18. Chapter 18

Sawyer: Are you coming to the office?

I parked my Jeep in the arena parking lot just as Sawyer sent me a text. I'm still reeling from my moment with Logan, and knowing that I will see him again soon fills me with anticipation

Me: Yes, I'm getting ready to walk in now.

Sawyer: Great!

Dad: Have you packed yet for Vegas?

Getting out of my vehicle, I type out responses to Sawyer and my dad. It's still crazy to me that I have a relationship with my dad now. We are still taking baby steps, but we are better than we were a few months ago.

Walking into the arena, I hear the sounds of hockey sticks on ice and cheering.

Logan is crouched by the edge of the rink, his breath misting in the cool air as he unlaces his skates. The laughter and chatter from the ice faded into a serene hush that cradled the rink like a protective bubble. I see the kids surrounding him as my dad and the rest of the team wave goodbye and leave Logan to the kids. Even though I should be heading straight up to the offices, I take a moment to watch Logan in action. When he's on the ice, he becomes this wild superstar that no one can compete with. In bed, he's a seductive devil who makes you forget all common sense. But when he's here with these kids, he becomes a caring man with a soft side and patience. Since I met Logan, I've read through articles and social media posts. I know the scandals that surround him. While I still haven't shared mine with him, I know there are many sides to Logan, and I seem to be falling for each one of them.

Logan's smile is brighter than the sun as he watches the kids skate around him. He tosses them a puck, and their small sticks all fight to get it. I laugh as I watch the show before me. This side of Logan is endearing, but I want to jump his bones, too.

A small figure wobbles over to him, a boy no older than nine with a large helmet slipping over his eyes. He stares at Logan like he's the greatest thing he's ever seen.

"Mr. Logan?" the boy's voice is barely audible over the echo of distant puck shots. I lean in closer, wanting to hear what he has to say.

"Hey there, champ," Logan replies, straightening up and offering a smile. He kneels down so he's on the boy's level, and it's the cutest thing I've ever seen. Yep, my ovaries are yelling right about now.

"Can I be like you one day?" the boy asked, his gaze steady with Logan's.

"Like me?" Logan chuckled, ruffling the kid"s hair. "You aim higher, buddy. But yeah, you can be anything you want to be."

Their voices echo around me, and my heart skips a beat. This is the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

"I dunno," the boy mumbled, kicking at the ice with the toe of his skate. "I"m not good like the others."

"Let me tell you a secret." Logan leaned in, conspiratorial. "Every single person you see out there started right where you"re standing. Falling over, getting back up—it's all part of the game."

"Really?" The boy"s eyes widened.

"Really." Logan nodded emphatically. "And another thing—being good isn"t about not falling. It"s about how quickly you pick yourself up."

The boy considered this for a moment, then stood a little taller, the helmet still too big for his head. "Will you help me?"

"Absolutely." Logan extended his hand, and the boy grasped it tightly with both of his.

"Thanks, Mr. Logan!"

"Call me Logan. And who knows," he added with a wink, "maybe one day I"ll be asking you for tips."

"Cool!" The boy cheers, as he clumsily skates back over to the other kids.

I see the team cutting up with the kids. Jeremy, who is in charge of the kids, smiles with pride as the boy yells to him about his conversation with Logan.

Standing again, Logan turns and smiles at me. Once again, I'm caught drooling over this man.

He skates over to me, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Looks like you"ve got yourself a fan," I say, when he finally reaches me.

"Seems like it," he admits. "Makes everything we"re doing feel... real." His confession is genuine and sweet, but then the cocky Logan comes back into play. "Wait, were you talking about you? I mean, I put on a pretty good performance today." He winks, and I roll my eyes.

"Someone thinks pretty highly of themself," I smirk.

"I didn't hear any complaints. In fact, I'm pretty sure you were cheering me on by moaning my…"

I clamp my hand over his mouth to stop him. Glancing around, I make sure no one else is close enough to hear us. Thankfully, the rest of the team is in the locker room, and my dad is up in his office. The kids are still skating around and laughing.

"Don't finish that sentence. Remember, we have to be careful," I whisper, as I glare at him.

I remove my hand from his mouth, and Logan only smiles wider. "Fine, I'll behave."

"Thank you. But seriously, you are good with those kids. Maybe you could be a coach one day," I say.

"I love working with these kids," he replied.

"That's amazing. You are doing great things," I admit.

"Still feels surreal, you know? From where I was to... this."

Nodding, I agree. If we can agree on anything, it's that we have both changed. I feel terrible for not sharing my disastrous past with him, when I know all about his. I will tell him soon. I need to.

"Logan, you"re already turning things around," I reassured him, pushing off the railing. "The kids look up to you. The community is talking. You"re not just chasing the puck—you"re leading the way. I need to get to work with Sawyer, but I will text you later," I offer.

"I will be waiting," Logan says, skating backward as he watches me go.

Shaking my head, I hurry to the elevators before I allow Logan to keep me here any longer. I find myself in a trance when I'm in his presence, and I lose all sense of time. I need to remember my obligations to my job.

Once I reach the office, I head straight to Sawyer's office. Jodie is on the phone and smiles at me as she passes me in the hall. Jodie runs everything when it comes to getting the players sponsors and donors to the teams. Sawyer focuses more on individual players and their social media aspects. I've discovered that I'm interested in all of the roles in the firm and ready to learn more.

"Ashlynn, I'm so glad you are here since we have a lot to talk about," Sawyer says, rushing toward me. I follow her into her lavish office and sit in front of her desk. Sawyer pulls up a link on her screen and turns the monitor so I can see.

"I'm ready to do whatever is needed," I tell her.

Sawyer looks at me, and I'm glad that there isn't any awkward tension. Hopefully, she doesn't ever bring up the office sex debacle ever again.

"Great, I'm glad to hear you say that. Sunnyvale University is really pushing the tournament games in Las Vegas next week. This could bring a lot of revenue to the school, with fans buying merchandise before and after the games. I have several posts circulating on our social media pages and already have the school journalism department on board with working with us at the games. Jodie has been navigating local news channels to be at some of the games and local bars will be airing the games live. We need to ensure that while we are at the games, we are pushing merchandise and sharing content hourly. We need interviews with players, one-on-one conversations," she rambles off.

"What about getting local blogs to write about the games and having some podcasts do live commentary?" I ask.

When I played socialite in my past life (okay, I know it's only been a few months, but that old version of me feels like she lived a whole other life), I knew that podcasters could be just as important as paparazzi. They have immediate access to people.

"Those are great ideas!" Sawyer exclaims "Do you think you could handle reaching out to some podcasts and blogs?"

"Sure, I can do that," I say.

I feel proud that Sawyer likes my idea. It makes me feel important and that I'm really contributing, not just being placed here because my dad is the head coach of the Hawks. When I first got this job, I didn't have any expectations to really care. I just wanted to get my dad off my back and do just enough to get my parents to let me come back home to Miami. Now, I'm not so sure I want that life again.

We finish up making plans, and I take notes on a few podcasts I know of that I will contact. When we are finished, I head back to my office to get busy. Shortly after I sat down and started looking for contact information for the podcasts I know, I heard a tap on my door.

To my surprise, I saw my dad standing in the doorway. "Hey, are you busy?" he asks.

"I'm working, but come on in," I say.

Dad walks in and sits in one of the chairs facing my desk. He glances around, and it causes me to realize that I haven't added any personal touches to my office. I don't have any pictures or personal items. Maybe I should grab a few things soon?

"I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay up here," he states.

"Yeah, Sawyer and Jodie have been great. I kind of like this work," I admit.

Dad rubs his hands on his knees and nods. "That's good to hear. Looks like school is going well, too."

Our conversation is strained, but at least we are talking.

"I'm just as shocked as you are," I say. I don't mean for the words to sound clipped or rude, but Dad flinches, and I instantly feel bad.

Sighing, he says, "I know we haven't had the best relationship, but I like seeing you here in Sunnyvale. Your mom and stepdad are impressed with your changes."

My heart soars hearing this. I always like to act like I don't care what they all think about me, but deep down, I do. It's nice to hear your family doesn't think you are still a major screw-up.

"I like the changes, too," I agree.

"After this semester, do you think you will want to continue working here and getting a degree?"

His question catches me off guard but isn't surprising. I knew, eventually, this would come up. I guess I just didn't realize it would be so soon.

"I still don't know what I want to do yet, but I sort of like going to school. I like working with the PR firm. Maybe I will major in marketing or advertising," I suggest.

For the first time in years, my dad smiles at me—a true, genuine smile. I'm stunned and speechless.

"So, you might want to stay in Sunnyvale," he says, more as a statement rather than a question.

"Like I said, I haven't made any definitive plans yet, but I think I may want to stick around for a while."

Moving to stand, Dad checks his watch. "I have a meeting to head to, but I'm glad we had time to talk. Maybe we could have dinner again next week while we are in Vegas. We could make it a weekly thing?"

He's honestly trying, and I can't fault him. Better late than ever.

"Sure, sounds good." I smile.

Dad leaves, and I'm left hanging on to another type of high. I'm happy and proud of myself for once. I spend the next few hours working until my eyes barely stay open. I leave the arena feeling like a completely new girl.

Maybe I am.