Page 113 of Sven

The girl scowled but made her way to the bar of food in the suite.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Natalie said with a smile.

“Welcome to the suite. It can get pretty crazy here, but I think you’ll fit right in.”

“Thank you. It does feel like a lot,” Natalie said, bouncing Winnie on her knee.

“I bet, especially with the article yesterday. But this is about as crazy as it gets. I’m sure you’ll do great.”

Natalie and Winnie settled into the game. They had discussed her leaving after the second period since that was already past Winnie’s bedtime.

Natalie was in the bathroom, getting Winnie changed into pj’s in case she fell asleep on the way home. As she was getting her, a woman entered the bathroom.

“Hi, are you Natalie?”

“Who’s asking?” she turned and took in the woman.

She was tall with long blond hair pulled into a ponytail, wearing business casual at a hockey game.

“I’m Madison, a friend of Sven’s. This must be Winnie,” she said, reaching in to touch Winnie.

Natalie didn’t care for that one bit. She picked her up and held her close.

The smile never left the woman’s face. Was this one of Sven’s hook-ups? She didn’t know what was happening, but something felt off.

“So, you’re Sven’s nanny?”

Natalie nodded.

“You have to tell me. What is it like being a granddaughter of THE Mr. Roper?”

“How did you know that?”

Her heart was in her chest. Fight or flight kicked in, but she had Winnie. She had to get out of here.

“I’ve been doing a bit of research . . .”

That was all Natalie needed. She picked up the diaper bag and turned and quickly made her way out of the bathroom.

“Natalie?” the woman called after her.

Natalie walked quickly back to the box to her coat and Winnie’s blankets so they could get out to the car.

“Is everything okay?” asked Gunnar’s wife.

“Yeah, Winnie’s just tired. We’re headed home.”

“Okay, see you next time.”

“Bye,” Natalie said with a forced smile.

She was glad they were in the VIP lot and quickly made her way to the elevator. She got down to the parking level and made sure Winnie was covered with blankets.

Her heart almost dropped when she rounded the corner to see the woman from the bathroom and four reporters all by the exit. Once they saw her, they made their way over to her.

“Natalie. Are you working for Sven? Can you tell the nature of your relationship with Sven? Is it true you are Natalie Roper, granddaughter of Mr. Roper?”

The barrage of questions threw her off balance, but she held tight to Winnie and ignored them, making her way to her car.

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