Page 129 of Wild Card 13

I had simply closed the folder in front of me. “Your building access has been suspended. Someone will escort you while you collect your personal belongings.”

Professional. Controlled.Mic drop.

Except apparently it was not finished, because her voice had followed me back to my office and lodged itself somewhere beneath my ribs.

I adjusted my glasses and reached for the packet again.

Dottie exhaled against my ankle.

“I said I was fine.”

Her tail struck the side of the desk once.

The clock in the corner of my monitor changed to two twenty-nine. I checked the packet one final time. Everything had been accounted for now. Every detail Charlotte had neglected, hidden, or assumed someone else would eventually discover had been dragged into the light and assigned to someone competent.

The event would happen tomorrow. The children would arrive. Their families would not know how close the entire morning had come to becoming an organizational embarrassment.

That was the point of doing my job well. People were not supposed to see the disaster. They were only supposed to experience the part that worked.

At exactly two thirty, someone knocked twice against my open door. Dottie’s head lifted immediately. Mine followed more slowly.

Ty stood in the doorway wearing black athletic pants and a dark Frosthawks quarter-zip, his gym bag slung over one shoulder. His hair was still slightly damp from whatever treatment or shower had preceded this meeting. A phone rested in one hand. He glanced at the clock mounted on my wall, then back at me. “Two-thirty.”

“I can see that.”

“Just establishing the record.”

“You were given a time and arrived at that time. I’m not sure it qualifies as a historic achievement.”

His mouth curved.

Dottie’s tail began thumping against the floor. I looked down at her. “Your standards are apparently lower.”

“She appreciates growth.”

“She appreciates anyone who might be carrying food.”

Ty looked at Dottie. “I’m not.”

Her tail continued anyway.

“Unconditional faith,” he said. “It’s nice to have one supporter in Hockey Operations.”

“You are adored by an entire city.”

“Yeah, but most of them don’t have ears like that.”

Dottie pushed herself upright, but instead of crossing the room,she leaned more firmly against my legs. Her eyes stayed fixed on Ty while her body remained planted against me.

His gaze dropped to her. Something in his expression shifted. Barely. The humor stayed, but it softened around the edges. Then he looked at me again.

“You coming in?” I asked.

“Was waiting for permission.”

“Since when?”

“Since I’m working on respecting professional boundaries.”