“It’s only been about six hours, Lib,” Bren says. “But we finally each have our top twenty candidates.”
“It blows my mind that Laur never had to interview.” Libby picks up another application packet.
“Yeah, mine too,” I mutter back.
“You would have interviewed flawlessly anyways,” Bren assures me.
Somehow Bren and my brother, Nick, circumvented that part when Nick applied on my behalf without my knowledge. It’s the sweetest thing Nick ever did for me. I know he would be proud watching me run the program.
Hopefully, I won’t run it to the ground.
Bren makes sure to remind me how ridiculous I am when I say “nonsense like that.” She claims I’m the reason the program did so well last year, especially with launching a new special edition Nick Bellinger designed jersey and taking over as photographer for the team’s annual sexy calendar shoot.
Good looks areveryprevalent for the Wyverns hockey team, so they will always be easy to capture on and off the ice. But this year, there are going to be even better opportunities for interviews, articles and overall promotion of the team. The team is coming off a hot season last year and many seniors have high hopes for NHL opportunities.
“My interviewwasflawless. Right, Bren?” Libby doesn’t wait for a reply. “Perfection, just liketheRyder King will be this year.”
West has been blessed with freshman Ryder King—he’s a godsend. He was the most in demand new player of the year. He turned down several top hockey schools, even Boston University and Michigan, to come play for West.
Everyone, even Lucas, boasts how lucky to have him we are, but it’s rumored he's an insanely cocky playboy. I guess with a name like Ryder King, how could he not be? Maybe he’ll give Blaine Mitchell a run for his money. As long as both boys don’t cause drama with my team, their antics won’t cause my heart rate to spike.
“We could pivot and talk about a strategy for the Elite Eight, if you are wanting a break, Laur,” Bren suggests.
“Absolutely not.” I throw a glare her way. “We need to finalize our team first before we dive into anything for next year.”
After much debate with Libby and Bren, the Sexy Seven player focus is morphing into the Elite Eight. Plus, with Ryder being under a microscope I’m going to need an even larger support team this year with at least one social media guru. With the extra classes and certifications I’ve taken and much trial-and-error, I’ve become quite the expert myself. But Libby and most of the rest of the team from last year have really been more focused on the traditional PR side with press releases and article content.
“Has anyone found any candidates that have extensive social media experience?” I chew on the cap of my pen.
Bren shakes her head, while Libby just shrugs.Very helpful, Lib.
If none of the candidates that applied have extensive social experience, then the next best option is anyone who has run charity fundraisers. Raising money for the selected Wyverns’ charities is the main goal of the PR and marketing program after, of course, highlighting and elevating the team. Promoting the team and events on social media will both be incredibly important—we want to spread the word and get people to the games and fundraiser events
I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel, but expanding the events where the hockey team is present will be a key focus this season, especially with Ryder King about to be a hot commodity on campus.
Bren suggests I take him on as my main focus. Not only is he going to be a crucial part of the team’s image, but all eyes in the hockey world are going to be on him and wanting to know more about his season on the Wyverns.
The interview process flies by extremely fast despite being three full rounds. Anxiety fills me knowing the amount of work and hours that will go into the interview process. Thankfully a few months before last season was over, Bren and I started reviewing the top potential candidates who already applied before the deadline to ease into the process. Even though all the other leads in the six years of the programtypically leave campus, Bren has claimed that starting her new job a few weeks later than planned will be both her goodbye and “welcome to the shit show” gift to me.
A knot forms in my stomach looking around the living room and taking in the chaos of applications scattered everywhere. My heart aches knowing Bren will leave soon, but I’m filled with a thrill knowing Libby’s moving into Bren’s old room, while Jaylen, our other housemate, is going to be staying to finish her senior year.
“Can wepleasetake a break?” Libby pleads, sprawling across the floor.
Bren’s deep brown eyes lock with mine from the other side of the couch, waiting for my answer. We could all use it, but we need to narrow down to at least thirty applicants before the three of us head on a long summer weekend trip with some of the hockey team.
Daydreaming about Lucas shirtless on a beach, showing off his chiseled abs and alluring V that leads to my favorite body part of his has become a regular occurrence for me the last few days. I want more than anything to focus solely on his body intertwining with mine multiple times a day during this trip. But unfortunately, we needed to set up an interview days ago for that to happen.
“Sure, let’s order dinner and grab some wine. At this rate, we are going to have to evaluate applications during our beach trip anyways,” I let out an exaggerated breath, partly from exhaustion and partly from disappointment knowing we’ll be working over the trip.
When Lucas agreed to go on a trip, his only stipulation was that he needed at least two hours a day to work out and an hour to himself. I knew there was no arguing with him about the workout—he was going to have to survive time away from the ice. I didn’t ask what the hour to himself was supposed to be for; I just wanted to get away with my sexy boyfriend. There is no doubt in my mind Lucas will be forcing the guys to workout with him, so maybe the girls and I will be able to narrow down our piles of applications enough so we only need to sift through them during their workouts.
Reviewing applications doesn’t sound like my ideal vacation, but at least I’ll have a view of the beach. I already plan to convince Lucas a beach workout is the best option—the resistance from the sand will work their muscles harder. Plus, it’ll be an even better view than just the beautiful beach.
“I’ll make a deal with you,” Libby says, pushing up onto her arm.
“About what? The applications?” I inquire.
“Yes,” Libby responds. “We can open another bottle of wine, if we each go through the top five of each of our twenty candidates.”
