Nikki Worrell - The Enforcer (NHL Scorpions)

Jody said something else, but Lacey couldn’t hear him. “Hold on,” Jody yelled into the phone. A couple more seconds went by and he said, “Sorry about that. One of the security guards just left on his Harley. Those things are obnoxiously loud.”

“Hey now,” Lacey said, “I used to have a Harley, and I probably will again, so don’t go picking on my bikes.” Lacey had had a 2006 Fat Boy before she’d bought her car. She sold it mostly because she just didn’t get a chance to ride that much. There were only a few months when it was warm enough for her to ride in Maine. San Diego on the other hand, would be a perfect climate for riding. She’d have to think about that.

“A Harley chick, eh? Cool. I’ve never even ridden a dirt bike. My entire childhood was all about hockey. When there was no ice outside, we played on indoor rinks.” Jody wasn’t complaining. He had always loved the game, and he was sure he always would. It was in his blood.

As much as Lacey enjoyed talking to Jody, she really had to get into the shower. Besides that, she was getting cold standing there naked with the air conditioning blowing on her. “Jody, it was nice of you to call, but I have to get in the shower. You caught me right as I was about to put my foot in.” Silence. Did he hang up?

“Jody? You still there?”

“Uh huh. So, tell me something.” His voice sounded a little rough. “If you were just about to put your foot into the shower, that means you’re naked? Like standing there with no clothes on, naked?”

Lacey laughed and said, “Yup. Again, you caught me with no panties on.”

“Ok, so can I come over?” He was kidding, of course … okay, maybe not.

Smiling, Lacey said, “No. And I really have to go. Thanks for calling.”

“Sure. Good luck, Lace. Knock ‘em dead.”

“Bye Jody.”

How sweet of him to call. Lacey was running a tad behind now, so she quickly got ready and ran out the door.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lacey caught a splash of color by her car as she made her way down the stairs. Flowers. Someone had put a beautiful bouquet of flowers on the hood of her car. The note said, “Can’t wait to see you again.” Oh wow, she thought. Not only had he called her to wish her luck, but Jody had left her flowers, too? How sweet.

Picking them up, she noticed the red roses. Lacey hated roses. Steven used to send them to her by the dozens, after she walked out of their wedding. She couldn’t even stand the smell of them. No matter though. She ripped the roses out and was still left with plenty of pretty flowers. Voila! Now they’re perfect. Buckling her seat belt, she put her car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. She’d call Jody to thank him later.

The interview went swimmingly. Lacey got the job. She liked Kyle, her new boss, right off the bat and knew they’d work well together. His appearance was a pleasant surprise. When she thought about a CFO, she pictured a serious looking man in a suit. That did not describe Kyle at all. He met her wearing dress jeans and a polo shirt. He was tall and lanky with longish bright blonde hair and a million watt smile. He was just the kind of guy that exuded happiness and positive energy. She was going to start the following Monday, which gave her a whole week to relax. It couldn’t have worked out any better.

When Lacey got home, she grabbed Zoe in between clients and gave her the good news. “I knew it!” Zoe exclaimed. “You’ll like working for Kyle, he’s a great guy.” Lacey agreed whole heartedly.

“Guess what else happened today?” Lacey had the flowers behind her back and brought them out with a flourish. “Jody left flowers on my car. How sweet was that? I’m going to call him right now.” The doorbell rang, so Zoe gave Lacey a quick hug and then ran to let her next client in.

After putting her flowers in some water, Lacey called Jody, but got his voice mail. She left him a message thanking him for the flowers. Right before she hung up, she said, “Oh, I liked the note, too. I can’t wait to see you again either.” Hoping that Jody would call her back, she kept her phone with her for the rest of the day.

When Jody saw that he had a missed call from Lacey, he had to admit, he was excited. He retrieved the message and couldn’t help the smile that broke out when he heard her voice. His smile quickly faded when he heard what the note on the flowers said, knowing that he wasn’t the one who sent them. Lacey didn’t know many people there yet to his knowledge, so who else would have given them to her? It had better not be one of the other guys on the team. He thought he’d been pretty clear that he’d staked his claim, but really, who else could it be? He’d have to have another chat with the boys.

Seven o’clock rolled around, and Lacey’s stomach grumbled. She’d skipped dinner, and now she was famished. She walked around the house looking for Zoe to see if she wanted to go out for a bite to eat. When she found her at the front door, Zoe had her back to her. Just by the way she was standing there, Lacey knew that something was wrong.

“What’s up Zoe?” Zoe turned around holding a dozen red roses and a note card. Roses.

Lacey whispered, “What does it say?” Zoe just shook her head, walked into the kitchen and angrily threw the roses in the trash. Lacey followed her. “Zoe?”

“It says, ‘I’ll see you soon,’ and it’s signed with an S. Steven’s here, isn’t he?” Zoe went back to the door and angrily locked it. “He is so pathetic. Why, after all this time, is he here?”

“That fucking asshole. God, it’s been almost a year. I’m sick of this.” Lacey slapped her hand to her forehead. “Oh crap. I left Jody a message thanking him for the flowers. How embarrassing, I’m sure they were from Steven too.” Lacey wished Steven was right there in front of her. She wanted this over with, once and for all. She couldn’t even understand why he was so obsessed with her now. It had to be a control thing. It was probably the ever so popular ‘boys only want what they can’t have’ syndrome. “I’m done screwing around with him. I’m calling his cell.”

Just as she started searching for his number (if she even still had it), the doorbell rang again. They both froze. Zoe leaned over the sink to see who was at the door. Putting her hand over her heart she said, “It’s okay. It’s not him; it’s Jody.” With a relieved look on her face, Zoe walked over and opened the door. “Just what the doctor ordered. Come on in. She’s in the kitchen.”

Giving Zoe a nod, Jody walked into the kitchen. As soon as he walked in, he saw the roses sticking out of the trashcan. She certainly didn’t like those flowers. “Is it safe to assume you figured out that I didn’t give you the flowers?” Lacey just nodded her head. Now that her rush of anger had dissipated, she was more shocked than angry and more than a little creeped out. “You know that bumpy past I mentioned? His name is Steven and he’s here I guess.”

Lacey opened the freezer, grabbed the Grey Goose and poured herself a glass with a miniscule drop of cranberry juice. “Want some? This story is best with some liquid courage. After I’m done, you won’t want to be giving me skating lessons or anything else. Apparently I still have some baggage.” Jody frowned at her. He seriously doubted there was much she could tell him that would scare him off. Walking over to her, he slipped his arm around her waist, grabbed himself a beer and herded her out to the deck. “I’m not that easy to get rid of Lace. Tell me what’s going on. Can I beat the shit out of him for you? It would be my pleasure …” He’d gladly hurt anyone that put that look on her face.