Page 19 of The Nanny Goal

The group chat I’m messaging includes all the WAGs who were at Russ’s cottage last summer. And one by one, they all react to my text with exclamation marks and hearts.

Shannon

Absolutely! Kiley’s already out the door, looking for you.

Harper

This is such a fun surprise!

Becca

Get up here, I need an Emery hug!

Ani

Ahhhh! You sneaky girl!

Their affection makes me feel extra silly. They have no reason to bring up Alexei or his daughter to me.

And if I’m upstairs in a box with them, I don’t need to keep slouching down out of paranoia. I might actually be able to enjoy the rest of the game…if I can stop hyper-fixating on the Highlanders goalie.

CHAPTER5

ALEXEI

As we head to the locker room, I block out the excited chatter.

Yeah, we’re up two. It’s not a runaway lead, though, and there are still two more periods.

Our trainers are waiting for us with fresh sports drinks and snacks for the guys who eat during breaks. We have two docs in house tonight, too, and Rusty’s getting his shoulder looked at by Grant Forge, an orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist.

Everyone has a different ritual.

Hooner strips out of his gear lightning fast and races for the showers. He does that every time he has a bad play. He claims it resets him, so his brain thinks the next period is a clean slate.

Whatever works.

There’s no way I could get my feet back into skates if I took them off mid-game. I strip down my top half, though, leaving my shorts and socks on. A fresh base layer top is hanging behind me in my stall, ready for me to put on before the next period.

And I jam headphones on, so I don’t have to listen to Malik Zondi and Roan “Smash” Dodaj go back and forth like excited puppies next to me.

I drain the water bottle handed to me, then I get up to go take a leak.

As I hang up my headphones on the hook inside my stall, I swear I hear Zondi say Emery’s name.

“What?” I snap.

Malik shrugs, unbothered by my bark. “Just saying I saw Rusty’s ex-girlfriend in the stands.”

I nod. I must have misheard. “Not Shannon?”

He shakes his head. “Someone else. Doesn’t matter.”

Smash laughs as Malik’s brown cheeks darken in embarrassment. “Doesn’t matter because she doesn’t return Zondi’s DMs.”

“She did.” He pauses. “Once.”

Smash dissolves into laughter, and I leave them to go relieve myself.

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