Another day. Another chance to bury herself in work and pretend her world hadn’t been upended by a too-young hockey player with a grin that had been embedded in her DNA.
Her phone rang, and the receptionist let her know her meeting was here. It was a meeting she was actually happy about. Natalie had been Sydney’s roommate in college. It would be nice to have her in Glendale for a little while.
“Hey,” Hillary said, standing to greet her. “It’s good to see you. Come in.”
Natalie slipped inside, still looking a little shell-shocked from her recent move. She wore a plain cardigan and slacks, professional but subdued, her smile tentative.
“I know this is a long shot,” Natalie said, perched on the edge of the chair across from Hillary’s desk. “But I need work. Anything. Even food services, until I can get another teaching post. I just . . . I don’t want to sit around.”
Hillary’s heart softened. “I’ll see what I can do. You know I’ll help however I can. The organization’s big, something will shake loose.”
Before Natalie could answer, Hillary’s phone buzzed across the desk. Sven’s name lit up the screen.
“Excuse me a second,” Hillary murmured, answering. “Sven, what’s going on?”
On the other end of the line came a rushed voice, pitched somewhere between disbelief and panic. He’d just found out he had a baby. Not only that but one he hadn’t known about. And now, he needed a nanny.
Hillary blinked, stunned, her brain racing.A baby. Sven.
Coach Wagner’s words echoed in her head.Something’s up with Sven.
She swallowed hard, her professional instincts snapping into place. “Okay. Take a breath. We’ll figure this out.”
As soon as she hung up, she looked back at Natalie, her mind already spinning in PR mode.
Because maybe, just maybe, an answer had walked into her office at exactly the right time.
“Well, it just so happens one of our players is in need of a nanny.”
“Really? That would be perfect!”
Hillary took a long, steadying breath.
She sent Natalie down the hall with instructions to meet Sven for an interview. It wasn’t her usual lane, but it was clear fate—or chaos—had shoved the two together. If Natalie could help Sven, then maybe something good would come of this mess.
As for the optics? That was going to be a shit storm. A surprise baby, a single-dad hockey player, every reporter and blogger in the league would be circling. It would take finesse. Careful messaging. She’d need to loop Sasha in, strategize the rollout. But not yet. Let the dust settle first.
She leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling. So that’s what was going on with Sven. At least one mystery solved.
Her gaze drifted to the empty coffee cup on her desk.
She’d been so caught up in damage control, she hadn’t checked on Murphy today. She hated that little twist of worry in her gut.
He was fine. He had to be fine.
Still, she couldn’t shake the thought. Shehopedhe was okay.
Hillary’s housewas usually her sanctuary. The one place she could shut out the chaos of the arena, the constant pull of her inbox, the wayward thoughts that tried to follow her home.
But tonight, the quiet pressed in on her.
At least Sydney was coming for dinner. That would help. Distraction was good. A glass of wine, take out from their favorite bistro, and her sister’s chatter was just what she needed. Cooking was never a skill Hillary learned, but tonight she felt like eating a real meal. So she set the table, got out a good bottle of wine, and started to plate the pasta with the bread warming in the oven.
Sydney -Sorry, Hill. Got held up at the hospital. Won’t make it tonight.
Hillary stared at the text. She typed back quickly.
Hillary - It’s fine. I understand. Love you.
