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them up on their offer of some time off?”
    “I don’t think I have a choice.” She accepted the very
large, very full glass of Sauvignon Blanc from her friend with a grimace. “I
hate running away, but I think they want to get rid of me.”
    “Oh surely not.” Taylor picked up her own glass as she sat
gracefully on the red leather couch and tucked her long legs under her.
    “Can you blame them?” Nicole rubbed one eyebrow. “I’m
causing them a whole lot of grief.”
    “You didn’t do it! It was that asshole Cody! Stop blaming
yourself.”
    Nicole looked down at her wine, a feeling of pressure behind
her cheekbones. She sucked briefly on her bottom lip. “I think…” She stopped,
her throat closing up, and sipped her wine.
    “What, Nic?”
    “I think I have to quit my job.”
    “Whaaat!” Taylor swung her legs to the floor and sat up
straight. “Don’t be ridiculous!”
    Nicole met her eyes. “I’m serious. This is just an
embarrassment to the team. They want me to go away for a week, but they’re
probably too nice to say they want me gone for good.”
    Taylor snorted. “Or too afraid of a suit for wrongful
dismissal. That’s crazy, Nic. They love you.”
    Nicole shrugged.
    “And you love your job!”
    She did. So, so much. She hadn’t been allowed to go as far
in hockey as her brother had. No surprise there, since her brother pooped gold
and peed champagne in their parents’ eyes. But she’d loved the sport with all
her heart. She’d refused to try to follow in her mother’s footsteps and go into
modeling, like Dad had wanted, instead going to college and getting a degree in
Communications. She’d had her eye on jobs in the NHL and had landed this job
right out of college. It had meant moving to Minneapolis from Montreal, where
she’d gone to university, but as long as she was involved with hockey somehow,
it was all good.
    “I have some experience now,” she said, her voice a little
choked. “I’m sure I could get a job somewhere else.”
    Sure she could. Somewhere else in Minneapolis, big companies
like maybe Xcel Energy or Target. Or she could leave Minneapolis and try for a
job with a different NHL team. She didn’t know of any openings, but she could
put out some feelers. But maybe no one else would hire her after this. She
sighed.
    “What about Tyler?” Taylor tipped her head to one side. “I
didn’t know you went out with him.”
    Nicole grimaced. That was what had started this whole shit
storm. “I like him. But not enough that I’m going to see him again and put him
through hell.” She closed her eyes and leaned her head back. “I never should
have gone out with him, dammit. I had no idea Cody was going to be such a jerk
about it.”
    “Again, this is not your fault, hon.”
    “Yes, it is.”
    “It is not.”
    “I feel horrible. This has gone viral on all the internet
sites, it’s all over TV. I feel like I’ve let everyone down.” Nicole sipped her
wine. “The one thing I’m not going to do is go out with any more hockey
players. Ever.”
    “Oh, Nic. Take the week off,” Taylor said. “Let things die
down. Then you can think about this with a clearer head.”
    Nicole let out a breath. “Okay. I’m going to take that
vacation.” She smiled at her friend. “Have I told you I love you lately?”
    “I know you do.”
    “And I swear to the blessed Virgin Mary, I’ll never get
involved with another hockey player.”

Chapter Two
     
    Logan Heller was making a ham sandwich when the call from
his agent came on his BlackBerry. He licked mustard off his thumb as he
answered. “Hey, Alvin,” he said. “’Sup, dude?”
    Alvin didn’t snort like he usually did at his greeting.
“Logan. Where are you?”
    “At home. Grabbing lunch.”
    “You need to sit down.”
    “Why?” He popped a piece of ham into his mouth.
    “There’s a good chance you’re going to be traded today.”
    Logan choked on the ham. He bent over the counter, coughing.
He gasped for