Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 124494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
“What about Dallas Bright? And Flip Madden and Tristan Stiles? Did you meet them, too?” Every word comes out in a sliding rush.
“Yup. The whole team was there.”
“What about Connor Grace? I saw that he got traded there.”
“How did you see that?” The team just found out, and the announcement only went public this afternoon.
“I checked sites when I had computer time after school. Is it true?” Her voice rises with anticipation. She adores Roman, but Grace is her favorite player of all time.
“It’s true. And I met him.” Getting the team to accept him won’t be easy. He’s an excellent defensive player, but it’s no secret he and Madden don’t get along. The question is why…
“Oh my gosh! This is so cool! Both of my favorite players are on the same team! Will I get to meet them?”
“Of course. You can come to a game and meet the whole team,” I assure her.
“I can’t wait! Fee wants to talk to you again. See you when you get home!”
“Sorry. She would not stop asking to call you,” Fee says quietly. “I can go out and get groceries to make dinner easier.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s your first day, too. How was school? Did you make any friends?”
“I said hi to some people, but I like the friends I have.”
“Online friends are good too. Maybe, you’ll find someone close to commiserate with about The Way We Weren’t and Lord of the Rings fanfic. I’ll stop for dinner on the way home. Don’t let Callie eat too much sugar.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Also, maybe try to unpack a few boxes.” The past week has been a whirlwind. We moved three days ago from a house with a backyard to a three-bedroom condo on the twentieth floor. The bedrooms and the kitchen were the priority. Now it’s a matter of unpacking everything else.
“Already tackled four boxes of books and put them on the living room shelf.”
“You’re the best.”
“I know. I gotta go. Callie’s playing hockey in the living room again.”
“Give her the stress puck!”
“Already did.”
“Love you, Fee.”
“Love you, too, Lexi.”
I end the call and drop into my executive chair. I love my sisters, and I wouldn’t change my relationship with them for the world. But me becoming their legal guardian has been hard for all of us. It wasn’t just the overwhelming grief and changes after my mom and stepdad died. Between taking a lower paying position to keep stability for the girls and trying to manage a household on a single income while we waited for the estate to be settled, last year was a financial struggle. But we did it, and we can do this too. I can handle working with Roman for a year. As long as he doesn’t blow this chance up for me.
A knock on my office door has me bracing for more of the worst. I fully expect a confrontation with Roman, and the sooner it happens, the sooner we can both move on. But it’s not Roman standing in my doorway, it’s Wilhelmina Reddi-Grinst, the team’s key PR liaison. There was enough attention on her public engagement to Dallas Bright that her name would be hard to forget. You need thick skin to deal with the backlash from that.
“Hemi, right?” I push my chair back and stand.
“That’s right.” She smiles. “I had a meeting right after they introduced you, but I wanted to pop in and welcome you to the team. Looks like you’re settling in.” She glances at the pile of boxes in the corner and then at the art I hung on the wall. It’s a watercolor of the lake we used to vacation at when our mom was still alive. Ophelia drew it in her grade ten art class, and I had it framed. She hates it—although that extends to a lot of things—and said I couldn’t hang it in the condo, so I brought it here.
“I am,” I reply. “Everyone has been welcoming so far.” Except for Roman and Donnie, but at least I know why on both counts.
“The team is fantastic, and the head office is super supportive,” Hemi assures me.
“I’ve heard great things, and I’m looking forward to working with you and Shilpa. I love what you’re doing with the women’s team.” The attention they’ve garnered over the past year has been fantastic, and there are so many gains being made for women in the sport.
“That’s been such a passion project for me.”
“Well, it’s incredible. And last year’s gala was out of this world with the money you raised for all those charities. Plus, I can’t believe there’s a horse named after Dallas Bright.” The way the team always comes together is impressive and one of the reasons I couldn’t pass up this job.
“I couldn’t have managed the gala without Hammer’s help. She’s my right hand.”