Page 188 of Sin Bin

He nodded. “I was at a watch party with the management team and some of our friends. We got super excited when we saw you sitting with Reid and Viggo’s fiancées. Boy, you make friends fast.”

“Not really,” she murmured.

Dirk didn’t seem to hear her. “That was a great game, wasn’t it?” he enthused, leaning back in the chair with a delighted grin. “What a way to close out the regular season.”

“Totally.” Friday night had been amazing for reasons she wouldn’t dare confide to her boss.

“The guys and I were telling our friends about the night you and Logan reunited at the team meet-and-greet. We all agreed that he would have showed up sooner if he’d known you were there.” Dirk laughed. “You’re one of the best things that could have ever happened to the Rebels.”

She gave him a curious look. “How so?”

“The Rebels are a phenomenal team. Everyone’s picking them to win the Cup, but they need all their big guns firing to make that happen. Logan’s massively talented, but he can be volatile and unpredictable at times.” Dirk smiled at Meadow. “He looked really happy with you that night. The way we figure it, if he’s happy, he’ll play his best hockey and have less meltdowns.”

“Ahh, now I see,” Meadow said, nodding slowly. “You guys think I’m some sort of Logan-whisperer. Like I’m the only one who can keep him under control.”

Dirk’s grin floundered. “Well, I mean, you were at the last game and he stayed out of trouble. He didn’t get into a single fight. He didn’t even receive any penalties for roughing, crosschecking, slashing—nothing. That’s pretty rare for him.”

Meadow stared at Dirk, struck by an unsettling thought. “You didn’t hire me because of my friendship with Logan, did you?”

“What?” Dirk looked stricken. “Of course not!”

Meadow frowned, not entirely convinced.

Dirk sat forward in the chair, looking her in the eye. “You were hands down the best candidate for the job, Meadow. For starters, your background in social work satisfied our first prerequisite. You have an advanced degree with valuable internships under your belt, most notably your important relief work in Botswana. You have eight years of proven experience fundraising, coordinating events, working with disadvantaged youth and serving the community. Believe me, Meadow, you bring immense value to the table. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.”

She felt herself relaxing into her chair. “I just wanted to make sure. I mean, the night of my interview, Logan told you guys to hire me.”

“He did,” Dirk acknowledged with a smile. “But you already had the job at that point. You were our top candidate even before you arrived at the arena. By the first intermission, it was unanimous.” His smile turned sheepish. “Are we super stoked about your relationship with Logan? You bet we are. But it’s just an added bonus, something we can brag about to our peers. And, yes, we have been bragging. A lot. But I can assure you that you got this job on your own merit. So please put your doubts to rest.”

Meadow studied him a moment longer, then nodded slowly and smiled. “Thank you for the reassurance.”

“Of course. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. You’re here because of you and no one else.”

“Glad to hear it.” She cleared her throat. “Um, if you don’t mind, I’d like to share some ideas that will require fairly aggressive deadlines—”

“Wow.” Dirk looked pleased. “Sounds like you’re ready to hit the ground running.”

“I told you I would be.”

“Yes, you certainly did.” Dirk grinned and glanced at his watch. “I have a meeting in twenty minutes. So maybe you could just go over one idea and then we can discuss the rest later this week.”

“All right.” Meadow folded her hands on top of her desk, her expression sobering as she began speaking. “When children in foster care move from home to home, they carry everything they own in black trash bags. As a former foster child, I remember what it was like to have my social worker show up and tell me that I had to go to another foster home. I remember feeling confused and unwanted as I stuffed my belongings in a trash bag, lugged it outside and placed it in the trunk of my social worker’s car. I remember climbing into the backseat, staring out the window and wondering how long it would be before I had to move again. Being repeatedly displaced is traumatic and devastating to foster children. You start believing that you don’t deserve a permanent home like normal kids. Not only that, but carrying your belongings in a trash bag sends the message that you’re worthless. That your life has no more value than garbage.”

Dirk’s expression softened with compassion. “I’ve never thought of that.”

Meadow nodded. “Most people aren’t aware of the practice. When I worked for DFS, I used to buy duffel bags for the children in my care. I’m grateful that a growing number of nonprofit organizations are providing duffel bags and supplies to foster kids. I’d like to launch our own community initiative to start donating what I call ‘care bags,’ which will be stocked with a warm blanket, socks, hygiene products, a stuffed animal, a coloring book and crayons. We can hold a community fair where volunteers show up to decorate the bags that will be distributed to local children in foster care. During my interview, you told me that we have a generous budget for social outreach programs—”

“We do,” Dirk enthusiastically confirmed. “We don’t have to raise funds for the duffel bags and supplies. We can purchase those with no problem.”

“Perfect.” Meadow beamed. “I was thinking we could have carnival rides, cotton candy, popcorn, funnel cake, snow cones—the works. We could give out fun prizes for the most creatively decorated care bags, and maybe we could set up a demo booth to let people play one of our upcoming video games that hasn’t been released yet.”

“Like they do at E3 and Comic Con.” Dirk’s eyes were shining with excitement, making him look downright boyish. “That’s a fantastic idea!”

Meadow grinned, encouraged by his response. “I shared my ideas with Logan and he was totally stoked. Like me, he remembers carrying his trash bag from place to place, and he wholeheartedly agrees that foster children deserve better. He said he and his teammates will come to the community fair and show their support.”

Dirk’s face lit up even brighter. “Their presence would pretty much guarantee a huge turnout.”

“That’s what I told him.” Meadow’s grin softened to a smile. “The fair will provide great publicity for the company while allowing us to give back to the most vulnerable children in our community.”

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