Training the Team (Dougie Hamilton)

Meetings and Mischief

Wednesday, May 20

I wake up feeling refreshed. I have a lot more energy today as I do my daily workout and yoga routine before taking a quick shower. I don't have to be at the Garden until 9:30, two hours after I'm supposed to be at Ristuccia. I put on lazy clothes as I wait for my hair to dry enough for me to do anything, and I decide to reorganize my kitchen counter a little bit. The chaos of a new job has affected the cleanliness of my home, I guess.

After I've been cleaning for a while, I glance at the clock. 7:55. I return to the bathroom and get changed before working on my hair. I braid it across the top of my forehead, trailing along the side of my head, and then work the braid into a bun. My makeup takes more time today as well- I put on my good foundation, keep my eye makeup minimal, and apply some lip gloss. After assessing my appearance in a full-body mirror, I grab a pair of wedge sandals and slide them on my feet. I'm now a put-together, 21-year-old girl trainer on the Boston Bruins. Yikes.

When I get to the Garden, I check in early. I pass Carl and Seids, who wave to me, and then meet up with Nik and Tuukka, whose eyes go wide when they see me.

"Wow Kylie, you look... You look very nice today," Nik gets out.

I smile at him. "Awe, thanks Nik!"

I'm wearing my polo that Whitey told me to wear, but I'm wearing a khaki shirt and my wedge sandals, my face all done up. Reilly comes in the room and stops as he sees me, his eyes going wide. 

Jeez, if they're all going to react like this, I should really not wear any makeup at all.

"Kylie? Is that you?"

I roll my eyes at him. "No, Reilly, I'm a different girl trainer."

Reilly rolls his eyes at me in response as he walks closer to me. "You look really...different," He says with finality.

I raise an eyebrow at him. Never mind, it's totally worth it to see him drool. "Good different or bad different?"

"Good. Definitely good."

"Smitty, wipe some drool off of your chin, I can see it all the way over here," Tuukka jabs at Reilly, making me smile.

Reilly goes bright red and walks away, grumbling. Z and Dougie walk in the door next, and I hope my face isn't showing the inexplicable heat I feel rising in my cheeks. Z comes over to me and gives me a quick hug.

"You look very nice today, Kylie," he says quietly to me.

I beam. "Thanks, Z!"

Z steps aside, talking to Tuukka and Reilly. Dougie looks at me, his eyes wide like everyone else's.

"Damn," he murmurs under his breath.

I don't think I was supposed to hear that, so I act like I didn't hear him.

"Kylie, you look very business-like today. No nonsense,"Dougie says stepping closer. His smile crinkles his eyes, which I can see even better today with my wedge sandals. Today, they appear to be hazel. Huh. I could've sworn they were blue yesterday.

"Why thank you, Dougie. Glad to see that my appearance matches my personality for once," I joke, and he laughs.

"Are you kidding me? I've had some great days the past two days at work. You make life interesting around here."

I cross my arms skeptically at him. "And by 'interesting', you don't mean having conversations with the guys on who finds me hot?"

Dougie blushes, the tips of his ears going red, and I know I've got him.