Wild Zone (Rough Riders Hockey 4)

He answered, “Hey, Dave,” while the kids put on their blade guards and followed Beckett into the building.

“Hey, thanks for calling back. I’ve just added a kid to my calendar next week. A real hotshot from Canada. I want to sign him in time to pitch him to the NHL in July, and he’s a really big fan of yours. I was wondering if you could join us for dinner.”

Next week Olivia would be gone. He’d need anything he could get to keep his mind busy. “You bet. Just tell me where and when.”

“Great. Thanks man. He’s going to be stoked. I’ll have Teresa let you know the time and date.”

Tate’s mind scanned Dave’s staff. “Who’s Teresa?”

Dave laughed. “Little soon for off-season-brain isn’t it? Teresa’s the planner you recommended. The one organizing your banquet.”

He opened his mouth to clarify, but all the synapses connected at once and he muttered, “Oh shit” instead.

“What’s wrong?”

Tate winced. “Man…That’s too complicated to explain over the phone. But could I ask for a favor now? Can you find another planner to arrange things for the kids coming next week?”

“That’s a weird request. But for you I would. Unfortunately, it’s a little late for that. She’s already done with eighty percent of the planning. I’ve already given her a sizeable non-refundable deposit. Shit, man, don’t tell me she’s going to screw me over and leave my people hanging. Let me know if I need to hire a backup.”

“No, no, you don’t need a backup.” Fuck. “I’ve gotta go, Dave. I’ll see you Saturday.”

He disconnected and planted his hands along the top of the half wall, staring down at the ice. “Well, this is fucking awkward.”

Did he tell Olivia that her mother did exactly what Olivia had warned her not to do? It was a little soon to be stepping into family business. Especially when it had such a long, complicated history. He and Olivia hadn’t even shored up their relationship yet, at least not in the framework of living apart over the next year. She sure hadn’t told her mother about it.

“Shit.”

He dropped to the bench and unlaced his skates. Dave’s jobs wouldn’t even happen until after Olivia was gone. And they wouldn’t affect her, at least not as far as needing a high class caterer went.

Looking at it that way, telling Olivia felt a lot like tattling on her mother. Plus it would only upset Olivia. And they didn’t have much time left together. He’d like to see Olivia leave when she was on positive terms with her mother. It would give her more incentive to come back.

He pushed into his running shoes, picked up his skates and headed toward the lounge for lunch with the kids. Halfway down the hall, his cell rang. He didn’t recognize the number.

“Donovan,” he answered.

“Tate,” the woman’s voice was pleasant and a little familiar, but he couldn’t place it. “This is Teresa Essex.”

What the… He stopped in his tracks.

“Hi, uh…” He wasn’t sure what to call her. She’d asked him to call her Teresa, but somehow that didn’t feel quite right. “How are you?”

“Fine, fine. I just wanted to thank you again for the referral to Mr. Burnett.”

Tate’s eyes rolled toward the ceiling with dread before he closed them.

“I just got off the phone with him and he mentioned you had some reservations.”

Dave you fucking shit head…

“I wanted to reassure you that we will take great care of Mr. Burnett’s needs. In fact, I’m making all the final arrangements now. I understand you’ll be joining him for dinner next week and I’ll be calling shortly with all the information.”

He leaned against the wall. “You know, Teresa, I hate to get into something that’s not my business, but I’m sort of already in the middle. I really care a lot about Olivia, and Olivia really cares about you and Quinn. I don’t feel right about you taking on this job with Dave when she has so many reservations about it.” God, his stomach churned. “I think it would be best for everyone if you found another planner to take over for you—”

“Tate.” She broke in with a conciliatory tone, but one with underlying steel. “I’m not sure what you think is happening between you and Olivia, but I feel the need to apologize in advance. From what everyone says, you’re a sincere, caring man. Olivia has priorities, and relationships have always fallen to the bottom of that priority list. So while its sweet of you to consider her feelings in all this, I’d just caution you to hold onto perspective when it comes to Olivia.”

Tate’s mouth dropped open. Anger roiled in his chest. He was about to jump to Olivia’s defense when Teresa went on.

“She does worry about the business quite a bit, but that’s because she’s not here to see it operate. She hasn’t been around to watch it grow or to see how Quinn and I have tackled every obstacle put in our path. Ten years later, we’re still here, and we’re growing, thanks to referrals like yours. It won’t take long for Olivia to see that her worries are unfounded and that Quinn and I are completely stable. So if you wouldn’t mind keeping the conversation you overheard yesterday between us, we’d all really appreciate it. Bringing it up would only dig the rift between us deeper just when we’re starting to smooth things over. We’ve asked so much of Olivia this trip, I’d really like her to enjoy her last days here.”