Harper didn’t want to admit it, but the minute she got home from her impromptu date with Zach, she did a happy dance after ensuring the door was closed and locked. He had come from nowhere, and perhaps a part of her would still be in denial about this growing thing that was happening between them. She didn’t want to say it was feelings because she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about the star center, but she also could not deny that she was attracted to him. He was tall, muscled, and primal – there were times she noticed him staring at her like she was already his, even though they had barely been on a date. Which should have scared her, that he was already territorial over her and they weren’t even dating. But maybe he was just protective over all the women in his life. Maybe he was like this with all the women he dated.

The thought was like an icy bucket of water was thrown onto her. He had dated many women. Rumors followed him even here, about messing with the wife of a former teammate. Regardless of the validity of those rumors, there had to be a kernel of truth buried somewhere in there.

Maybe Harper should still be on her guard. She didn’t know what he was thinking, what he felt, and it wouldn’t be wise to allow herself to get swept off of her feet so soon. Not until she had her head on straight. Not until she knew his intentions.

And who knew? Perhaps he wasn’t exactly the sort of guy she would even want to be with. First and foremost, he was a professional athlete, which was akin to being a high-paid jock in high school. The type of women they were supposed to end up with was not who Harper was and she wouldn’t sacrifice her identity to be with a guy who might very well cheat on her.

Okay, maybe that wasn’t fair. Not all professional athletes were cheaters. And just because Bryan turned out to be a dick didn’t mean Zach was. Even if rumors said otherwise. Maybe she was just trying to protect herself. Maybe she wanted to ensure she didn’t get hurt again, and as much as she wanted to try this out with Zach, she knew it would end in heartbreak. And Zach was someone she worked with, someone she would see at work every day unless she quit, got fired, or he was traded.

This wasn’t a good idea. No matter how good it felt.

She shook her head. She needed a shower and to change. She had a meeting with Seraphina, and considering they just had their first exhibition game and Harper had written about it meant she was going to get her first official feedback from her boss. Maybe she could focus her nervous energy into that rather than in Zach. Lord knew he already had a big head. She didn’t need to make it bigger, whether he knew it or not.

* * *

Seraphina looked as though she had been in her office since the early morning, but somehow, she still appeared fresh-faced and beautiful. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes were bright – only made up by the black mascara lengthening her lashes – and her lips were glossed pink. She wore a navy blue dress that tied at the waist and reached her knee in soft, plated strips. On her feet was a pair of nude heels. Harper wished she was as fashionable as Seraphina was, but her dark jeans and white collared shirt were nothing in comparison.

“Harper,” Seraphina said with a warm smile and a sparkle in her eyes. “It’s so good to see you. Come in, come in.” She used her fingers to beckon Harper in the office before gesturing at one of the chairs in front of her desk. “Thanks so much for coming in today. Your blazer is super cute.”

“Oh.” Harper glanced down at the black blazer, a light flush touching her cheeks. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” she said. “So, I wanted to talk to you about your travel assignments but first, I want to get your feedback. How are you?”

“I’m good,” Harper asked.

Did Seraphina know about the date she and Zach went on earlier? No, there was no way. It just happened. Right? But Seraphina was powerful; it wouldn’t surprise her to know that she somehow found out. Maybe Harper should tell her. Maybe she had done something wrong. She didn’t want to compromise her job or her friendship with Seraphina. If she wasn’t allowed to date Zach, she wouldn’t.

“That’s great, I’m glad to hear that.” Seraphina was still smiling, a genuine gesture that made Harper feel guilty about something even though she didn’t do anything wrong. “How’s the writing coming along? Can I be honest with you – I have no idea how you do it. Coming up with new, fresh ideas every week. I am so lucky to have you as our blogger and social media expert.”

“It’s nothing big,” Harper said.

“Don’t be humble,” Seraphina said. “Own what you do. You are great at a job that could easily have fallen flat. You aren’t easily replaceable, Harper. Don’t take that for granted.” She leaned back in her chair. “I’m not trying to lecture you, Harper. I’m just trying to make you realize how amazing you are. I feel like people in this profession treat it just like it’s a business. I get it. It works. It is a business. My grandfather did the same thing. But once I inherited the team, after my grandfather…” She swallowed, her eyes on the surface of her desk rather than on Harper. Harper couldn’t blame her. “I wanted to be taken seriously in this business. So I went back to school and got my Masters. My favorite class was Outside Business Practices, which talked about different business tracks to get the most out of your consumer and out of your employees. Positive reinforcement, genuine tokens of appreciation, were rarely used in the business industry even though it’s common sense: you encourage your employees, they’re going to want to work for you, right? So that’s what I’m trying to do with you, Harper. With everyone I see. You are a stellar writer. You could be a sports journalist if you wanted. I just wanted to take the time to remind you how important you are to us.”

Harper wasn’t quite sure how to respond. She felt her face take flame and couldn’t help but drop her eyes to her lap. With that, however, came pride. Pride in her work and her passion, but also pride in working for someone like Seraphina Hanson.

“How are you?” Harper asked, quirking a brow and finally picking her eyes up to meet Seraphina’s. “I know you’re good about checking in on us but who checks in on you?”

Seraphina shot Harper a knowing smile. “Touché,” she agreed. “I will admit, it has been difficult maintaining friendships through this transitional phase for me. I’m handling it as best as I can.”

Harper gave Seraphina a look. “Seraphina, I know you’re my boss and I appreciate the dedication to professionalism you maintain,” she said, “but I want you to feel you can confide in me if you need to. Maybe it’s still too early to call each other friends but I’d like to try. I mean, I did pick up your sister from a club the other night.”

Seraphina shook her head. “Can you believe Kat?” she asked, her eyes going wide. “Oh my God, when I heard she was actually partying with everyone…” She let her voice trail off and crossed her arms over her chest. “I mean, I can’t imagine what she’s going through. Star center breaks up with her and we trade him and there’s a chance we might get him again. I also know she’s trying to be strong for my sake, to take one for the team, literally. But I just wish she’d be more honest with her feelings. Like when Peters and she were over, she couldn’t just tell me she missed him. I knew she did, obviously, but she would never admit it. Her pride is going to be her downfall, let me tell you.” She pushed her brow up. “I am so sorry, I’m babbling.”

Harper laughed. “Don’t worry about it,” she said, waving Seraphina’s apology away. “I do that when I’m nervous. Look, I can’t imagine what you went through after your grandfather was murdered.” Her eyes widened when she realized how callous that sounded. “I’m sorry, that was harsh. I’m a good writer but I can’t seem to speak to save my life.”

“No,” Seraphina said, shaking her head. “I appreciate the directness. It’s been a year and people still tiptoe around it like it didn’t happen, which pisses me off because people don’t think I can handle it, even now.” She clenches her jaw. “The sexism” – she cut herself off and shook her head once more. “I can’t even get into this right now. I’ll work myself up.” She forced a smile. “Thank you. For speaking to me like a human.”

Harper smiled and nodded once. “Of course,” she said. “If there’s anything you need, anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

“I will,” she said, her eyes flitting over to the windows in her office.

Seraphina’s office was rare in that nearly every crevice of it was glass. Her grandfather created the designs himself, wanting to have a good view of the Pacific Ocean crashing into the shore. It was hard to be stressed in the office. The only touch of darkness was the stain of blood on the carpet underneath Harper’s chair. Rumor had it that Katella wanted Seraphina to tear up the carpet and put in wood flooring to get rid of the blood, but Seraphina refused. She kept it there, as a reminder to her and to everyone else that her grandfather had died for this team and his death would not be in vain.

“So,” Seraphina said, snapping her eyes back to Harper. “Let’s talk travel. As usual, the Gulls have a crappy travel schedule, even during the preseason. Anytime they travel, I want you to go with them, so you can write an article on something – whether it’s a character article on the player, an article on the city, or a technical article on the game. It’ll be tough when we have the back-to-back games – and it looks like we’ll have quite a few of those – and I wanted to bring you in just to make sure it’s something you feel you can handle. Not that I don’t think you can, I just think it’s important that I get your feedback as well.”

Harper nodded. “I can handle it, for sure,” she said. “It will be overwhelming but as long as I plan out potential articles in advanced, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Seraphina smiled brightly. “Great,” she said. “Well, that’s what I wanted to call you in for. Unless there was something else you wanted to discuss.”

Was it Harper’s imagination, or did Seraphina seem like she knew where Harper had been this morning, and who Harper had been with? Her mouth dried up and she hoped she didn’t look like a deer caught in headlights because that was exactly the way she felt.

Part of her wanted to talk to Seraphina about Zach, but it was too new and Harper didn’t even know what she wanted. She didn’t want to bring up an issue when there was no issue. Not yet, at least. And by talking about it, addressing it, gave it a seriousness she didn’t think it possessed just yet. Who knew if she and Zach were going to go out again? Harper didn’t want to start planning things for it to wind up biting her in the ass.

“No,” she managed to say, hoping her voice didn’t come out as shrill as it sounded and that she was being paranoid. “I think we’re good.”

Seraphina nodded. If she didn’t believe Harper, it didn’t show. “Good,” she said. “Thanks for coming in. I’ll get you your flight information out to you tonight.”

Harper smiled and left. She didn’t want to think about the utter desire she had to share everything about Zach with Seraphina just so she could get excited about it with someone.