Page 30 of The Fake Out Flex

"Then stop being a baby."

"Who are these women?" I ask, tapping the last frame on the wall.

Evie comes up and points them out one by one. "That's Dani Rylan Kearney, founder of the National Women's Hockey League. That's Kim Davis. She's just been named the Executive Vice President of Social Impact, Growth Initiatives & Legislative Affairs for the NHL. Here we have Hayley Wickenheiser, one of the most decorated female hockey players of all time. And rounding things out, this is Heidi Browning, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of the NHL."

"Cool. You ever thought about playing?"

"Those who can, play, those who can't, yell from the sidelines, take notes on their phone, and share them with their neighbor whenever they see him."

"I've noticed. What about coaching, then? You know the ins and outs of the game better than most players."

She presses her fingertips to the glass, a wistful smile curving her lips. "How many coaches do you see here?"

"You could always be the first."

"Yeah. Because Mom would love that. No. I think I'll have to find a different career path to disappoint her." She points to the TV. "We can watch another game, if you like. I've got this one committed to memory."

She doesn't want to talk about it. That's cool. I'm not going to push. I hate it when people try to make me open up.

My eyes flick to the game. "Nah. I'm fine with it."

"Cool."

Evie settles into her desk chair, so I claim a spot on the couch, far enough away from her that should her parents walk in, they won't get the wrong idea about what's going on here.

"Whatchya making there?" I ask, pointing to her desk.

"Oh, it's nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing to me."

"They're just bracelets." She lifts up a few of them for me to see. "I enjoy making them. It relaxes me. They're not very good or anything."

"They're nice."

"Moving on." She drops the bracelets onto her desk and swivels in her chair to face me. "How did you escape?"

"Huh?"

"The whole street is clogged up with camera vans. Aren't you meant to be filming?"

"I am, but I told Mom I wasn't up for it, so we staged a fight. I got sent to my room, which gets me out of having to do anything. At least for tonight."

Evie shifts her gaze between me and the TV screen, then says, "Levi mentioned something about you not being a huge fan of the show."

"Would you like to have a TV crew in your house recording everything you and your family say and do?"

"Absolutely not. That sounds like a nightmare. Worse than that nightmare where you're giving a speech and suddenly find yourself naked. Or is the audience naked? Whatever, it doesn't matter. Public nudity is involved, which is definitely the stuff of nightmares. As is rambling, which I'm doing again. Sorry."

I swallow a grin. "Don't be. You're fine."

I've gotten used to Levi talking fast, but Evie, man, she takes fast-talking to a whole other level.

A few moments pass.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," I say.

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