40. Emma

Itoss and turn most of the night, replaying Taran's words like a broken record. By morning, I'm running on a mix of anxiety and caffeine, my brain a frayed mess. Each gulp of coffee does nothing to settle my nerves. It does, however, make me jittery as hell.

"Ready to face the day?" Anna asks, gliding into the kitchen, looking like a fucking model in her smart suit, heels and blow-out hair. I glance down at my jeans and shirt combo and cringe. Should I be suited and booted?

"Why do you look so fucking hot?" I grouse.

She casts a glance down at herself. "Do I?"

"You know you do. You are a gorgeous woman who could wear a sack and look good."

"Thanks," she beams, "but that would be itchy, and my skin is really sensitive."

We both chuckle, and it relaxes me a bit.

"So, hey, I had an idea I wanted to talk to you about," she says, pouring herself a to-go cup of coffee and fixing the lid with focus as she waits for me to answer.

"Okay, go on," I prompt when she doesn't come forth.

"Hear me out," she says. "I had a look, and I couldn't find anything, probably because your dad has been in charge and doesn't think like a woman."

"Err," I stammer, wondering where in hell she's going with this as I grab my keys, and we head out into the glorious morning. We seem to be getting total opposite days in replay. Rain, sun, rain, sun, rain, sun. Fuck. I forgot how it goes here.

"Not in a bad way," she says, waving her hand as we climb into Minnie, as she is now known, and I start her up.

"Just spit it out, will you?"

"Okay, sexy hockey player calendar. The women, and some of the men, will eat it up, and you might even hit a different demographic. Okay, sure, some of them will just be panting over the abs, but some might get interested enough to come to a game or two, you know. Bums on seats and all that."

I blink.

"Fucking wow," I remark with a smirk. "Nice work, Anna Ford. I love it."

"Really?" she asks nervously.

"Yeah, really. It's simple, definitely tried and tested, and no, the Warriors have never done that before."

"Do you think they'll object to being objectified?"

"I think Lachlan will demand to be on every month," I snort, setting off.

Anna laughs. "Probably. But you know what? Give him December and make it a Santa theme. He's got that twinkle in his eye. Trust me, women love a man who can handle a sleigh."

"Are we seriously talking about this?" I giggle, feeling a little lighter for the first time in days.

"Hell, yes, we are," she says, her voice full of mischief. "I'm thinking February for Keir. He can hold a heart-shaped box of chocolates in front of his dong."

"Oh, good God," I shake my head, trying to control my laughter as we weave through the narrow streets. "But you're right, it's a bloody brilliant idea."

We pull up to the ice rink and enter together.

Anna looks around as she takes in the ice rink with the players doing stretches that appear to be more of a sex-theme than anything else. Her mouth drops open, and she hurries to the boards to watch with a growing appreciation for the sport, it seems.

My nerves start to creep back in. Lachlan catches sight of me and gives a nod that's almost reassuring.

"Lachlan," I call out, trying to keep my voice steady.

He smiles—a genuine one that reaches those piercing blue eyes. "Morning, Emma."

"Can we talk?" I ask, motioning towards a quieter corner.

"Of course," he responds and skates over, his athletic grace making me momentarily forget my nerves.

"What's up?" he asks casually, yet his eyes show a glint of curiosity.

I take a deep breath. Just dive in, Emma.

"I wanted to float an idea by you," I start, trying to sound more confident than I feel. "We're thinking about doing a calendar. A sexy one. You know, with the players. Shirtless, maybe some props…"

Lachlan's eyebrows shoot up, and for a split second, I think he's going to laugh. Instead, he breaks into a grin that could light up the rink. "That's unexpected. But I can see it working."

I blink. That was easier than anticipated. "Really? You're okay with it? You think the guys will be?"

He nods, a teasing spark dancing in his eyes. "I'd say we're up for it. And if you need any suggestions for poses?—"

"Oh, God, please no," I groan jokingly, finally letting myself relax.

"And who came up with this brilliant idea?" he probes, leaning against the boards with an amused expression.

"Anna. She's taking over from Mavis."

"Ah, you see, the women are already coming out with fresh ideas."

"You don't consider Mavis a woman?" I ask with a snort.

"Jeez, no. She's part Dragon, part Ogre. But, like, not in a mean way…" He trails off, looking a bit like I might shout at him.

I press my lips together and don't comment. I don't disagree, so there's that.

Keir skates over, wiping sweat from his brow. His blonde hair is tousled, and his green eyes are curious. "What's this chinwag about?"

"Ah, perfect timing," Lachlan grins before turning to me with expectation.

I clear my throat and launch into the explanation again.

Keir listens intently, nodding along. When I finish, he rubs his chin thoughtfully. "A calendar, eh? I dunno. I've never thought of myself as pin-up material."

I roll my eyes playfully. "Don't be modest. You'll be the star of February."

Keir's cheeks turn a faint shade of pink. "Well, if it helps the team and brings in some fans, I'm game."

Lachlan claps him on the back. "That's the spirit! Plus, we get to show off our hard work in the gym."

Anna walks over, a knowing smile on her face. "So, are we on board?"

Lachlan nods confidently. "We're in. And just wait until you see my Santa pose."

Anna laughs, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "I'll pass, but I bet our Emma can't wait."

I choke on my saliva as Lachlan's gaze shoots to mine, full of questions I can't answer.

I collect myself and meet Lachlan's gaze with as much composure as I can muster. "Right, we'll get started on the planning then," I say, trying to divert the sudden attention away from myself.

Anna claps her hands together, her excitement palpable. "Great! First things first, we need to get a photographer lined up. Leave it all with me!"

Lachlan chuckles, glancing over at the ice where the rest of the team is still stretching. "Alright, lads! Looks like we're about to start a side hustle as models with a sexy Warriors calendar!" His voice booms across the rink, causing heads to turn.

"Seriously? A bloody calendar?" One of the players, Jamie, raises an eyebrow but doesn't look entirely opposed to the idea.

"Yup, Jamie," Keir confirms with a grin. "Shirtless and all. Think you can handle it?"

Jamie shrugs with a smirk that has definitely caught Anna's attention. She is practically drooling all over the cute dude with a blond mop of hair and deep green eyes. "Well, as long as I get to keep my skates on."

Anna laughs a bit too loudly before saying, "You can keep your skates on, Jamie. But everything else is negotiable."

I smile at how well this is going. Maybe Anna's right; maybe this crazy idea will actually work out.

Lachlan sidles up next to me again. "You know," he says quietly, "I think this might be just what we need to boost morale around here. We took a bit of a hit at the end of last season. We're all kind of ignoring it, but this will help, I'm sure of it."

"That's the plan," I reply, staring into those baby blues that will have women and men alike clawing for a copy of this calendar, I murmur. "Can we talk after practice? You, me and Keir?"

The silence is deafening as he and Keir exchange a glance before he narrows his eyes and looks back at me. "Yeah, course. We'll come find you."

I nod and watch them skate off.

"Let's head upstairs," I mutter to Anna, who is still flirting wildly with Jamie.

"See you later, Mr March," she murmurs, and his eyes light up at being flirted with by a gorgeous woman who knows what she wants and has no fear of going after it. I should be more like Anna.

"Why March?" I ask curiously.

"It's my birthday," she murmurs with a secretive smile that tells me they have already come up with an idea to make it one to remember.

We hit the stairs to the offices and once at the top, we both look down on the team before turning back to face this day of Admin head on.

"Mavis," I state. "This is Anna Ford. She is taking your place when you leave. Show her the ropes, please."

"Fine," Mavis says. "Sit and listen up. I only say things once."

"Yes, Ma'am," Anna murmurs, trying not to laugh.

Giggling to myself, I enter my dad's office—my office—and sit down, grabbing the first folder that Dad left me the other day to get cracking on this business. We need to make this team the best team in the UK, and to do that, I need my head on the game and not on the players, so to speak.