Rookies Play It Better: Book 5 in The Minor League Mayhem Series Read online

  Rookies Play It Better

  Book 5 in The Minor League Mayhem Series

  Heather C. Myers

  Contents

  1. Rudd

  2. Hailey

  3. Rudd

  4. Hailey

  5. Rudd

  6. Hailey

  7. Rudd

  8. Hailey

  9. Rudd

  10. Hailey

  11. Rudd

  12. Hailey

  13. Rudd

  14. Hailey

  15. Rudd

  16. Hailey

  17. Rudd

  18. Hailey

  19. Rudd

  20. Hailey

  Sneak Peek!

  Did you like Rookies Play It Better?

  Acknowledgments

  1

  Rudd

  Rudd Barnes knew he was screwed. He had never been called into Seraphina Hanson’s office since he had been drafted by the Newport Beach Seagulls four years ago. Since then, he had been playing on the second line of their AHL team, the Irvine Mayhem.

  Which was great.

  But it wasn’t the NHL.

  He leaned back against the surprisingly comfortable chair in her office. His eyes skirted over the bloodstain that had been there since who knew how long. Blood caused his stomach to roil, though that wasn’t something he wanted to admit out loud, especially as a hockey player who didn’t shy away from brawls. Hockey players were, in his opinion, the toughest athletes playing sports. One of his former teammates took a puck to the face, lost two teeth, got stitched up, and didn’t miss a shift. Nothing that brutal had happened to Rudd, thank God, but he didn’t need to have a reputation of being a pussy when it came to blood.

  He’d never be able to live that down.

  Carding his fingers through his hair, he let his shoulders drop down so he was practically slouching.

  This was…a joke.

  Where was she?

  Seraphina was known for being timely, professional. She built her own reputation on it, especially as a woman owner and manager of a professional hockey team. Rudd wasn’t sure if it helped, now that she had a Stanley Cup under her belt, but he was sure it wasn’t any easier.

  He refused to give into the temptation and check his phone to see what time it was. He had already done that recently. Probably a second ago.

  So where was she?

  More importantly, why did she want to talk to him?

  As far as he knew, he hadn’t done anything wrong. Their last game - the first since resuming play after Christmas break - had been one of his best. He had three assists. Which was great.

  Unless…

  Maybe she was bringing him up to the Gulls.

  He straightened at the thought.

  Could it…could it be?

  Why the fuck would she want to bring you to the Gulls? You, of all people. So what, you had a decent game? So fucking what? You really think suddenly, all your dreams are going to come true. Come on. You know better than that. Jesus Christ.

  Rudd clenched his teeth together, refusing to respond in any way, which made him crazier than he already felt. His father’s voice echoed through his head even though he hadn’t seen the old man since he was drafted to the NHL a few years ago. And the man was dead, thank God.

  Rudd sighed, sinking his chewed up nails into the flesh part of his palms. The nails themselves didn’t do much damage because they weren’t sharp, but at least his fingers were coiled and gave him some kind of strain to focus on.

  At that moment, the door opened and in walked Seraphina Hanson. Everyone knew she was beautiful, but it wasn’t the kind of beautiful that was reserved solely for the outside of a person. She had this sort of warmth that radiated goodness and light and made her beautiful on the outside. It was more cheesy than he was used to admitting, but it seemed to do the job of accurately describing her. Her blonde hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, and she was in jeans and a simple blue T-shirt.

  “Hey Rudd,” she chirped as she took a seat at her desk. She reached for her mouse and clicked it a few times before typing something in. The computer whirred, suddenly waking up. “Thanks so much for coming in today.”

  “Yeah, well.” He shrugged. Part of him wanted to point out he didn’t actually have a choice, but since he didn’t know why he was here yet, he thought it would be smarter to keep his opinions to himself until he figured that out.

  “How are you?” she asked.

  He shifted in his seat and muttered something that was socially acceptable. He didn’t even know what it was. All he knew was that he knew Seraphina was doing. Small talk was supposed to soften the blow of whatever this meeting was supposed to be, which meant that he was here because he had done something wrong. Definitely not her bringing him up to the Gulls.

  Jesus, what had he done? For the life of him, he couldn’t remember.

  “Good.” Seraphina smiled. “I watched your last game. Three assists, that’s really something. That’s NHL material, you know.”

  Rudd clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth instead of responding with what he really wanted to say. Of course he knew that. Of course he understood just how good of a player he was. He stayed after practice and stickhandled for an extra twenty minutes. He did an extra twenty minutes of dryland in order to work on stamina and sculpt muscle - although he doubted he could pack on muscle like Logan or even Christopher Worthington. Those guys seemed to have naturally well-built bodies while his was lean - and that was fine. Too much muscle mass might slow him down, and one of Rudd’s skills was his speed.

  “I take it your goal is to move up eventually?” She stopped typing, took one look at the computer screen, before shifting her computer chair so nothing blocked his view of her. Now, she gave him her full attention. Now, she was willing to talk about whatever it was she called him in for once this unnecessary smalltalk was over.

  “I mean, isn’t it everyone’s?” Rudd asked, and immediately regretted it.

  Even he knew that was more sarcastic than he needed to be. He bit the inside of his bottom lip and glanced at his knees. He reached out and brushed the cap. Despite the fact that it was January, this was still Southern California, and walking around in shorts wasn’t out of the norm. Although, now that he thought about it, maybe he should have gotten more dressed up for this meeting. It was important, after all, and even though she made it seem so informal, maybe this was some sort of test he was already failing. Or maybe he was just overthinking things again.

  “Most of the time.” She smiled brightly. “Some are actually quite content playing in the AHL. They don’t want anything more than what they already have. Which is why I wanted to talk to you.”

  See? Here it comes. She’s going to tell you exactly what she thinks of your stupid goal of playing in the NHL. She’s going to point out that there’s no way you’re ever going to get there and even hoping for it is one of the dumbest decisions you’ve ever made. God, you’re such an idiot.

  This time, it was impossible to drown out his father’s voice.

  Rudd’s knee began to bounce up and down. He tried to hold it still but it wouldn’t stop.

  “Oh?” he finally managed to chirp, sounding more like a teenage boy than a man.

  Because you’re a fucking pussy.

  “Yes.” She tilted her head to the side. “I’m sure you know what this is about.”

  “I’m sure I do,” he said, because there was no way he was going to ask. No way he was going to admit that actually, he didn’t have the slightest clue. He held his breath and waited. Waited for the inevitable,
when his father’s voice turned out right, when there was no chance he was going to get to where he wanted to go.

  “Hmm.” She narrowed her eyes but her lips curved up. “I like you, Rudd. I think you’re a good player. Do you know what I liked about you?”

  “I’m sure it’s not my face?” He grinned but it wasn’t one that meant anything. It was the sort of smile that matched his words, that forced the muscles in his face to match the words he spoke.

  Her smile widened but at least she didn’t laugh. He hated it when people forced themselves to laugh at his jokes, especially when the jokes weren’t all that funny. It was why he couldn’t take a girl back to his place as often as the other guys. He was much more selective. Fucking mindless girls every night wasn’t a priority; neither was finding some kind of soul connection (which he didn’t believe in anyway). But if he happened to see a pretty girl and she happened to have some semblance of a brain, he wouldn’t outright reject her by any means.

  “You’re funny,” she stated.

  Rudd gave his sheepish smile, another one that didn’t actually touch his features. But it was what was expected from him whenever someone said a compliment regarding his humor.

  Don’t look too much into it because one day, people will realize it’s all a lie. You’re really a piece of shit who doesn’t deserve any of what you have. I see through you. So will others. It’s only a matter of time.

  “Actually, Rudd, I wanted to talk to you about your humor,” she said, glancing down at her paperwork and began to flip through a couple sheets. “Because, while I find you absolutely hilarious, you don’t have too many fans.”

  “Lucky for me you aren’t paying me to tell jokes,” he said.

  “No,” she agreed. “I’m paying you to play a damn good game of hockey. Which you’re doing. However, we’ve noticed a one percent drop in season ticket holders. Did you know we do a survey when ticket holders don’t re-up their tickets?”

  Rudd pressed his lips together and shook his head.

  “Did you know what a common theme with some of the non-returners was?” She lifted a brow.

  “I have a feeling…” He let his voice trail off,

  Told you. Told you. Told you. They’re going to find out what a fraud you are. Goddamn phony.

  “A lot of people cited your aloofness,” she said. “No one actually talks about your skill as a player, but they don’t…they don’t like you. And, before you say anything, I’m well-aware that your job isn’t to make people like you. However.”

  Rudd shifted in his seat. Whenever a period was added after however, there was never any good that came from that.

  “In order to get people coming back, we have to give them a reason to come back,” she continued. At least she looked like she didn’t want to. “Basically, you’re a dick and we have to try and make the public think you’re actually a likable guy.”

  Rudd snorted before he started laughing. He couldn’t help it. This was the weirdest meeting he had ever been part of before.

  “I know, I know.” Seraphina leaned back in her seat, the sheets momentarily forgotten, as she crossed her arms over her chest. “The truth is, Southern California hockey fans are fickle. We get the loyalists, sure, but they aren’t going to shell out their money unless they think it’s worth it.”

  “We’re first in the Pacific,” Rudd pointed out.

  “Nowadays, with cancel culture running rampant, it’s not enough,” she said.

  Rudd scoffed. He glanced to the side before looking back at her. “How?” he managed to get out. “How are you going to make it look like I’m not a dick anymore?”

  Seraphina grinned and spread out her arms. “We’re going to hook you up with one of the nicest girls on the planet. Because if she can love you, anyone can.”

  2

  Hailey

  The last thing Hailey Montgomery wanted was help. She got herself into this mess, she would just have to get herself out of it. She didn’t need to be at some Ice Princess conference room in an ice rink, waiting for her cousin to offer her some kind of solution to her problem.

  Did she make poor choices when it came to boyfriends?

  Yes.

  Did she want to fall in love with the right guy?

  Also yes.

  Her problem was that it was difficult to suss out the problems with the good guys. Maybe it was because her mother always made it a point to drag Hailey to all those veteran shelters during the holidays to show her the value of generosity and how significant a simple action could be. Hailey ate it up too.

  Which meant she blamed her mom for her choice in men. Because she felt a responsibility to seek out the ones who needed her the most, who needed fixing and could only get it from her. She knew exactly what her problem was, but even with that awareness, it didn’t help the situation. She continued to make bad choices - guys who didn’t appreciate her, who treated her like a mother, or who refused to change specifically so they could garner from her.

  But Pat was probably the worst. She could admit that now.

  “I swear to God, Hailey. How do you even get into messes like these?” Katella pushed her aviators up from her face so they rested on top of her head. She crossed her arms over her chest, leather sleeves on her jacket crinkling, as she stared Hailey down. “It’s like you can’t help yourself. You’re so…juvenile.”

  “And what’s that supposed to mean?” Hailey asked, leaning forward in her chair, grabbing the arms of it with perfectly manicured fingers. “There’s, like, a seven year difference between us, Kat. Obviously, there’s going to be a disconnect between us. But you’re the last person to judge me for my pick in guys.”

  Katella glanced away, daintily flicking a piece of invisible lint off her jacket. “I suppose,” she admitted. “Look, I know. I’m not trying to come across as judgmental.”

  “Which you are,” Hailey pointed out.

  “Which I am,” Katella acknowledged, “and which is the worst response to what you’re going through. I’m sorry, Hailey. I am. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. I don’t want you swept up in this. And now look, there’s a consequence to this. Pat is -”

  “I know, okay?” Hailey inadvertently shifted her weight. She had slid her phone under her thigh, but she had been so focused on the conversation, she couldn’t feel it any longer. Until she touched it once again with her thigh.

  “I mean, you had to change your number -”

  “I know,” she repeated before rolling her eyes and squaring her shoulders. “I know that I picked the wrong guy. Like, the bad wrong guy, okay? I know that Seraphina is in her office right now, trying to help me unmake a mistake that’s already been made. I’m going to fix this.”

  “It’s not about fixing it,” Katella said, her voice surprisingly gentle. “It’s more learning from it and making different choices. Hailey, you know your value outside of everything you can provide for someone, right? You’re worth something simply because you’re a person.”

  Hailey flinched, sneering. “You sound like my mother.”

  “Is that such a bad thing?” Katella perked her brows and tried to maintain eye contact with her cousin.

  Hailey wanted nothing more than to look away, but she held Katella’s gaze despite her clear discomfort. “You think this thing is really going to work?” she asked instead. She reached for a kleenex on Katella’s desk, but not because she was going to cry or anything ridiculous like that. She just wanted something to do with her hands.

  “I think it’s going to help,” Katella said, walking over to her whiteboard. There were a couple of words and phrases still written from the last meeting held here. Katella took the eraser and began to wipe the words away. “I think it’s going to make you see that there are other guys out there.”

  “If I’m supposed to be this hockey player’s girlfriend because he has an issue with how he treats people, how is that supposed to help anything?” Hailey pointed out. She rested her hands on the surface of the small desk
she was at and began to shred the kleenex in her hands. “I mean, what if he’s mean to me?”

  “He won’t be.”

  “How could you possibly know that?” she asked.

  “Well, for one, his job depends on it,” Katella pointed out. “I mean, you're the boss’s cousin.”

  “By marriage,” Hailey said.

  Katella wrinkled her nose. “So? You’re still family.” She waved her hand. “Look, it’s a mutually beneficial set up, right? You get a cover. You get an excuse to completely ignore your ex.”

  “Which is going to piss him off,” Hailey said, shifting her legs into another new position. She wished she could just stay still. She didn’t understand why she was constantly squirming, but she couldn’t help it. There was too much anxious energy bottled up inside of her and she needed a place to let it out. She felt like a can of soda that had been shaken up, and she was waiting for the opportunity to release her energy until it flattened and faded into numbness.

  “Probably,” Katella agreed with a sharp jerk of her chin. “But you’re going to be pretending to date a hockey player. I doubt Pat is going to do anything to you with Rudd around.”

  “Okay, and when he’s not around?” Hailey asked, cocking her head to the side. She swept the pieces of kleenex to the side of the desk carefully. “You think Pat can't’ find a way to get to me? That’s why I’m here, Kat. In Orange County, I mean. With you guys. Staying at your place. Do you think I want to have moved out of my home? No. But I didn’t have a choice. Not after -”

  “I know,” Katella said. She meant it as a comfort, but Hailey took it as Katella getting defensive. Which only prompted her to get defensive. “Trust me, there have been a couple of players already on this team that are with young women who have gone through something similar. I’m not trying to compare it; each terrible experience is subjective. But just know, you wouldn’t be alone here. If you’re up for it, I’m sure we could find people for you to talk to.”