Chapter 10: Chapter 10

KATE

I had spent most of the previous day on the phone with my uncles and my father’s financial manager. I’d created the assistant position for Bill and was eager to have him start working with me come Monday.

It was Friday, the dreaded day of my father’s funeral, and the next day was the dreaded day I’d see Tyler again at the game.

I woke up early to shower and primed myself in the way one would primp for a funeral. My friends were attending, along with Hans, Jaromir, and Coach Julian.

The rest of the funeral crowd would comprise my dad’s long list of friends and business partners.

The chandelier above my bed sparkled as I finished putting the final touches. I had a few hours until the funeral but planned to meet Uncle John for breakfast before that.

I wore a black dress with black heels and decided against makeup. I knew I’d cry, and I didn’t want to have mascara streaming down my face.

I entered the kitchen, pouring myself a cup of much-needed hot coffee. Placing my elbows on the counter, I stared at the microwave for no reason other than I was depressed.

My to-do list was miles long, and come Monday, I couldn’t use any excuses. I had to start dealing with work.

The first on my list was finding a CEO to replace me in Paris. I’d given myself a week to forget about business till the funeral, but now I had to get my ducks in a row.

And I’d gift myself the weekend to cry to myself or whatever the hell else I wanted to do. But from Monday onward, I had to start acting like an adult.

As someone cleared their throat behind me, I froze. “Um, sorry to bother you. I guess your friend didn’t mention anyone else was here. Nice place by the way.”

The familiar voice caused my stomach to knot. Not one part of my body wanted to turn around. I was afraid if I turned, I’d kill him.

I closed my eyes and breathed in and out of my nose, praying for him to walk away. He didn’t; instead, he kept speaking. “Do you mind if I have a cup of that coffee?” he asked.

I whipped around. Tyler’s face fell, eyes widened and scared. He didn’t move, even as I crept closer to him. He was dressed, thank god; I wouldn’t have been able to take it if he was in his boxers or something.

That moment clarified for me why he was bad news, why a twenty-three-year-old hockey all-star was bad news.

“Fuck, Kate. No, it’s not what it looks like, I swear to fucking God.”

“Get the fuck out of my house. Now,” I bit out. He shook his head, adamant about explaining himself. “That is my barely legal little sister, you fucking asshole.

“Get out.” My voice was rising, but I didn’t care.

The only thing that angered me more than seeing the man I was sleeping with walk out of my little sister’s bedroom was that she knew exactly who the hell he was to me.

Yesterday, she had finally spoken to me in a way that wasn’t completely brutal. Showing me the online article about Tyler and me fighting, she asked me what it was about.

I didn’t tell her the whole truth, but I confided in her that Tyler and I had a past of some sort together, which made it difficult to be in the position we were in, as owner and player.

She seemed to understand, pointing out how good-looking he was, and we left it at that.

Wherever she found Tyler the previous night, she knew exactly who he was.

I thought my conversation with Nicolette was opening up a possible friendship between us again, but she ruined it when she sought out Tyler and brought him to my home.

The situation became ten times worse when another man walked out of my sister’s bedroom. Tyler looked back to him and then to me with a desperate face.

“Kate dammit!” he yelled. “It’s not what it looks like.”

Storming up to him, I slapped him hard across the face. “Both of you, get the fuck out of my house, and do not say another fucking word to me.”

“Kate,” Tyler whispered.

“Just leave.”

Tyler ran his hand through his hair, and the other man came behind him, throwing an arm around his shoulder. “Let’s just go, man,” he whispered to Tyler.

He glanced at me before walking out of my view, and I turned away.

Once the door clicked, I found myself sliding down to the very spot I had sunk into the first day I’d arrived in New York, with my back pressed against the stove.

While last time I had kept my composure, I couldn’t say the same about this time. I cried into my arms for far too long.

An hour later, my uncle and I sat across from each other at a small table inside a diner in Queens. A lot of my family was buried in Queens, and my father’s wish was to be near them.

I picked at the generic red and white tablecloth. “I know this is hard, kid. You’re too young to lose a parent.” I only nodded. I hadn’t said much since my accidental meeting with Tyler.

I hadn’t bothered waiting around until Nicolette woke up. She could find her own way to the funeral, and I was already looking to find her a place of her own. I couldn’t live with such a resentful, horrible person.~ Sorry, Dad~.~

“Would you like me with you Monday morning as you go over prospective candidates for the CEO position in Paris?”

I pushed eggs around my plate with a fork, not bothering to look up. “Yes, that’s fine. My right-hand man from the office over there is flying in Sunday night to meet with me early Monday.

“I believe I’ll have him running things, but we’ll see,” I said, my voice completely void of any emotion.

Uncle Frank gave up on small talk after that, realizing that I was lacking the ability to have any kind of conversation. We waited until the last possible minute and then made our way to the church for my father’s funeral.

The priest said many nice words, words I needed to hear. I stood before the crowd and spoke about my father.

Nicolette and I had sat directly next to each other, yet neither of us had said a word to the other. She had refused to stand and speak, but that didn’t bother me.

She wouldn’t have known what to say even if she wanted to. She never bothered to get to know Dad well enough, always siding with our pitiful mother.

Nicolette avoided any possible eye contact with me. We should have been bonding during that time of shared loss; instead, she was making it about herself and the lack of inherited money.

My sister may have been selfish, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew I had seen Tyler in the penthouse; there was no way she could have missed the screaming match that unfolded. So, she was rightfully scared of me.

I raced out of the church before anyone could see me. I huddled in the car, Nicolette following shortly behind. We each stared out of our respective windows as our uncles whispered among themselves.

As the Suburban drove in the front of the funeral procession, I geared myself to accept hugs and other sentimental crap once at the cemetery.

I hoped people didn’t cry around me. My dad, an incredibly happy person in his time, would have hated the emotional drama.

I remained seated in the SUV for a few minutes after it parked before climbing out. Nicolette and my uncles went ahead of me.

When I finally pulled myself together enough to move, I stepped outside and halted in front of the gates at the entrance.

A storm was brewing, which I thought was appropriate, given that I was about to put my father into the ground. I wished Dad had wanted to be cremated, but that wasn’t my decision to make.

I’d have rather sprinkled his ashes somewhere special and said goodbye to him in my own private way.

The intricate metal gate loomed above my head. I stepped over the threshold, entering into the land of the dead. A hand touched my shoulder, making me jump with a yelp.

“Shit,” I mumbled.

“Sorry, Kate.” Jaromir’s Czech accent soothed me. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay. I’m jumpy, that’s all.”

His wife, Annabelle, leaned in to hug me. Her stomach was swollen; she was due to give birth soon.

I offered the best smile I could muster before noticing the rest of my team’s players climbing out of vehicles parked on the street outside. Julian walked up to me and squeezed me tight.

He whispered wonderful things about my father in my ear. Every word he said was difficult to hear, but he said this one thing that made me cry on his broad shoulder. “Your father would be so proud of you.”

A few minutes passed before I pulled away from my dad’s best friend, someone who was a second father to me. When I turned, I witnessed a long line of guys waiting to greet me. My dad’s team, my team.

They had all come out for the funeral, and I did my best to muster a smile.

Dad would have been so glad to see them all there. Yes, it was a moment of grief, but they were all there, expressing their love for the man who loved them for years.

They all lined up to hug me. Hans was first up; he squeezed me so hard I could hardly breathe. I spotted Chris next, but it was the person directly next to him who worried me.

I didn’t think I could face Tyler, but I had to. That was not the time to have my emotional mess take precedence.

Piper, Sara, and Eliza jumped out of Sara’s car and raced toward the line of hockey players. Piper stopped by Tyler’s side and said something to him. He laughed with her, and I wasn’t surprised.

Chris pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek a little too long than appropriate. “You look absolutely stunning,” he said. “I’m sorry for your loss.

“Your dad was lucky to have such a wonderful daughter.” Chris smiled and hugged me again. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will, thank you.”

Tyler frowned at Chris before walking up to me himself. Thankfully, Piper jumped in front of him, wrapping her arms around my neck.

“I was at the end of the funeral procession; sorry I took so long to get here.” She kissed my forehead, then my other friends pushed Tyler aside to hug and kiss me.

After the girls walked away, it was time to face him. His eyes were bloodshot, and his perfect hair looked unkempt. His black suit looked good on him though.

I hated myself for noticing that small detail that shouldn’t have meant a damn thing to me.

“Kate,” he said, before looking around. “I am very sorry for your loss; I can’t imagine what it feels like.”

“Thank you, Tyler.”

He moved in to hug me, bringing his lips close to my ear. “I meant what I said. It wasn’t what it looked like.” He kissed my cheek and proceeded toward the cemetery.

I had planned a luncheon right after the burial. Everyone was invited, and just about everyone showed up. I made a quick speech before we sat to eat.

I wasn’t able to eat anything; my stomach was still too queasy. I walked around, speaking to everyone at their tables. By the end of lunch, I was feeling better.

Only a few more words were exchanged between Tyler and me, and I was okay with that. That was the way it should have been from the start. Professional.