Page 12 of The Chemistry Coach
Rob’s expression remained blank.“The Freeze?”
Daisy’s eyebrows furrowed.“Uh, the new client you gave me?They’re hockey players for the Freeze.”
Understanding dawned in Rob’s eyes.“How did you know they’re hockey players?That wasn’t in the intake information.”
It absolutely was in the onboarding information, but Rob never read it.To be fair, Daisy hadn’t bothered to read it before their first session either.“I follow the team.”
“You recognized random hockey players by sight alone?They weren’t in uniform.”
Because of course a woman wouldn’t recognize a professional athlete when she saw one.Daisy went on the defensive.
“Yes, I’m a fan.I could rattle off their numbers and positions real quick too.”
Rob grimaced.“Oh God, this isn’t a weird sex thing, is it?Did you learn the team to impress some boy?Or are you one of them bunnykin things?The sport groupies?”
Daisy forced herself to stay seated and not leap up to strangle her boss.“No.I’m not apuck bunny.And I didn’t learn the team to impress a man.“ It shouldn’t matter that Patrick had forced the knowledge upon her as a kid, or that there happened to be one specific player she would like to do all sorts of weird sex things with.
“I enjoy hockey.That’s allowed.Women can watch sports because they enjoy them.That was an inappropriate comment for the workplace.”
Rob held up his hands in mock surrender.“Okay, I get it.You enjoy sports.That’s not going to be a problem, right?You’re not going to fall all over yourself if you meet them?”
Daisy balled her hands into fists and swallowed her rage.“I’m a professional.I already had one session with them.The plan you laid out will not help them.”
He looked unconvinced.“If you can do it without raising the budget, you can do a custom plan.They have four sessions planned and paid for.”
She pressed her luck, but she had to ask, “Can we at least rearrange the budget?They need proper events.Trust falls and walks in the park will not cut it.”
Rob’s face went red and splotchy in anger.“I said no raising the budget.If you can’t work within the restraints given to you, maybe you aren’t cut out for making custom plans.”
Daisy wouldn’t push too far; she’d gotten what she wanted.A quick stop by accounting gave her a ballpark of what she could spend.She’d have to get creative.With no clients scheduled for the day, she holed up in her office to figure out how she could trick the Connors into becoming friends.
Chapter 6
Connor
Connorwouldratherhavea root canal than spend another afternoon in a stale office building playing kids’ games, but Coach Bree seemed to think these sessions would help him stay on the team.So he showed up and forced a smile.
It wasn’t Daisy who greeted them in the lobby.A young blonde girl, no older than sixteen, approached them as if they were long-lost friends.
Lover was her first target.“Connor!”she greeted him, throwing her arms around him.His face turned a deep shade of crimson, and he awkwardly patted her on the back.
Lover didn’t seem to recognize the girl.
When she let go of Lover, she spread her arms and stepped toward Connor.He stuck his hand between their bodies, hoping it seemed he was offering a handshake rather than strong-arming her away from him.
She slapped his hand out of the way and wrapped her arms around his middle, giving him a tight, but blessedly short squeeze.
When she stepped away from him, she leaped at Hazy, whose eyes were wide and panicked.If it weren’t so inappropriate, it might be funny.
“Help.Me.”Hazy mouthed over the girl’s head.
Connor leaned in to whisper in Lover’s ear.“Do you know her?”
“Never seen her before in my life.”
Well, shit.Connor started plotting a way to peel this girl off Hazy without being offensive or manhandling her, but Daisy ran toward them, her steps ringing out against the hardwood floors.
She was as hot as he remembered.Her wild hair was tamed into a fancy style that kept it away from her face.Slacks and a white button-down made her the epitome of professionalism, a stark contrast to their first meeting.
