The morning rush followed me here. How Sean had walked through my bedroom door like every woman’s dream—my man after a victory. And then he let me kiss him first. I’d written it in my text without fully picturing it, and now I couldn’t stop replaying it. I’d never done that before. He waited, let me lead… that made me bold in ways I didn’t know I could be. Taking charge this morning felt right.
The headlines tried to bury that courage under their noise. But the fun, flirty vibe at the photo shoot helped me claim my own space without overthinking. A moment where I let myself be seen, several feet high, laughing—and I loved it.
Who knew being a human flagpole could be so liberating?
I waved at Cassy in the midfield, half distracted by a dandelion puff, but she still managed to chase the ball.
Then a notification came through. A message from Erica.
Erica:Emergency video meetup. RE: you all over the net. A leading NHL cheerleader, with Coach Murphy holding you up there.
I chuckled. I texted her:
Me:Hey you. Are you sure? It’s past midnight in Thailand now.
Erica:Mel. I’ve been in the remote jungle for four days. Let me live.
Me:Oh, and my love life is more exciting than exotic wildlife.\*laughing emoji\*
I glanced back at Cassy, now twirling in slow circles, arms flung out like a baby tornado. All while supposedly playing soccer. Keeping her in sight, I stepped to a less crowded spot and hit video call.
Erica’s face popped up, grinning. “My best friend, WAG queen of the damn internet?”
“I know,” I said with a small smile. “Since we last talked, it’s been staged photo shoots, impromptu cheerleader moves, and way too much publicity on my account.”
She blinked, then leaned closer to the camera. “What happened?”
“Sam’s graduation shot of Sean and me got paired with an old photo of him and his ex. Next thing we know, the clicks on that exploded.”
Erica’s expression sobered. “Oh, Mel. I had no idea. Are you okay?”
I nodded, even as the breath I took felt shakier. “It blew up—the internet, my mother, my dignity. I wanted to crawl into a sock drawer… but the entire team rallied. They pulled off that shoot to drown out that article.”
Her hand flew to her chest. “Okay, that’s actually the most genius PR move I’ve ever heard. And those photos? Girl, your dignity’s not just intact. It’s glowing.”
I laughed. Erica always knew how to mix a compliment with crisis management. “Thanks to my personal Avengers. They swapped the cap for hockey sticks.”
“Mel, that shot of you on his shoulders is more than sexy. It’s powerful. If he wins the Cup, he better hoist both it and you at the same time.”
“Now that’s a mental image to boost a girl's confidence. So, yep, we’re officially dating.”
“And the way he looks at you… That’s no PR gaze whatsoever. That’s deep. I could see it brewing since the fall at the rink, then in Alberta,” she said smugly.
“You sound like my personalBridget Jones’s Diary.”
We laughed.
“I won’t mind cataloguing the man who hoisted my bestie like that,” she teased.
Cassy ran over for water.
“Give me a sec. Babysitting duty.”
I passed Cassy the water bottle and redid her ponytail. She finished drinking and sprinted off again.
“Hey, I’m back,” I said, squaring the phone. “That was Cassy, Sean’s niece. I’m watching her while he rests up.”
Erica gazed at me closely, her expression turning thoughtful. “Mel… you amaze me.”
