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Willow rolled her eyes. “Is she? Dodo explained how that was all a paperwork mix up, easily correctable.”
Ronan strongly hoped so. Not that any of this mattered, Calista wasn’t for him. He had no opinion on management fiascos, his mind was already on catching a cab back to the hotel.
Olivia’s eyes narrowed. “As Calista’s head attorney, I beg to differ.”
Willow’s bravado faded a touch. “We’ll see.”
Why was he still standing here? He had the discipline to stay away from Calista and her games. Ronan edged around them. “Excuse me.” He left.
* * *
The evening had been so bizarre. While climbing into her hotel room bed, Calista’s phone rang with an incoming video call from Dahlia.
“Can we talk?” Dahlia used her soft voice.
Calista flinched as the worst question known to humankind came her way. Calista made a noncommittal noise, stacked the pillows how she liked them, and untucked the top sheet from under the mattress. She propped the phone up so her cousin’s lively face appeared face level. Even at this hour, Dahlia was put together, her hair in a sleek high pony, tied with a ribbon that matched her long-sleeved, peachy-pink pajama top.
Dahlia continued without her fully agreeing. “My team news alert says, ‘New Owner Pulls Plug on Fishy Fan Adventure.’ Something about you yanking the dancers from an aquarium?”
“Not true.” Calista shoved at her messy, still damp hair as it was giving away her adventure and filled her cousin in on her activities at the Mer-bar.
Dahlia opened and closed her mouth through the retelling, and when Calista was done, she grinned big. “Let me focus on the important part. You’re saying, new dancer costumes are in order?”
The dancers and fans deserved better. Calista nodded. “One hundred percent.”
Dahlia clenched her fists and made a happy clicking sound, like a parakeet who’d just found new seed spread around her newspaper. “You will not regret this. I’ll have mockups ordered by the end of the week.”
* * *
Back in Texas, Calista sat curled into her favorite stadium seat, breathing in the cold from the ice, and darted her gaze around the rink. Watching the Snowers run practice drills was amazing. Her body thrilled at the action, and her mind emptied of the trillion thoughts racing through her neurons. Without the clash of the sticks and swish of blades on the ice to clear her busy mind, she’d explode. Nothing compared. Having seen the Snowers play had been everything growing up, taking her from high strung kid to almost normal. Now she got to watch ice hockey several times a week, in person, which made her relaxed and happy. Add in the thrill of seeing Ronan, whew.
The players huddled in their end-of-practice rundown with Coach. This was the best. Mood both soothed and elated, Calista rose to her feet and grabbed her backpack to leave for campus.
Dodo Applebaum came down the stadium aisle toward her.
Drat, she’d lingered too long.
