Page 100 of Meant for Mayhem

I was still fuming when we loaded onto the team bus, headed for the hotel.

“There’s smoke coming out of your ears,” Frankie said when he sat down next to me. “On a scale of one to nuclear, how concerned should I be?”

I grunted, then looked at our trainer. “I was great until Richard messed with my family in the media room.”

“Anxiety?”

“Fine.” I didn’t sound fine, so I forced myself to take a deep breath. “Tonight was good until about ten minutes ago.”

Frankie patted me on the back. “You looked good. You were on that puck like a raccoon on an unattended casserole.”

“Well, that’s quite the picture,” Logan said as he dropped into the seat across from us. “What kind of casserole are we talking? I’m starving.”

The two of them went back and forth, the conversation turning outrageous as I pulled my phone from my pocket.

Shannon

Made it to the room. Leena went right down.

A picture of Leena passed out asleep in the crib was right below it, the soft light from the nightlight we’d brought with us glowing against her chubby cheek. Her moose was in one hand, a new duck in the other.

I clicked on it to enlarge it, then swiped my thumb across the screen, scrolling back through all of the other pictures Shannon had sent me today.

Leena eating a bagel in Central Park.

The video of Leena dancing in the bookstore, quacking like a duck.

And then the last one—a selfie of the two of them in front of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center.

I held my thumb down on it, watching the same two-second live photo loop like I had all afternoon.

“Smile!” Shannon said, then kissed Leena’s cheek when she did.

Both of them looked so happy, I couldn’t help but smile.

Before I could watch it again, a text message popped up on the screen.

Logan Parrish renamed the group chat Snow Monkeys

Logan

Come out of retirement Conway

Beckett

Snow monkeys?

Logan

I mean, what is a Yeti if not a snow monkey?

Beckett

Probably more of an ape, I’d say.

Logan

Okay, Mr. Smarty Pants. You retire and now you’re a thesaurus?