Colby’s eyes lit. “We're going to look at the warehouse.”
“Yeah,” Hank said. “Time to see if this dream has actual dimensions.”
Brian clapped him on the shoulder. “About damn time.”
From his spot at the far end of the lobby café, Hank watched Bree approach Carmen’s table.
They met halfway between the coffee line and the seating area. Carmen stood when she saw Bree, tension visible even from here; shoulders high; hands wrapped around a paper cup like it might bolt. Bree’s chin lifted a fraction, her steps steady.
Good girl, he thought. Walk straight in.
They hugged, awkward at first; then Carmen held on a beat longer. Hank couldn’t hear the words over the low murmur of other conversations and the hiss of the espresso machine, but he could read the body language well enough.
Carmen talked fast, hands moving. Apology. Explanation. Some version of I didn’t know.
Bree listened, arms folded loosely across her chest; guarded but not closed. When she spoke, Carmen’s shoulders sagged with what looked like relief. A minute later, Bree laid a hand over Carmen’s and smiled, small and real.
He let himself exhale.
“Looks like that went okay,” Brian said, sliding a bottle of beer onto Hank’s table and dropping into the opposite chair. “Nobody threw a scone.”
“Low bar,” Hank said. “I’ll take it.”
Colby set a bowl of popcorn between them. “Carmen is giving up the red and black.”
Hank watched as Carmen scrubbed her hands over her face and laughed at something Bree said. “She’ll never give up, Heidi,” he said. “They’re family. But I think she stopped pretending the Dragons are misunderstood underdogs.
“Good,” Brian muttered. “I’ve got enough to worry about without wondering which side the PR team is on.”
A few minutes later, Bree and Carmen stood. Carmen hugged her again, more solid this time, then headed toward the elevators. Bree scanned the room, found Hank, and walked over.
“You survived,” he said, standing to meet her.
She rolled her eyes. “Barely. She bought me a latte and apologized so many times the barista started looking nervous.”
“Did she know about the nitrous?” Brian asked.
“No,” Bree said firmly. “Carmen’s a lot of things, but she’s not okay with cheating. She’s furious. At Marcus. At Einstein. At Heidi for trying to spin this as an overzealous tech crew instead of what it was. She wanted me to know she’d never have pulled me down there if she’d had any idea what they were up to.”
Hank nodded, filing that away. “And how do you feel about that?”
Bree considered. She said, “Less angry. She’s planning on taking a break from the Dragons after this season. She says she needs to remember who she is when she’s not helping Heidi be Heidi.”
Colby whistled. “That’s an identity crisis waiting to happen.”
“Yeah,” Bree said softly. “But it’s hers. I told her I’d still answer her texts. That’s all I can promise right now.”
“That’s enough,” Hank said.
She tipped her head, studying him. “How did your meeting go?”
“We can recap on the walk,” he said. “You up for a short field trip?”
Her eyes lit with cautious excitement. “Bay Street.”
“Bay Street,” he confirmed. “The mayor left a key at the desk.”
Brian grabbed his beer and stood. “Let’s go look at our future, then.”
