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“It’s been in the back of my mind since the night we saw each other at Cece’s party.”
“Right,” I said. Not surprising. “But what caused you to step back? Was it something I said or did? Was it the fight?”
My gut told me it wasn’t the fight. When Logan had spoken about it on the podcast, she’d been supportive of my role. Hell, she’d named me—well, Frasier and me—as her Hotties of the Week. I’d practically floated across the ice for a week after that.
“It’s not like I tell my brother everything, but this feels like a lie of omission. And I worry it’s causing friction between us.”
I furrowed my brow. “How would it cause friction if he doesn’t know about our friendship?”
“Because I feel guilty. And anytime I try to bring you up, well…” She blew out a breath. “Maybe I was naïve to think that he could move past this grudge or whatever. It just feels like a betrayal, especially after…”
“After…” I pushed.
She hummed. “You can’t tell anyone this, but recently, we were offered a sponsorship for the podcast.”
“That’s great.”
They produced an awesome show with a large fan base. It was a big reason why I’d been so eager to give Logan social media tips. She deserved all the opportunities and recognition for everything she’d done for the sport.
“You’d think so, but the company wanted to offer me half of what they offered Levi. For the same work.”
“That’s bullshit,” I spat, sitting up and then immediately regretting it. “Fuck,” I hissed.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, sounding more alert.
I lowered myself back down to the mattress gingerly. “Just a little tender from the game.”
“You got checked out by the trainers, right?”
“Yes,” I ground out, trying not to let on how much it hurt. “Coach’s daughter, in fact.”
“Emerson Thorne?”
“No. Her twin, Dr. Astrid Thorne.”
“Damn. What a family of overachievers.” She laughed. “One dad is the coach of the Hawks, the other is a famous plastic surgeon. One daughter is a freaking doctor, and the other is a famous athlete.”
“You’re one to talk,” I said, referring to her and Levi. Both successful pro hockey players who cohosted a popular podcast.
“Yeah, but I merely aspire to be like Emerson Thorne.” She ended that statement with a dreamy sigh that surprised me. “I have such a girl crush on her.”
I bit back a smile. “I thought it was Thorne-Crawford now. And it’s not that aspirational. You’re both Olympic gold medalists.”
She laughed. “Um. Yeah. It is. She’s such a badass. She turned her track career into something so much more. It’s not just about the classes with Peloton and the brand deals, it’s about her influence. People listen to her and her ideas. She’s done so much to promote female athletes.”
“So have you,” I said. “And you could do that. You’re already on your way to doing that. We just need to keep working on building your online presence. You’ll get there. I know it.”
Hell, I’d seen a huge improvement in her follower count and engagement across multiple platforms since this past summer when I’d started giving her tips. She had so much potential.
“I—” She swallowed audibly. “Thanks, Kovi. That, um, that means a lot to me.”
“Maybe you should look to Emerson’s socials for inspiration. See what she’s doing and create your own spin on it.”
“For starters, I’m not married to a celebrity billionaire, so that’s going to be a little tricky.”
“Nah. She had a strong following even before she married Nate Crawford.”
“Did you see that they recently purchased an ownership stake in the LA women’s soccer team?” Logan asked with something akin to awe.
