Page 112 of The One Night Dash
“Not just money, emotionally, too. Don’t let people drain you, because what good are you then?”
“Ain’t that the truth?” She laughs.
I lean in, flipping it back. “All right, enough about me. You’re D1 now. Soccer and classes. How are you balancing it?”
Her cheeks go pink, but she shrugs. “Calendar’s my best friend. Practices, lifts, games, papers … I juggle it because I love it. Same way you love the ice. And this podcast? Started as a box to check for my internship. Now, it’s mine. My outlet.”
“Proud of you, B,” I say, and mean it.
She ducks her head, but she’s smiling when she flips to the next page. “Okay. This is your best season yet. What could make it better?”
“Finishing it. Holding the cup. Sharing that with the guys, with Noelle, with our families. That’s the dream. But truth? I’ve already won more than I thought I could.”
Briar narrows her eyes, like she’s baiting me. “Because of her?”
“Because of her,” I confirm. “Because ofus.Pembrooke Books is hers, but it’s also ours—the place that grounded me, that reminded me there’s more than just the next game. And the estate in Harrington? That was her push. Now we just have to figure out what to do with it.”
“I got ideas,” she huffs.
“I bet you do.” I laugh.
“Let’s get back to the book club, do your teammates ever pick up a book?”
Right on cue, the conference room door swings open and in come the guys … and not just them. Nalani, Claudia, and even Dylan Daniels—our coach—file in, each of them holding up a copy of the same book like it’s the holy grail.
Briar blinks, startled. “Wait—what is happening?”
“Book club,” I say with a grin. “The Bears Adult Book Club, to be exact. Started them out with a shorter read. Bedtime read for the ladies out there who love a hot little bedtime story, but a few of these guys haven’t finished yet.” I point at Marshall.
“Look, man, it’s not my fault I need a break after a few pages.”
“Break is short for spanking the?—”
“Hey now,” Briar cuts off Killer, “we’ll have none of that talk.”
The room breaks into laughter again as Claudia waves her copy in the air. “Short and steamy, thankGod. Even I can finish this between nap schedules.”
Nalani smirks. “Please, I finished it in one night.”
Coach D shakes her head, deadpan. “Don’t ask me questions about chapter five.”
The guys are still clowning, and I lean back into the mic. “Truth is, the bond with the team feels different this year. Stronger. And that’s not just about the locker room or the rink. It’s about the women in our lives, too. The wives, the girlfriends, Mrs. Costello—they’re part of it. They keep us grounded, remind us what we’re really working for. That connection off the ice has brought us closertogetheronthe ice. That’s why this team feels unshakable.”
“Perfect.” Briar clears her throat. “We’re going to open the line to callers. First up, Lady L from New York.”
“Well, isn’t this adorable?” Lady L purrs. “The whole team in a book club. Guess it makes sense since the author is Dash’s new little girlfriend, right?”
The room goes still.
Briar frowns. “I’m sorry, caller, what’s your?—”
“Lady L” barrels on, her tone sharpening to a blade. “Come on; don’t play dumb. Noelle Pembrooke. Who else would it be? She’s the only one not there. God, it’s almost funny. Took ruiningmywedding and wanting my life so badly she had to hook up with my ex. Meaning Dash.” Her laugh is high-pitched, ugly. “Pathetic.”
The air in the room thins. My knuckles tighten around the mic, every instinct screaming at me to fire back, but I manage to stay calm.
“Not my girlfriend. My fiancée, and she’s not the only one not here.”
“She wanted to write! Like she has anything to say! Or any story to be told, for that matter.”
