Page 35 of Win Big

“Never mind. You don’t need to worry about it.”

A million thoughts are running through my mind. Mom knows about it. It seems like she’s... trying to fix things?Curiosity burns a hole in my gut, but I know pushing her won’t go well.

“Why can’t you tell us? All of us. We deserve to know the truth. Have you talked to Matthew and Mark?”

“No.” Her mouth is a firm line again.

“Oh my God. Mom!”

She gives me a quelling mom look that I’m well familiar with. “You left the banquet quickly last night. I saw you leaving with Wyatt Bell.” She arches an eyebrow.

Oh sure, change the conversation to a subjectIdon’t want to talk about. “I wasn’t feeling well. He gave me a ride home.”

“That’s nice of him.” She runs her tongue over her teeth, lips closed. “He, uh, doesn’t seem like your type.”

“Phhht. That’s for sure.” I roll my eyes, tamping down the memories of kissing him and how hot it was and what a gorgeous man he is and how he irritates me but makes me laugh. “He’s nothing but a vagina hunter.”

Mom chokes. “What? Oh, my word.”

I grin and shrug.

Too bad my vagina’s not exactly opposed to being hunted by him. In fact, my vagina is quite interested in him.

“What about Dan?” Mom probes. “You were sitting with him last night. I thought maybe you two are working things out.”

“I thought you didn’t like me dating him.”

“Well, he’s a little older than you, but you’re a very mature young woman, and he seems nice.”

“Okay, it was Dad who didn’t want me seeing him.”

She bites her lip. “You know your father worries about you.”

“I know.” I swallow the sigh. He has reason to. We never talk about what happened when I was a teenager, but it’s always there, a hulking pachyderm in the room. “But I’m all grown up now. I make good choices.”

She smiles. “I know you do.”

“You changed the subject,” I point out.

“Yes.” Her smile is satisfied.

I let the issue of Dad and the lawsuit go for now, but I don’t tell Mom that all of us are working on this, and we’re going to figure it out. Because I don’t like to fail.

8

EVERLY

“You’re joking.”I stare at Murray, the communications director of the Condors.

He smiles. “Nope. What’s the problem with that?”

What can I say? Telling him I don’t want to work with Wyatt Bell isn’t a good enough reason. We need an ambassador for Hockey for All. The initiative is sponsored by the NHL and the players’ association. Each team names an ambassador, which are to be announced February first. The ambassadors promote inclusion and diversity, and reach out to underrepresented, marginalized, or disadvantaged areas of the cities they compete in to encourage young people to play hockey, emphasizing the life skills it can teach, and how it can empower youth. We don’t have a lot of time, as we need to get photographs taken and marketing materials done. I asked him weeks ago to consider who this year’s ambassador should be and have been pestering him pretty much every day since.

“He’ll be a great ambassador,” Murray says. “Everyone loves him. Fans love him and the guys in the room love him too.”

This is true. “Fine.” I sigh.

“I’ll tell him to come see you after practice.”

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