Page 26 of Meant for Mayhem

A career I’d worked my ass off for.

A fresh start somewhere no one knew my last name.

But somewhere between Pilates, breakfast queso, and a group of women that refused to let me push them away, the finish line I’d run toward didn’t look the same anymore.

I still wanted to be a speech pathologist.

I still wanted the career.

What I couldn’t seem to figure out was why I’d convinced myself getting those things meant leaving all of this behind.

Harper squealed as another tower of blocks crashed to the floor, the sound breaking the silence before I had to answer.

Stevie pointed a tortilla chip at her daughter. “See? Even Harper thinks this conversation has gone on long enough.”

“I’m only slightly alarmed that mass destruction is what that child finds amusing,” Emmy said.

“You and me both.”

A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

Tate walked across the room and snagged a breakfast burrito, handing one to me on her way back. “What we need is some data. You said Mikko wants you to travel with the team, right? So he can see you in the stands and not panic about Leena?”

I wasn’t following yet. “Yeah, and?”

“School’s out today and tomorrow, so the Mayhem are at the rink this morning. Ten bucks says Mikko is there with the guys.”

Emmy sat up straight, grinning. “If the panic attack this week was because she wasn’t there...”

“...then today should be different,” Tate finished.

No one spoke for a beat.

It was such an obvious test that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it myself.

“Anxiety is weird,” Daisy said. “Maybe having her there will help? It could make it worse, though. No way to know unless you try.” She trailed off with a small shrug.

“Exactly.” Tate pointed at her. “So we test this hypothesis before we base major life decisions on a hunch.”

The room fell quiet again, and I chewed my lip as I thought this through.

The Linwood Rink wasn’t an NHL game. It was a construction zone full of a bunch of teenagers chasing a puck around. But if Mikko couldn’t handle a Mayhem practice while Leena sat safely in the stands, what chance did he have in front of twenty thousand fans?

Emmy looked at me carefully. “You don’t have to decide anything today.”

“No,” Tate agreed. “But the girlies love data.”

And dammit, I hated how reasonable that sounded.

Thankfully, Stevie changed the subject, asking Emmy if she’d started any wedding planning yet. All too soon, my time was up, needing to hit the road.

Emmy handed Kai back to Daisy and pulled me into one last hug. “We’re going to miss you.”

This time, I hugged her back. “You text me all the time.”

Stevie wrapped both of us in another hug before Emmy had even let go. “Can I cry now?”

“No.”