"He bailed on our meeting this morning and went to the golf course instead. Then ignored me for four hours before finally sending his signature."
Darcy winces. "Ouch."
"And now I'm scrambling to salvage a ticket promotion that could actually help this franchise, but I can't shake the feeling that if I fail—" I stop myself, pressing my palms against my thighs. "If I fail, it proves everyone right."
Rose sets down her salad roll, her warm brown eyes softening. "Everyone who?"
I hesitate.
Down on the ice, Declan passes the puck to Beck, who immediately tries something flashy and wipes out spectacularly. Sawyer, in net, shakes his head like he's used to this.
"My family," I finally say. "Well, my mom, specifically."
Darcy shifts beside me, but she doesn't interrupt.
"She doesn't know I'm here," I continue. "Doesn't know I work in sports. Doesn't even know I took this job."
Rose's eyes widen. "Wait, seriously?"
I nod. "She thinks I'm freelancing. Doing vague marketing stuff. Because my whole life, she made it very clear that girls like me don't belong in sports. That I was wasting my time caring about hockey and—" I swallow hard. "And my dad was the only one who got it. The only one who didn't make me feel like I was wrong for wanting this."
The cool air in the arena suddenly feels heavier.
"He died eight years ago," I add quietly. "And I've spent every year since trying to prove that his belief in me wasn't misplaced.That all those nights we spent together, bonding over things no one else understood weren't wasted."
Rose reaches over and squeezes my hand. Darcy just smiles softly at me.
"Josie," Darcy says, her voice steady. "Your dad was right. You belong here."
"Do I?" I gesture toward the rink. "I'm here because I lied my way through life. Because I couldn't be honest about who I really was. And now I'm working my ass off for a franchise that might fold, for a boss who'd rather play golf than save it, and if I fail—"
"You won't," Rose cuts in.
"But if I do," I press, "my mom gets to say 'I told you so.' And I'll have wasted all these years chasing something that was never meant for me."
Darcy sets her coffee down.
"Listen to me," she says. "I've been in the hockey world my entire life. My father's on the NHL Board. I've watched men fail upward while women twice as qualified get dismissed. And you know what I've learned?"
I shake my head.
"The women who survive? They're the ones who stop waiting for permission to be great." She leans in. "You're already great, Josie. You've got this entire town buzzing about a team they didn't care about a month ago. Colin Holden would be lucky to have half your work ethic."
Rose nods emphatically, salad roll forgotten. "She's right. And also? Your mom doesn't get to define who you are. Or your career. Or whether you belong."
I blink hard, happy to finally be able to talk to women who know exactly how I'm feeling.
Down below, Declan scores again. This time, he looks up toward the stands.
Right at me.
He holds my gaze for a second too long. I'm about to smile, perhaps even wave considering how…decent… he was being last night.
But then his eyes narrow, and he turns back to the drill without a flicker of acknowledgment.
Cool. Great. Awesome.
So we're doingthatagain?
