Page 41 of The Dating Contract

And as they dove in to the conversation they needed to have about what the logo would look like, he felt invigorated. Excited. He couldn’t wait to start lettering.

*

Leah got themost random email that morning from one of her clients, asking her for a private meeting.

That was usual, but the name sending the email wasn’t.

She’d just seen Carly on Saturday and she’d said practically nothing about meetings.

But Carly was a client who’d done her a major favor, and so she made the drive. The traffic was nonexistent by the time she got on the road, proving the theory that reverse commuting was still a thing.

What could be going on? What was happening?

She didn’t know, and Leah pulled into the driveway, avoiding another car with New York plates that was parked off to the side. She didn’t think much of it until she headed inside the house. “Thank you for coming,” Carly said. “I’m very grateful that you drove all this way.”

“You called me here,” she said, as they headed to a small comfortable couch in the middle of the living room. “And it sounded urgent.”

Carly nodded. “It is, Leah. Thank you for coming out here on such short notice.”

“Not that short,” Leah replied.

“Still,” Carly said, “the fact that you’re so willing to accommodate me is very much appreciated.”

“It’s what we do,” Leah said with a smile as she took out her tablet. “So what’s going on?”

“Well,” Carly said, smiling, her eyes bright. “I’m ready to go back to training. I’ve talked to my doctor and I’m starting to stretch. Carefully. But stretching.”

Carly was a goaltender, and she absolutely needed a doctor’s approval or even supervision, before beginning to follow the specific pattern of stretching goaltenders required.

“That’s wonderful,” Leah said.

“It is. I’m excited to dive in. I’m being careful but I’m loving going back so far.”

But within the words there were still questions. Carly was going back, but where? What was Carly’s end goal? Instead of sitting and wondering, letting the words hang over them like clouds, Leah pushed forward. “Where do you want to end up?”

Leah held her breath as she waited for Carly’s response; this was the key that would determine everything related to Carly going forward.

“The goal, I think,” Carly finally said, “has always been to try to play with the Empires before my brother-in-law retires. I’ve always said that if I was going to do it, now was going to be the time.”

This is why Carly wanted to have this conversation now. Because people were going to be asking questions about what Carly wanted at the gala.

Which meant her client had wanted to tell her first. “So,” Leah said, trying to remember what the provision in the contract she’d signed look like. “You want to have the secret part of contract activate, and train with the Empires staff? See where you land? Make the decisions with them and then make moves?”

Carly nodded, relieved, as if she’d expected Leah to say something different. “That’s what I want. And that’s why you’re here.”

Leah could see the questions looming large in Carly’s eyes. But it wasn’t up to Leah to ask them; it was for Carly. “What do you want to know?”

“Do you think I have a chance?”

Which was the question that everybody wanted the answer to, including Leah herself. But knowing Carly, Leah elected to be as honest as she could. What were the facts she knew in the situation? She’d start there and go forward. “I think you and the Empires staff have always been clear that you playing with them, with the big club, has been the end goal of your arrangement with them. I think if you’re ready to push back to high gear, this is the time to do it.”

“Then it’s perfect,” she said.

“It is,” Leah replied. And just as they started to talk more about specifics there was a loud whopping sound from upstairs. “What…?”

Carly laughed. “My husband has some artists over. Thankfully—” she pointed to a bassinette where a baby was sleeping peacefully “—Dana sleeps like the dead after a feeding so she’s fine.”

It was good to know the baby was sleeping, but Leah’s mind had gotten stuck on a word. “Artists?”

---