Meet Me in the Penalty Box: A Small Town Hockey Romance (Orchid City Book 1)

As I stood in the doorway of my bedroom, I watched Nico as he stirred in his sleep. His face was relaxed and peaceful as he began to softly snore again. I hated leaving him like this, but it was for the best. He was planning on going to that meeting with me tomorrow morning and I couldn’t let him do that. There was nothing he could do about the situation we had gotten ourselves into.

There was nothing either of us could do.

I didn’t lie to him about the original meeting, I just didn’t tell him that I had texted Phillip later yesterday afternoon to move the meeting to today instead. Nico didn’t need to come in and save the day. I knew exactly what I needed to do and that was what I was going to do.

Leaving him in my bed, I snuck out of my apartment and headed over to the stadium. My stomach sank and a part of me felt sad knowing this would probably be the last time I would be parking in the media parking lot. It was bound to happen eventually. Things like this only lasted so long before everything imploded.

Now I had to deal with the aftermath and clean up the mess I had made.

Walking into the stadium, I adjusted my clothes as I walked down the hall. It was a short walk to the elevator that took me to the floor where the media room was. It felt like time was moving slowly and I just wanted to get it over with as quickly as I could.

Phillip was already sitting at the table as I walked inside and I could feel the bile rising in my throat. I absolutely hated conflict, but this was one I wasn’t going to be able to avoid. He was the only one in the room and that only made me feel worse.

“Hi, Harper,” he said with his voice tense as he motioned for me to sit down across from him. “Please take a seat.”

I swallowed hard over the lump in my throat and nodded as I did as he said and sat down. “Are we waiting for anyone else?” I asked him, my voice quiet.

He shook his head. “No, that won’t be necessary.” He took a sip of his water. “Would you like to go first or shall I?”

“I can,” I said without any hesitation. It was like ripping off a Band-Aid. The jump was going to be the scariest part of my journey, but it had to be done. “I want to apologize first. I never meant for something like this to happen.”

“Yeah, that’s usually how it goes.” He fell silent and frowned. “I hate to have to let you go, but you understand this goes against our strict rules. Knowing what we do and the fact that it has gotten out to the public, we can no longer employ you as a photographer for the team.”

I nodded. “Yes, I understand that.”

He stared at me for a moment as his shoulders sagged. “I don’t know you well, Harper, but this was honestly unexpected and a bit of a disappointment. You are an extremely talented photographer, so this is really not what I wanted to have to do today.”

“I really am sorry, Phillip,” I said to him, feeling the deep regret inside. “I never wanted this to happen, but I accept the consequences for what I have done. There is nothing I can do to take it back.”

Phillip nodded. “This is effective immediately, so we won’t be needing you at the game tomorrow.”

“I understand,” I responded as we both rose from our seats. There was nothing else to really say. Phillip was my boss and not my friend, so what happened in my life after this moment didn’t concern him. “Thank you for the opportunity of working for the team.”

“Of course, Harper,” he said with a sad smile. “Please take care of yourself and I wish you the best in life.”

I thanked him again and felt lighter as I walked out of the media room. I had served my purpose here and it was time for me to close out this chapter of my life. As I stepped into the hallway and the door closed behind me, I glanced over my shoulder once more as I looked back at the room.

This job would always be special to me, even if it wasn’t my career anymore. If I hadn’t gotten the job, I wouldn’t have ended up in Orchid Beach. And if I weren’t here, chances were that I wouldn’t have run into Nico that night. I would have never gotten the opportunity to meet him and have him in my life.

It was a bittersweet moment. A part of me didn’t want to give it up because this was quite possibly the scariest thing I had ever done. I came in here knowing I would no longer be employed, but I also came here with a plan. It was as if it were that final last push I needed to branch out on my own.

I didn’t need to work here anymore. It was time for me to start doing my own thing.

As I reached my car and glanced up at the stadium once more, I pulled out my phone and tapped on Ava’s name. She texted me as soon as she heard about the accident and made sure I was okay. She was the one who instantly knew I was with Nico so when I talked to Phillip yesterday, I made sure I let her know we were having an official meeting.

“Hey, girl. What are you doing?” Ava said as she answered the phone.

“Well,” I started as I turned the key to bring the engine of my car to life, “I just got fired.”

Ava was silent for a beat. “Okay. We knew this was going to happen. It was inevitable. So, what do you have planned next?”

“I’m finally going to follow my dreams,” I told her, my voice soft as I didn’t fully trust it. Speaking it out into the universe felt weird and almost as if it wasn’t reality. “I’m officially starting my own photography business.”

“Harper, this is the best news ever!” Ava exclaimed and the excitement was evident in her voice. “I’m so proud of you for finally doing it. I knew you could do this and that things would work out for you.”

“I don’t want to get my hopes up yet, but I have some shoots lined up and had other people reaching out, so I’m really excited and hopeful for it.”

“I’ve never doubted you, Harper, and I know you can do this,” Ava assured me. “It’s almost like this whole ordeal was a blessing in disguise.”

I mulled over her words for a moment. “You know what, maybe you’re right.”

Ava laughed. “I know I am.”

We chatted until I was pulling back into my parking space at my apartment building. We ended our call with the promise of meeting up for lunch tomorrow. I tucked my phone back into my purse before heading to my apartment. The door was still locked when I had left it when I left earlier.

I slid the key in and turned the knob before slowly letting myself into the small space. It was quiet inside and I gently closed the door behind me. Nico must have still been in bed, which had me breathing a sigh of relief. I set my purse and keys down on the counter in the small kitchen area.

“Where were you, love?”