Mal, but he wasn't in his twenties anymore. He was a thirty-one-year-old man who was possibly even more jaded now than he once was. But what I didn't expect to feel was sympathy. He had no one. He wanted no one and for some reason, that hurt more.

"He needs… something." He sighed. "Something other than what he's doing."

My throat clogged as I nodded in agreement.

"So, if I have to hire you in order to help one of our players, then so be it. His mental health, his well-being is a hell of a lot more important than playing hockey."

I couldn't agree more but coming from someone like him, a person who profited immensely off the team, it was nice to hear.

"I agree, but I wouldn't get your hopes up for an immediate change in Mal. If he's anything like he was in college, then it might be a little difficult." I tried breaking the news as delicately as I could, but James only smiled.

"Oh, I know how stubborn he can be and I promise you, I have no expectations in regard to how all of this will go. I don't know the nitty-gritty details of how you two know each other, but James seems to think you may be his only option."

Dammit, James.

Why does everyone seem to think that I'll be the only one who can save him? Because that's what it seems that I'm doing, right? When I thought he had officially moved on and was living his life, he wasn't. According to James and Jim, he seemed worse off now than ever and now I felt as though this was a high-stakes mission.

This wasn't just about reuniting, this was about saving someone's life.

"Well, I'll try to do my best." My voice wobbled as my heart rate began to take off.

The last thing I wanted to do was make promises I couldn't keep, and already I could feel the uncertainty creeping back in.

I didn't show it, but I felt it in the depths of my gut along with worry for what the future would bring.

"That's all we can ask for, Wren."

With one last smile, he then returned to busying himself at his desk, while I went back to finishing the paperwork with a whole other feeling swirling around in my stomach.

Fear.