Page 24 of Charm on the Rocks

"Hello?"

"Madison (last)?" a familiar voice said on the other end of the phone. "This is Seraphina Hanson. I was wondering if you had time to come in for a meeting around one o'clock this afternoon?"

It took Madison a best before she agreed. What did Seraphina Hanson want to see her about? How did Seraphina even know Madison's name? She shook her head, all hopes of taking is nap dashed. Her mind was too loud, too focused, on her upcoming meeting with the Gulls' owner.

Madison wasn't quite sure what to wear to a meeting with the manager and owner of the Newport Beach Seagulls. She decided to err on the side of caution and keep things simple chic - a dark blue pair of skinny jeans, ankle boots, a classic white collared shirt, and a fitted red blazer. She pinned her hair back and pulled her bangs back, putting on light makeup and spraying a hint of perfume on. She grabbed her keys, her purse, and headed out the door.

It took her twenty minutes to get there from Irvine because traffic was relatively light on PCH in the afternoon during the week. Her heart was doing these weird jumps, like she would get nervous briefly before calming down, and then starting the cycle all over again.

By the time she got there, she had to take a deep breath. She got out of her car and stepped into the elevator indoors after informing the doorman she had an appointment with Seraphina. It was easy to find her office - down the long hall with all glass windows. She could pull the blinds if she wanted privacy, but typically she was open, and didn't even shut her door. She knocked anyway, finding Seraphina writing something down in her planner. When she heard Madison knock, she smiled, looking up, and waving her in.

"Hi, Madison," Seraphina said with a smile. She stuck out her hand. "It's nice to finally meet you. Please, take a seat." She eased into her chair and rolled her shoulders back. "First, I wanted to personally thank you for what you did for my grandfather. What you organized last night did the home opener was beautiful and poignant without being overly cheesy. It was perfect. He would have loved it."

Madison felt herself swallow, unsure of what to say. "Th-thank you," she managed to get out.

"Thank you," Seraphina reiterated. "There's something else I want to talk to you about, something else that was brought to my attention by Alec Schumacher."

Madison pressed her lips together. She tried not to react to Alec's name. What could he possibly have talked to Seraphina about that involved her?

"Before we begin, I wanted to tell you that I've known Alec a while," she said. "Granted, I didn't know much about hockey before inheriting this team but my grandfather would take me along to watch him play before he drafted him. He's an excellent player and a loyal friend." Her eyes glanced over at Madison and Madison noticed a gold coil surrounding her dark irises. "I've never heard him speak about anything the way he speaks about you."

Madison felt her cheeks turn pink. "Oh, we aren't" -

"Of course not," Seraphina interjected smoothly. "We have rules about Gulls' Girls and players socializing and especially not dating. But I can't stop you if I don't know about it. I just wanted to tell you that Alec is a good guy. A guy worth taking a chance on. Considering he doesn't talk about anything the way he talks about you." She pushed her brows up. "You understand what I'm telling you?"

Madison nodded. "Is that what you came to talk to me about?" she asked.

Seraphina made a face. "Of course not," she said. "That would be completely unprofessional. No. What I brought you in for was to talk to you about a potential scholarship."