Page 63 of Dream Girl Drama

Since Sig didn’t see the wealthy, somewhat notorious Bostonian in the front of the room, he turned and watched Bauer stomp his way down the aisle. Expectant silence fell as Bauer shook hands with McCarren and took his spot, front and center of the room, commanding attention with a curt nod. “Hello, gentlemen. Thank you for being here. I’m very pleased to be able to share some news with you tonight. I’m too excited to wait, so let’s get to it.” He clapped his hands together. “As you might have seen, so inelegantly reported in the press, I was recently married. For a fourth time, but who’s counting?”

Some of the coaches huffed a laugh, as if they could relate.

And yeah, Sig had seen those headlines about Bauer and his new, much younger, wife. None of it had any bearing on hockey, however, so he’d mostly ignored the stories. Right about now, he wished he’d done more than skim.

“My wife is expecting twins now, if you can believe it. I haven’t had any little ones running around in a while, but the news has made me realize how grueling the life of a GM can be. My health is more important now than ever and I need to focus on that, so I can be around for my twins.” He added dryly, “Stress drinking while I analyze the league standings and playoff predictions isn’t going to help me be present. For them. In fact, my cardiologist suggested I take a step back years ago. It’s time tolisten. And so, without further ado, I’d like to announce that my daughter, Reese Bauer, will be taking over operations as general manager of Bearcats.”

You could have heard a pin drop.

Their hockey team was going to be managed by a woman.

One they’d never heard of.

Okay. Setting aside the fact that the league didn’t have a single woman as general manager, onlyassistantGMs, her name was totally unfamiliar. What were her qualifications? If she knew how to work hard and make tough decisions, Sig welcomed her as much as he would a man, but at that moment, he only had one thing on his mind.

How was this going to affect his contract? His captainship?

Bauer continued, undeterred, the air of a man who didn’t necessarily care how his news was received, only that he’d made the decision, everyone had to deal with it, and he was probably late for a dinner reservation. “Reese is a Princeton graduate. Top of her class. I’ve been quietly ushering her in under my wing for the last few months and I’m confident that she is exactly who this team needs to remain as one of the league’s top competitors while I take some time to focus on my health. My family.”

He cleared his throat, indicating the back of the room with a sweep of his hand.

“Reese.”

Sig turned and watched a woman in a red pantsuit glide down the aisle, a gold watch winking on her wrist, chin held high. Reese was a child from Bauer’s original marriage, presumably, because he’d been married to a Black woman first and Reese appeared to be biracial. And if Sig hadn’t spent six months analyzing Chloe for every little sign that might indicate what she was thinking, he probably wouldn’t have noticed thatthis woman was nervous, but there was something about the way her fingertips dug into the folder at her side that told him she wasn’t as confident as she came across.

Her voice, however, portrayed otherwise.

It was clear and firm.

“Hello. Thank you for the warm greeting. You can pick your jaws up off the floor now.”

“I’m in love,” Mailer whispered, reaching over to clutch Sig’s forearm. “Son of a bitch.”

“Daughter, actually,” Reese said, without missing a beat—and that’s the moment Sig decided he liked her. Which could change, depending on his status with the team now that the house of cards had been reshuffled, but for now, she seemed all right. “I know this news is a lot to digest, so I’m not going to go into specifics tonight.” She flipped open the folder, scanned something, and closed it again. “Suffice it to say I’m committed to doing everything I can do on my end to put a Stanley Cup in the Bearcats’ trophy case. Which could mean some restructuring. Reallocation of budget. A hard look at who is serving the best interests of the team.”

For the second time that night, Sig was treated to a vague glance, this time from Reese.

What the hell did that mean?

Was he not serving their best interests?

Chloe’s smile materialized in his mind and he struggled not to shift anxiously in his seat. If his time with the Bearcats was coming to an end, he couldn’t serve her best interests, either. That was the true source of the pressure weighing down his shoulders.

“I’ve been watching hockey since the first day I opened my eyes. I know when a team is on the verge of greatness—again—and this one is. Lately, we’re always second best. Runner-up. What’s holding us back?” She nodded for a moment. “It’s my jobto figure that out. It’s your job to trust me. Can you all get past the obvious fact that I’m a woman and do that?”

“Yes,” Mailer rasped. “Implicitly.”

Sig turned his head slowly to look at the rookie. “Are you okay, or what?”

Dude didn’t even hear him. “I can be what you need,” he said to Reese, before shaking himself. “I mean, I’m here to get results. For you. And show you around. Do you need to be shown around?”

“I’m all set, Bow Tie,” Reese deadpanned.

That earned a chuckle from the room.

Mailer reached up and yanked off the bow tie, the scratching sound revealing it to be attached by Velcro.

“I’ll leave you to enjoy your evening. Good luck on the road this week—you might not see me, but I will be there to cheer you on from the box,” Reese said, pointing to her serene expression. “This is my cheering face. Don’t take it personally.” Another, warmer laugh from the team. “Good night.”

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