He opened his mouth to apologize, but she held up her hand to stop him.
Tracy stalked to the door. She reached for the knob, but instead of turning it, she marched back to the bed. She then took a glossy brochure out of her purse and slapped it down on the bedside table. “I might as well get hung for a sheep as a lamb. Should you require any assistance during your recovery, this is a list of the services Helping Hands provides. Feel free to call and make an appointment and I’ll see if I can fit you in.” Her lips twisted. “Assuming I’d even accept you as a client. One of the perks of being the boss is that I get to choose who I work for.”
It was a good thing hospital doors didn’t slam, though Tracy closed it with enough force to show that she was pissed—as if Ike hadn’t already got that message. Even injured, he couldn’t do anything right with Tracy. Made him wonder why he kept trying.
* * *
WORK DIDN’T PROVIDE its usual distraction. Tracy finally had admitted it to herself after reading the same document three times and not taking in a word. She tossed down her pen and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
She’d been a fool to visit Ike this morning. Why hadn’t she listened to her inner voice when it had yelled that she was making a huge mistake the moment she’d walked into his hospital room? Or when it had kept yelling, as her heart had softened at the sight of him asleep, his body so still, his arm heavily bandaged and immobilized from shoulder to fingertip. The beeping monitors and IV drip had made him seem vulnerable. What harm could sitting with him for a few minutes do?
She grimaced as she stuck her mug of stone-cold tea in the microwave to reheat. Those few minutes had stretched to half an hour. She’d kept telling herself she’d leave as soon as he awoke. But when he’d finally begun to surface, he’d been so restless that Tracy had been worried he might hurt himself. Though she was relieved that she’d been able to soothe him, she’d felt awkward and a little foolish once he was fully conscious. Especially as he’d been more or less his normal self—if a little grouchy.
His horrible accusation had shocked Tracy because she’d always thought that despite their differences, he’d at least respected her. How could he believe that turning his injury into a business opportunity would ever cross her mind? Knowing that he thought her capable of such heartless behavior had really hurt.
When had things between them deteriorated so badly?
Could it be fixed? She may not want to marry Ike, but would like them to be able to have a conversation where they weren’t ripping each other apart.
As Tracy was contemplating whether a truce was possible, Carla walked into the kitchen.
“Is there a reason you’re not answering your phone?”
Tracy frowned, confused. “No. Why?”
“Callum Hardshaw’s assistant called me when she couldn’t get ahold of you.”
Reaching into her pocket for her mobile, Tracy remembered that she’d turned the phone off when she’d visited Ike. She turned on the phone to see several missed calls from clients, including the Ice Cats.
“Bloody hell. Is there a problem?”
“No. She just wanted to know if you’d stop by and see Mr. Hardshaw when you go to the Cats’ offices later.”
“I wonder why now. Maggie and I have been trying to get an appointment with him since his appointment over the summer, but he always fobs us off with one of his underlings.”
Carla shrugged. “His assistant didn’t say there was an issue. Maybe he wants to congratulate you on doing a great job.”
“Hmm. Somehow I don’t think so. He isn’t one to waste time with praise for doing what you’re supposed to.”
A little unnerved by the GM’s request, Tracy headed back up to her office and did a quick review of the current Ice Cats projects, even though she knew there weren’t any issues. Everything was running on or ahead of schedule. Making Your Move had even come in below budget on several recent projects.
Oh, well. She’d find out what this was about soon enough.
It felt weird to walk into the Ice Cats’ headquarters that afternoon. Tracy’s eyes were drawn to the team photographs that covered the walls of the reception area. It was as though Ike’s face was highlighted in each one, from the posed annual pictures to the familiar celebratory photo from a few years back of the team sprawled on the ice around the Stanley Cup.
It was stranger still to be part of a meeting as Cats’ management discussed the measures they’d be putting in place for Ike’s absence. Her role was to ensure that the goaltender they wanted to bring up from their AHL affiliate was where he had to be on time and had a place to stay. She also had to make sure the contingency plans could be put into action smoothly and quickly, as required. Tracy couldn’t help feeling guilty. As if somehow she were being disloyal to Ike.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she muttered to herself as she walked down the long corridor toward the offices. “It’s all part of the job.”
About that, at least, Ike would be pragmatic.
Tracy was shown into the GM’s office straight away. She didn’t pick up a bad vibe about the meeting, but she was still on her guard.
Callum Hardshaw rose to greet her, smiling. He was a smartly dressed, big man, with graying hair and a broad face. The scar that bisected his jaw was the only visible sign that he’d been a player himself, though only in the minor leagues.
“Good to finally meet you.” He shook her hand. “My staff has told me positive things about your company.”
“Thank you. That’s always nice to hear.” Tracy took the seat he indicated.
“I appreciate your making time to see me today. I’m taking the opportunity, now the season’s fully underway, to meet all our suppliers. While I’m not a hands-on manager, I like to have a clear understanding of how things operate in my organization.”
“Of course,” Tracy said politely. Hardshaw’s tone and body language were genial, but she still didn’t relax. “What would you like to know?”
“Tell me about your company and how you came to be working for the Cats.”
As Tracy explained what Making Your Move did, she sensed she was being evaluated more closely than the casual conversation might suggest. Hardshaw seemed particularly interested in her other clients and the kinds of projects she did for them. Naturally, she didn’t reveal specifics, but gave him a general picture. He made a point of his approval that she didn’t work for rival teams in any sport, in order to avoid any conflict of interest.
“I understand your sister is married to Jake Badoletti.”
“That’s correct.” She deliberately didn’t say anything further, waiting to see if the GM would make an issue of it.
He didn’t, moving on to the projects she was currently working on. Yet Tracy filed away the fact that he’d raised it for future reference.
“I understand you’d like us to consider your new service, Helping Hands.” Hardshaw pointed to the brochure on his desk. “How do you think it could benefit our organization?”
Pleased by the opportunity to pitch directly to the GM, Tracy sat forward and told him about the kinds of things they could offer: from employing and managing household services, to grocery shopping. She used the Chabals as an example and offered Glen as a reference.
“I see.” Hardshaw steepled his fingers and tapped them against his chin. “Given how much business we do with you, isn’t this a service that should be included for free?”
Now the negotiation started. Tracy smiled. “Naturally, we value your business highly, which is why the Ice Cats already get a number of extras thrown in. In the case of Helping Hands, we feel