Page 36 of Hot Stuff
If he hadn’t come here, hadn’t been as unable to deny our chemistry as I was, then maybe.
Maybe I could back away and let the Rogues take center stage.
Except my gut tells me we’ll work better if we pursue both.
And yes, I mean we. We both have to be in this for it to work. I’m confident Walker is. I know I am.
Everything I learned about him from the PI report only solidifies my opinion of him. He’s dedicated, doesn’t buckle under pressure or responsibility, and is not afraid to handle a change of direction.
He might have had some concerns about his career—or the change to it—but the way he stood up and took care of his sister after their parents died tells me he’s more than capable of making this shift from player to coach.
Heading to see Shelby. Gannon too. I won’t mention the details, but I’ll tell them about a job taking me out of New York.
I smile at Walker’s latest text. He’s made it clear, numerous times, he’ll be telling his sister, and he promised me Gannon could be trusted.
I wanted to tell him I knew Gannon was trustworthy but then I’d have to reveal he’s one of the players on our list. As much as I want Walker diving into his role, he still has to sign a contract.
And I want him to concentrate on extricating himself from the Knights.
Jerry Cantrell is going to be a problem. I have a connection I can use, one that might nudge Cantrell in the right direction, but I’m not ready to use it.
Walker has the pictures. He can use those to push Cantrell. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll step in, and as Walker’s girlfriend and future boss I will do that, even if it is blurring the lines between personal and professional.
Which reminds me I need to move it so I can get the call with Nat and Blake happening. We’ll need to brainstorm my plan, check dates, see what we can line up and what won’t.
As I rush through my shower, my mind rolls. I’m running through my travel for the last few months, seeing if I can remember how many times I’ve been in New York.
I’m sure there are several that would match Walker’s location. I need Trevor to send me the last twelve months of my movements so I can compare it to Walker’s.
I need to make that request to my assistant over the phone. I don’t want a trail someone could stumble upon to derail my plan.
Of course, I have to let the girls know what I’m planning. Cami should be involved too but I know she’ll object and tell me to do whatever.
As much as I love that woman, her lack of interest in the day to day running of either of our businesses is frustrating. She’s happy to just hand over money and let us do whatever with it.
In her words, ‘why should I get involved when you three know what you’re doing and do it so well’, and she’s not wrong.
Nat, Blake and I have been the driving force behind Rogue sportswear and now we’re spearheading the Rogues hockey franchise.
Out of the shower, I debate which suit to wear. I want something that screams I’m in control even if I can be—have been—out of control in front of my best friends before.
The three women who make up the rest of KAW have always had my back. As I’ve had theirs. We’ve stood side by side and faced all the challenges that have come our way.
And to think, it all started on a wine-fueled night in a tiny apartment where the four of us were lamenting the stigma we faced for being ‘trust-fund’ babies.
Blake had been the only one without that hanging around her neck, but she’d had different loads to bear. Being the only daughter of a hockey god playing a sport typically male dominated comes with its own dramas and difficulties.
I laugh when I remember Cami thrusting her glass in the air, wine sloshing over the sides and screaming at the top of her lungs, “Fuck them all! We’re kick-ass women and we’ll prove it!”
We’ve never revealed where we got the name for our company. And we don’t intend to. Well, maybe we will when we’re in our seventies and we’ve finished taking on the world.
Reaching for my blood red skirt, I pair it with a gold silk blouse and a blue blazer. Staring at my reflection, I ponder the color combo.
And the more I look, the more I think I’ve found our team colors. Snapping a pic with my phone, I send it to all three of my best friends with a question.
Rogues team colors?
Nat is the first to reply.
