Underneath It All (Storm Series) (17 page)

Alaina nodded.
“Many charities fall under that, I think. It’s an IRS designation.”

His eyebrows drew down.
“How do you know so much about all this? I had no clue what he was talking about.”

With a slight shrug, she said,
“I’ve been around non-profits at different points for years. That tends to happen when you go into education.”

“Huh.
” Rob rested his good hand on the table, resisting the urge to fidget with the silverware. “Oh, and he suggested I write a mission statement.”

Confusion clouded her expression.
“Why is that?”

“I guess to focus the
organization so we’re not pulled in too many directions.”

Alaina reached across the table and took up his good hand in both of hers. “Are you sure you want to do this? A foundation is a huge time commitment.”

“I know. Trust me, I’m not going into this blind. My eyes are wide open, and yes, I want to do it.” He squeezed her hands then pulled his back. “One thing we need is a name.”

“Hmmm. I’ll have to think on that.”

“Yeah, me too. Cuz right now I’ve got nothin’.”

“What else?”

“He’s doing the articles of incorporation and some other legal stuff right now. He said we should be a go in a few weeks.”

“Really? That soon?” Her mouth fell open
, and Rob grinned.

“That soon.”

“Oh my God, this is so exciting!” Alaina grabbed his hand again. “You’re really going to make the foundation happen.”

Her comment stung, though he was sure she hadn’t meant to offend him.
“Did you think I was blowing smoke out of my ass?”

“No, no, not at all.
See, a lot of people think the state of inner-city schools is a shame, but not many actually do anything about it.”

“True. But you can trust me. I am
in
this. I won’t get bored and abandon the whole thing. When I take on something, I do it right.” Why he was so concerned about her believing in him, he wasn’t sure.

All of this was
new to him. When he’d been with Christa, he’d loved her, sure, and he’d thought about marrying her one day off in the future. Way in the future. This felt different. More real. Maybe he was ready for real.

“I
have faith in you.” Her eyes went all soft, and Rob’s heart skipped a beat. He wanted to do everything possible to keep that look in her eye.

“So he’s also doing bylaws and stuff, but we have to
name a board of directors. I want you to participate as a board member, but after that—”

She released his hand and sat back.
“Are you sure you want me?”

“Completely.
” He grinned. “So any brilliant suggestions for names?”

Alaina chewed on her lip
, and all Rob’s attention was required to concentrate on the task at hand, instead of fantasizing about having those lips wrapped around the erection now strangling him. Dealing with one of those in public was a pain in the ass, and he tried to will the damn thing down to no avail.

“The Teachers’ Aide? Home Room for Kids?”

“Both good. Keep going. Maybe I should be writing stuff down.” Maybe that would help with his problem.

“Don’t bother. I’ll remember them. Crayons for Classrooms?”

“Helping Students Rise Above?” He shook his head. “Yuck, that’s not good.”

“No,
wait,” Alaina argued. “Everything is a stepping stone to something else if you don’t like the original idea.”

Encouraged, he offered,
“Reaching for the Stars?”

“That’s good. I like
the connotation,” she said. “See? You can do this. But maybe just ‘Reach for the Stars’ would be better. Who knows?”

“You’re really going to remember all these?”

“I think so, but if you’ll feel better I’ve got a notebook and pen in my purse.”

“
I would.”

“No problem.” She dug around in her
bag before producing them triumphantly. “Let me write those down, and then we’ll go on. Free association is a great way to solve a problem like this.” He couldn’t hold in a snicker, and she looked up, blinking. “I totally sounded like a teacher, didn’t I?”

“Oh yeah…”

Several moments later, their food arrived and they had a list with about ten choices. “We should let all the ideas percolate for a few days then revisit the topic later,” Alaina suggested. “Or do you need a name now?”

“We’ve got some time.”

“We could ask Sarah and Sebastian, too. The more ideas, the better, as far as I’m concerned.” Excitement laced Alaina’s voice, and Rob smiled. He liked the way she included his friends.

“Sure.”

They ate then drove to the Barn. Rob directed Alaina to the back, where the security guard waved them through.

Alaina looked at him after parking the car. “I’m really nervous.”

“Why?” Rob cocked his head, trying to read her enigmatic expression.

“I don’t know much about the game, I don’t know any of your teammates
—”

“Not true. You know Sebastian.”

“Okay, then I know
one
of your teammates.”

“And you know Sarah.” He put his good arm around her waist and leaned in
to kiss her forehead. “You’ll be fine.”
I’ll make sure of it.

~ * ~

TEN

Alaina
swallowed around a lump as she and Rob stepped into the cavern-like space of the arena. Various pieces of equipment were scattered about, but she didn’t recognize most of the items. She’d never been in the non-public portion of any arena and she had no idea what to expect. Rob led her through a series of hallways until they finally stopped in another room. The area was a flurry of activity as players and staff bustled around, presumably getting things ready for practice.

Rob introduced her to a bunch of people
. Sometimes Alaina couldn’t tell who was a player and who wasn’t, since about everybody was dressed in workout-type gear. As she and Rob moved into yet another expansive room, they encountered more people. Everyone asked about Rob’s shoulder, and though Alaina was sure they meant well, by the time about the twentieth person had made an inquiry, a tick was evident in Rob’s jaw. She could practically hear his teeth grinding.

Sebastian jogged over. “Hey
, bud. Hey, Alaina.”

“Hi
, Sebastian.” She took in his flip-flops, long socks, shorts, and T-shirt. “Interesting outfit.”

He grinned. “We’re getting dressed soon to go out on the ice
, so I don’t bother to put on my sneakers.”

M
ost of the guys were dressed similarly. “The socks really pull the look together.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He glanced down a hallway and said, “Sarah’s around here somewhere.”

Rob said, “Her office is down that hall, but I doubt she’s there.”

“Maybe
try the video room?” Sebastian offered.

“
We will.” Rob steered Alaina toward a door that stood ajar. Poking his head in, he said, “Hey.” Then he turned to motion her inside.

“Hi
, Alaina! Sebastian said you guys were coming down.” Sarah, who was dressed in a track suit, rose to greet them. Behind her, a man stood too. Sarah indicated him with a sweep of her hand. “This is Doug. He’s my partner in crime.”

“Nice to meet you
, Alaina.” Doug stepped forward, offering his hand. Alaina shook it, and he gave his attention to Rob. “Good to see you. We miss that special brand of craziness you bring to the locker room.”

Rob laughed as he shook Doug’s hand. “I bet.”

Doug jerked his head toward Rob’s sling. “Any idea yet?”

“
Hopefully February, but maybe March or longer. Depends on how everything responds to physical therapy.”

“Gotcha.”

Sarah spoke. “You guys are staying for practice, right?”

“Yeah
,” Rob said. “I was going to take her a few rows behind the bench.”

“You could probably get away with sitting in the penalty box.
” Sarah grinned. “The place is like your second home anyway.”

Unable to suppress it, Alaina shuddered
.

Rob turned to
Alaina, took in her expression, then spoke to Sarah once more. “I don’t want to chance of being that close. If something happens to my shoulder, I’m done.”

He must’ve read my mind.
Probably not that hard since all the blood has drained from my face.

Sarah’s face fell. “Oh my God, Rob. I’m so sorry. I didn’t think
—”

He waved her off. “No biggie. Anyway, we’re gonna go find seats. See you
later.”

As they left,
Alaina leaned over and whispered, “Thank you for that. The idea of being right in the line of fire, so to speak, made me queasy.”

“Like I told Sarah, no biggie. And I wasn’t lying about my shoulder. I need to be careful.”

“What did she mean by ‘second home’?”

“She’s just giving me shit. I rack up my share of penalty minutes, but no more than anyone else who plays a similar style to mine.”

Alaina followed him through a bunch more turns, starting to feel like a mouse in a maze and wondering if some huge piece of cheese would drop from the ceiling if they found the end. Finally, they went up a flight of stairs and came out on what Alaina guessed was the lower concourse. After about one hundred feet Rob turned into the seats, and they walked down stairs until Rob was satisfied. A couple of the guys were already on the ice, and Rob’s forehead wrinkled as a frown appeared.

She put her hand on his good shoulder. “We don’t need to stay.”

“I’m fine,” he ground out through clenched teeth.

Sometimes discretion was the better part of valor
so she kept her mouth shut. Instead, she went for distraction. The technique worked with her kids, and though he was far from a child, it might work with him too. “So explain what they’re going to do.”

“Once all the guys are on the ice, they’ll gather around the center circle,” he pointed with his good hand, “and stretch. Different people lead the stretching
, depending on who played well recently or whatever other criteria the coaching staff decides to use on that particular day. Then Coach will divide the guys into two groups, and they’ll go through a bunch of drills. What they do is determined by what Jon and the others on his staff think needs work.”

“And where do Sarah and Doug come in?”

“They’ll sit on the bench and take notes.”

Alaina considered
that for a moment then, completely mystified as to the point of that, asked, “On what?”

“Who’s playing well, who’s struggling,
small things guys are doing that might be hurting their performance, stuff like that.”

She wrinkled her nose.
“But what do they use the notes for? I don’t understand the purpose.”

He turned to her with a smirk. “Full of questions, aren’t you?”

“I’m a teacher, what did you expect?”

“True that.
I’ll ask Sarah to explain her position to you. I’m sure she could do a far better job than I could.” Rob pointed toward the ice again. “Do you know what all the markings mean?”

“No clue.”

“Wow, you really are a newbie.” With infinite patience for her constant quizzing, he explained what all the circles and such on the ice meant, and then pointed out who would play where.

Her head was spinning by the time he’d finished
. By now, all, or most, of the guys had lumbered onto the ice, at least from what she could discern since she wasn’t sure how many guys were on a hockey team.

A man wearing a baseball hat and a track suit
skated on and blew a whistle. “That’s Jon, the head coach.” Three other men joined him. “Assistant coaches and the goaltending coach.”

“The goalies get their own coach?”

Rob chuckled. “Well, goaltending is quite different from any other position, and unless you’ve played the position you might not understand all the nuances in order to be an effective coach.” He pointed to a man on the ice. “That’s Ben, the captain. You met him earlier, but I know that was a lot of people to remember. When I’m playing, I’m an assistant captain.”

“What are they doing now
for an assistant captain since you’re…out?”

“I imagine one of the other guys has taken over until I get back.
I haven’t asked.”

A man in full goalie pads did a spin like a figure skater
before toppling over like a turtle stuck on its back and Rob shook his head, smiling. “That’s Jordan. He’s a lunatic, as are many goaltenders, but he makes an art form out of it. And that huge guy? That’s Rick. He’s the team’s enforcer.”

“
I remember him. Wait.” Her eyebrows drew down. “The what?” She’d had no idea the game was so complex. Maybe she should be writing stuff down.

“Well, you know how sometimes a guy on the other
team throws a dirty check,” he indicated his shoulder, “or otherwise messes with one of us? Rick’s job is to—how should I put this?—take care of business.”

“What does he do?”

“Fights.”

“Fights? Fights who?”

Rob, the corners of his mouth twitching, was obviously trying to suppress a smile. “The other team’s enforcer, usually. Sometimes the guy who made the dirty hit.”

“That makes no sense.
Why would two players fight each other if they weren’t even involved in the play?”

“
Doesn’t have to make sense, honey. It’s the way the game is played.”

So many odd rules.
“Whatever you say,” she muttered.

They watched practice
, and Rob kept up a running commentary on what the team was doing. Alaina took it all in. Sarah and Doug gesticulated to various areas of the ice and held what looked like a spirited debate. Then Sebastian scored a goal and did a mock salute before getting whacked on the ass by the goalie’s stick. He grinned at the other man then skated back to center ice, exchanging a few high fives with other players. A pang of sympathy stole through her, unbidden. Nothing was more important to Rob than his hockey career, and he had to be missing this terribly.

When practice was ove
r, she and Rob went back downstairs and then to a luxuriously appointed area. “Players’ lounge,” Rob explained as he sat on the leather couch. “Join me. By the way, the guys respect women around here, but there’s always a possibility someone will wander through wearing less than is socially acceptable. Ignore them.”

“Alrighty then.”
It gets weirder and weirder.
She checked out the room as she sat. A huge TV was attached to the wall in front of them, and behind them stood a bar with an assortment of fruit in a large bowl, along with an industrial toaster and an assortment of bagels, breads, and English muffins. Against the wall were a couple of those coolers, like those found in a grocery store, holding all manner of beverages, from energy drinks to soda pop to juice and water. Alaina couldn’t resist running her hand down the arm of the buttery-soft leather of the couch. “This is pretty nice.”

“Yeah, Scott treats us well.
The arena is certainly nicer than when the NHL owned the team a couple of years ago while they looked for a buyer after our other one got sent to prison for embezzlement.”

“They can do that?
The NHL, I mean?”

“What, own a team? Technically.”

“Huh.”

He reached over and palmed her face, his eyebrows knit in concern.
“Am I totally overwhelming you? It’s hard to figure out what I should tell you and what’s not important.”

“No, I’m okay. I had no clue there was so much stuff to learn.”

Sarah bustled in then. “Wanna do lunch?”

“We ate before practice, but what do you think?”
Rob asked Alaina.

“Sure. But then I need to get home and check my lesson plans for the week.”

“Good,” Sarah replied. “I’m done, so we can hang and wait for Sebastian.”

Rob groaned. “He takes forever.”

“Yeah, right. So do you. All those hair products.” Sarah stuck her tongue out at Rob, who snorted.

“I noticed a plethora
of them too,” Alaina said, regarding Rob with an indulgent smile.

He shrugged with his good shoulder.
“I have a reputation for handsomeness to uphold. If I didn’t, who would?”

Sarah smirked
. “Have you told her your nickname yet?”

Rob sent Sarah a l
ook that was pure exasperation. “No.”

“You mean she has no idea you’re ‘The Don’?”

“Now she does.”

A
mused at their banter, Alaina smiled while raising an eyebrow. “The Don?”

“Yeah, like a mobster,” Rob explained
with an eye roll.

“Why on earth would
someone give you a nickname like that?” Did it have something to do with his style of play?

Sarah burst out laughing. “Look at how he’s built.
And he’s Italian. Plus, have you seen his closet? All those outrageous suits?”

“I’ve obviously been missing out. I’ll have to spy the next time I’m over.”
It wasn’t his clothes that she’d been interested in up to this point.

“Are you two done talking about me? I’m in the room, you know.”

“Oh, we know, honey,” Sarah replied, patting Rob on the knee. He growled, and the woman laughed.

If it wasn’t disgustingly obvious how much Sarah and Sebastian adored each other
, Alaina would suspect something was going on between Sarah and Rob, what with the way they bantered and how she took care of him. But Rob and Sebastian were best friends and they all worked together, so of course he’d know Sarah well.

Guys started trickling in and
grabbing drinks and snacks. Several more filled the room, talking and laughing. Sarah excused herself to get her things from her office, and as more than a few of the players shot curious looks between her and Rob, who still had his arm around her, Alaina grew nervous once more.

Why are they looking at me
? I feel like an exhibit in a zoo.
Before, when Rob had introduced her, most of the guys had shaken her hand politely then continued with their preparations. Apparently, they had more time to gawk now.