Page 46 of Rush the Edge

“Hey!” I turn toward the stroller. The bright-eyed baby with the prettiest olive skin is staring at me with a toy in her hand. “Look at you! You’re awake!” I scrunch my nose at her while smiling and turn toward Reese.

“She is so beautiful, Reese.”

With admiration, she peers down at her daughter. “Thanks. Charleigh is my little ray of sunshine in the shitstorm I’ve found myself in.” She laughs and rolls her eyes before locking onto the coffee I snagged for her. “Oh my god, is this mine?”

“No, it’s for Charleigh,” I joke.

Reese’s eyebrows fold.

“I’m kidding,” I laugh. “Yes, it’s for you.”

She quickly pulls the mug closer to her face. “Oh, it’s still hot. I haven’t had a hot coffee in…”—she glances at the stroller—“eight months.”

Reese sips on the coffee before sighing wistfully. I’m not going to pretend I know anything about being a mom—a single one, at that—but Reese acts as if the cup of coffee is a million dollars. It makes me wonder how difficult her life is.

Either way, she wears the hardship well.

“Okay,” Reese places the cup down and pulls out a tattered notebook. She cradles it to her chest and smiles at me. “I don’t know if my idea will work, but since your costume is ruined, what if…”

The notebook flips open to a pencil sketch of a woman who looks a lot like me wearing a much-improved Blue Devils costume with skates on her feet, a devil-horned headband, and a trident in her hand.

“Holy shit,” I whisper. “Did you draw this?”

Reese blushes while shrugging innocently. “I was a fashion major before I dropped out of college. I minored in marketing too.”

I scan the drawing again, my stomach jittering with excitement. “This is amazing.”

“I figured instead of fixing the costume, why don’t you just get a new one? I researched the Chicago Blue Devils, and they’ve had the same costume since the team was established years ago. Their marketing needs some serious work.” She sips on her coffee. “I have no idea if you’re able to bring the idea to whoever is in charge, but”—she taps on the sketch—“thiswill amp up their marketing for sure. It’ll pull in new merch too. The trident can be sold in their store, devils headbands for the little girls, and as you can see, the costume isn't overly sexual or anything. I mean, you’d still look hot, but it’s respectful enough for the little girls to look up to you.”

I nod through the entire explanation, thankful I have a plan for when I talk to Cindy. Explaining to her that Kane followed me into my dressing room and tore my costume to shreds so I would be forced to quit is going to make me seem certifiable and him unhinged.

Reese smiles over the brim of her mug. “Think Elsa but less ice-queen and more she-devil.”

I sit back with my matcha and beam on the inside. Showing up to the game like this will definitely send a message to my own personal bully.

Kane can take the costume out of the girl, but he can’t take the girl out of the costume.

I pull out my phone and quickly text Cindy.

Me

Hi, Cindy! Could you meet up later? I want to talk to you about something before the next home game.

Reese and I take turns playing with Charleigh in between having our own conversation while I wait for Cindy to text me back.

My phone starts to vibrate with Cindy’s name at the top.

“Hello?”

Cindy’s exhale is so heavy I think I can feel it through the phone. “Please tell me you’re not quitting.”

If Kane had his way, I would.

“No! I’m not quitting. But I do have a problem with the costume…except, instead of repairing it, I think there’s a better option.”

“A better option?” she asks hesitantly.

I lock eyes with Reese while I speak into the phone to Cindy. “Can you meet up later?”

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