"I have to meet him today? Really? My dad died two weeks ago and he wants to meet already?"
"Carol, you are the one who was wondering about the gentleman that made the deal with your dad and became half owner of the team. If you want to know who it is, now is your chance."
"I hate when you are right, Tara. It is still hard for me to believe that dad is gone and meeting this guy just emphasizes that fact," said Carol, as she wiped a tear from her eye. "Thank you for being the world's greatest P.A."
"You are most welcome, my friend. Who knows, maybe he will be this hot guy and you could get a little ice time with him on the side, if you know what I mean," she teased as she walked away.
"Tara! That is not going to happen. He will be my business partner. Besides, he is probably my dad's age or something."
She walked into the restroom which was attached to the office that was now hers at the stadium. As she looked into the mirror, Carol Peletier was surprised that her short hair hadn't frizzed out in this unusually high March humidity here in Oregon. She became part owner of the Portland Winterhawks when her father had passed away. He had talked with her and they had decided that she was busy as a mother of her daughter, Sophia, and wasn't sure if she had the time to commit to full ownership of the team. Growing up around hockey her whole life, she wasn't willing to sell the team completely.
After cleaning up, she left the bathroom and made her way back to her desk. Tara handed her a folder and said, "Here is some information on him, he should be here in about thirty minutes."
"Thanks, dear. Go ahead and set things up in the conference room."
Opening up the folder, Carol looked through the papers and discovered that his name was Daryl Dixon, he was forty-six, and that he had played in the NHL for five seasons. She vaguely remembered that name. Getting lost in the folder, she didn't even realize the thirty minutes had went by until there was the buzzer went off. Clicking the button on the intercom, she was told that he was on his way up. "Thank you, Bob."
She left her desk and made her way into the conference room as Tara went to meet him. When he walked into the room she stood up to meet him. From behind him she could see Tara checking him out and fanning her face in an exaggerated motion. She caught her eye and gave her a slight nod as Tara dropped her hand and smiled. As she walked over, she noticed his piercing blue eyes immediately. They were stunning and had a kindness to them. She reached out to shake his hand and was surprised by the shock that went up her arm. "Hello Mr. Dixon, I am Carol Peletier. It is so nice to meet you."
Holding her hand, a moment longer than was necessary, he was taken aback by her beauty. To say she was stunning was an understatement. The curls in her spikey grey hair made him long to run his fingers through them. They were highlighted with auburn pieces which lit up her eyes. "It is nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Peletier. Please call me Daryl, Mr. Dixon was my grandfather." He continued to hold her hand as the connection he felt caused goose bumps to break out on his skin.
"It is actually Ms. Peletier, I am divorced. Please, call me Carol."
Tara noticed during this entire exchange that they were still holding each other's hand. She smiled as she asked, "Mr. Dixon, I mean, Daryl, what would you like to drink?"
Without breaking eye contact, he simply said, "Water is fine, thanks."
Carol finally snapped out of her stupor and withdrew her hand. "Please have a seat."
They sat down and he said, "I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about your father. He was a good man and took care of his team well." He accepted the bottle of water from Tara and she slipped out of the room. "I know the team loved him as I followed their progress through the season and they had nothing but good things to say about him."
"Thank you, Daryl. That is kind of you to say." She caught his gaze and warmed inside. "This is going to be an interesting endeavour, isn't it?"
"It should work out alright, I think. I was a player for many years and know how the whole process works. I figure the easiest way to work this partnership is I will take care of pretty much anything, and you can sit up here, sign checks and look pretty. That way you can devote time to your daughter and the team won't fall apart."
Stunned, Carol didn't speak for a few moments. She stood up, went over to the counter to settle herself, and opened a bottle of juice. Turning back to him she calmly said, "Look pretty? Take care of my daughter? That is all you think I am capable of? You don't know me! You have no clue what I have done around here or how I helped my father after he fell ill. I grew up around hockey and can guarantee, I can do more than you think I can. Instead of respect from you, I get the typical male bullshit. 'Poor pitiful female has no clue.' You may see yourself out and do not come back here until you can show me some respect and be willing to work as partners. I am part owner of this damn fine hockey team, and I am not going to have some career-cut-short wannabe think he is going to call the shots. Good day to you." She walked out and slammed the door behind her.
Realizing what a grave error he had made, he knew he had some major groveling to do. His informant had given him misinformation about Ms. Peletier and he was going to have to fix it. As he stood up from his chair, he suddenly became aware of how turned on his was by what had just transpired between them. Not only was she gorgeous, but she could stand up for herself and kick some ass while doing it.