Regan

Jameson is the man-of-honor Coach had mentioned at the game. I hadn’t expected him to be so…hot. Actually, I had no idea what I thought he’d look like. After our conversation at the Flyers game, I had lunch with Coach and told her about all the ways we can accommodate her wedding reception. She’d mentioned Jamie several times, raved about him, even. The only thing I’d known about him before tonight was that he was Coach’s best friend.

I almost said yes to his offer. But once the reality of Jamie being Coach’s best friend had sunk in, and what their relationship means to me, I couldn’t go through with dinner. With Coach and her friends so wrapped up in my father’s business, I cannot interfere. Plus, I don’t date athletes.

Jamie is in ridiculous shape, just as toned and muscular as some of the guys on the team. He’s not a hockey or basketball player. I know everyone in both leagues. But I don’t follow the other sports as much as I should, so what sport does he play? Soccer, maybe? He has the build for it. Coach surrounds herself with professional athletes. If only I knew his last name. Then, I could Facebook and Google stalk him to get his stats and scope out his life.

Five minutes after I get back to my office, Murph walks through the door with a wide grin on his face. He sits in one of the leather chairs in front of my desk and folds his hands on his lap.

“Are you ready for tomorrow night?”

I nod. “Yes, everything is ready. Did my father send you here to check on me again?”

“Maybe,” he says.

“You know you can say no to him. It’s not like you work directly for him.”

“You’re dad is the man, and I do what the man tells me to do.”

I stick my finger in my mouth, making a gagging sound. “Vomit. Why don’t you fanboy some more.”

“I can’t help it that I grew up watching him play. Do you know how cool it is for me to get the chance to work with him?”

“I have an idea. When I was younger, I went to Los Angeles for the weekend with my dad. We sat courtside at the Lakers game, met the players on the team, and had the grand tour of the Staples Center. And they smoked the shit out of the Celtics. Kobe was on fire, the entire team was on point, and the crowd was insane. It was hands-down one of the best days of my life. I had many days like that growing up. I’ve met tons of professional athletes and have hundreds of autographs and signed sports memorabilia. I get it, I do.”

“Then stop giving me shit about it, Regan.” Murph sits back in his chair, getting comfortable. “If Kobe had asked you to deliver a message would you have told him no?”

“Of course not,” I say, without hesitation.

“You just proved my point. Plus, this is part of my job. They pay me to deliver messages, usher high profile clients to their seats, and do anything else they can think of on any given day.”

“You did your job.” I move the keyboard in front of me, staring at the computer screen. “Tell my dad that the everything is ready for the charity event tomorrow. I have the vendors lined up, the staff on schedule, and it’s up to him to make sure his players show up. On second thought, he could come to my office himself next time. We’re in the same building, and I haven’t seen him in days.”

“He’s a busy man. I’m sure he’ll make an appearance at some point.”

“I have no doubt about that. If this event isn’t perfect, I will never hear the end of it.”

“I’m sure it will be great since you planned it.”

“Do you remember what happened last year? The caterers didn’t show for his big dinner. It was a complete nightmare.”

No one understands what it’s like to be the daughter of a hockey legend. My father is the reason Murph has a sparkle in his eyes, as he speaks about him with such reverence. But no one knows him like I do. They don’t see him the same way because they’re too busy placing him on a pedestal. He’s a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. That alone garners him respect and attention.

It’s also the reason everyone treats me differently as if I am some extension of my dad. My entire life I have been his shadow. When guys see me, they only see my father. That’s why it was nice to get asked out by Jamie. He had no expectations, nothing he was hoping to gain from me. He seemed bummed that I refused his offer. I was just as upset that I couldn’t accept.

Murph gets up from the chair. “I need to get back to work. Your dad is probably waiting for me.”

As he walks away, I stop him. “Murph, hold on!”

He turns around to face me, waiting for me to speak.

“What do you know about Coach’s friend?”

“Coach Landry?”

I shake my head. “No, the other Coach.”

“Coach as in Charlotte Coachman?”

“Yes, that Coach. How much do you know about her friend?”

He shrugs, his broad shoulders filling out his fitted shirt. “She has lots of friends, Regan. You need to be more specific.”

Duh, Regan.

“Jamie. He’s her best friend. Do you know him?”

“Yeah, of course. Jamie is awesome.”

“Well,” I say, goading him to tell me more, “what do you know about him? What team does he play for?”

“Team?” He flashes me a perplexed look, his eyebrows raised in confusion. “He doesn’t play for a team.”

I fold my arms across my chest, locking onto Murph. “I was so sure he was an athlete. But he was with Coach. All of her friends are in the business. Is he an agent?”

He shakes his head. “Nope, Jamie is a gamer.”

“As in he plays video games?” Now, I’m confused.

“Well, yes and no. He’s a software engineer. His company designs video games, but he also makes apps and other stuff.”

“He didn’t look like a nerd to me,” I joke.

“Jamie’s a cool nerd. I’ve played a few of the first-person shooter games he designed, and they're kind of bad ass.”

As a girl who grew up on sports, comic books, and video games, I had a strange childhood. I was never the girl who’d brush Barbie’s hair or have tea parties with her friends. Most of my friends growing up were the sons or daughters of other famous hockey players. We had unusual lives, to say the least. My closest friend was a boy until his father was traded to another team, breaking us apart.

It didn’t help that we’d moved back and forth between the United States and Canada for most of my life. By the time I was old enough to attend college, I had chosen a school in Philadelphia to stay close to my dad during hockey season. I never expected to fall in love with the city and move here permanently.

My dad still travels between the U.S. and Canada, mostly because my mother had refused to leave her country. She likes it in the States, but she says it’s nothing like home. I don’t blame her. I like both countries for different reasons, but now Philly is where I call my home. Every few months, I make it a point to visit my mom. She gets upset if I don’t carve out a weekend for her at least once every quarter.

But with hockey season in full swing and all the events we have going on at the Wells Fargo Center, the likelihood of me getting away from here anytime soon is slim. At least I have my dad around, despite how little I get to see him with our busy schedules.

“That’s funny you thought Jamie was an athlete. He’s about as nerdy as they come.”

Hot nerds, who knew there was such a thing?

I’ve always like smart guys. It beats the hell out of talking to a man who’s taken one too many hits and can’t hold down a decent conversation. Since my dad is usually the topic of those conversations, my dates tend not to last long.

“He has the build of one. I just assumed that he was with Coach because she represented him.”

“Aw, man,” Murph says, laughing. “Jamie is going to get a kick out of this the next time I see him.”

I hold my hand out in front of me. “No! Don’t even think about telling him about this conversation.”

“Why? Do you like him?”

“No…I don’t know. We didn’t have much time together before Coach and her friends found us. It was kinda awkward having Parker, Kane, and Donovan hovering over us while we were talking. And Coach is…well, you know Coach. She can be intimidating.”

He chuckles to himself. “Jamie is good people. I’ve known him almost as long as Coach.”

“What else do you know about him? Did Coach and Jamie ever date?”

He laughs so hard he snorts. “No way! Coach and Jamie are like brother and sister. They grew up in foster care together. There’s nothing sexual about their relationship.”

I smile at his words.

“Look at you,” Murph says, pointing his finger at me. “You like Jamie. How about that? And here I didn’t think you liked anyone.”

“Why is that?” I throw my hands onto my hips. “Because I won’t go out with you?”

Murph shrugs. “Maybe.”

“You’re too in love with my dad to ever fall in love with me, Murph. It would never work between us. Besides, you’re the closest thing I have to a best friend anymore.”

“I’ll take what I can get,” he deadpans.

“Wanna grab lunch with me tomorrow before the fundraiser?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.” He winks in my direction. “Don’t stay too late. If you want me to walk you out to your car, let me know. I’m hanging around for another hour before I head home.”

“Stop by before you leave. Otherwise, you know I’ll get wrapped up in something and end up sleeping on my couch again.”

I’m a workaholic with a habit of working for hours on end without any breaks or concept of time. After Murph exits my office, he leaves me alone and with my thoughts that Jamie consumes. I have to see him again. But how can I make that happen without calling Coach and looking like a weirdo stalker? How would I even approach the topic? She’d think I’m some crazy person.

A computer nerd…I knew I liked Jamie for a reason. We’re kindred spirits, stuck in the shadows of our famous family and friends. If only there were a way to see him again. I need to make that happen.