Page 102 of Cross the Line

“Hey, Mom.”

“Hey, sweetie.” It was so good to hear Mom’s voice. “How are you?”

“Just—” I twisted my hand on the steering wheel. “A lot going on.” Too much.

A lot of it was good, but even the good was a lot at once. I hadn’t signed a contract for next season, but I had multiple interested teams. Emerson had approached me with an incredible offer that would shine a huge spotlight on female athletes. Carson and I were doing an interview and photo shoot soon for a huge sports magazine. Oh, and I was secretly in love with my brother’s ex-best friend.

Oh shit. My eyes widened at the realization. I’m in love with Carson.

I sat with that thought a moment, but honestly, I wasn’t all that surprised. Yes, it had sort of crept up on me, but the idea wasn’t unwelcome. Loving Carson felt as natural as playing hockey—fun, exhilarating, not without challenges, but ultimately rewarding.

And that was just my drama. Each of my friends also seemed to have something going on. Kylie had been distant all summer, busy. Busier even than normal. I hoped that was a good thing—an indication her business was booming. But I sensed there was more going on.

Cece and Georgia were off doing god-knew-what in Ibiza. Cece, my childhood best friend, was married. And she’d never once mentioned anything about Gabe to me. Bryn was adjusting to being a new mom, and that was a huge change.

“Want to talk about it?” Mom offered.

I smiled, appreciating the offer. “You’re the one who called,” I said, not wanting to be an emotional vampire by talking about my drama. “Was there something you wanted to talk about?”

“I received a contract from Rain Shadow Productions,” she said. “About some hockey show you’re going to be in. Is this another one of those scams? The email address looked legit, but I feel like they’re getting more and more sophisticated.”

I laughed. “I’m glad you asked, and I meant to tell you about it before. But yes, it’s legit. Emerson and her husband, Nate Crawford, are in charge of the project.”

“Nate Crawford?” My mom’s voice pitched high. “Sexiest-man-alive-twice Nate Crawford?”

“That’s the one.” I laughed.

“Will I get to meet him as part of the project?”

“I’m sure I could make that happen if you want.”

“What would I even wear?” I could imagine Mom fanning herself. Apparently, no one was immune to Nate’s charms. “Never mind him,” she added quickly. “Tell me more about this project.”

I explained the gist of it, how the format would be similar to FACEOFF on Prime, except each episode would focus on female athletes in a variety of sports. Everything from basketball to bobsledding. They wanted to feature me for the hockey one, and I’d been honored. Actually, I’d nearly fainted when Emerson had asked.

I could remember practically floating to my car after that conversation. I’d immediately called Carson, and he’d been so happy for me.

“And they want to interview me?” Mom asked.

“Yep! Sorry I didn’t mention it sooner. The project moved faster than expected, and things have been busy.”

“That’s exciting! But, honey,” she chided. “I thought you were going to take it easy this summer. Well,” she amended, “easy for you.”

“I am taking it easy. It just feels like there’s so much happening so fast. Like, all these opportunities are just exploding.” It was both amazing and overwhelming. It was as if everything I’d worked for—everything I’d wanted, and even some things I hadn’t realized I did—was finally happening. And all at once.

“I love that you want to expand the sport and set an example for future generations, but I want you to remember something important.” She paused, likely to make sure I had her full attention. “It’s not all on you, Logan. You are a badass, and you are doing amazing things. But I worry you’re going to burn yourself out. You have to pace yourself, sweetheart.”

I smiled, my shoulders relaxing. “I…yeah.” I knew that, had come to realize it the past few months, thanks to my talk with Coach, but Mom’s words were a good reminder. “Thanks for the pep talk. Or maybe that was tough love?” I teased.

“Maybe a little of both. I’d love to hear about all these exciting opportunities. What are you up to? Do you have time to talk?”

“I do, actually. I’m in the car, driving back from Bryn’s.”

“How are she and Frasier?” Mom asked. “Did you get to see the baby? Hold her?”

“Bryn is good. And no.” I laughed at her barrage of questions. “I did not get to hold Morgan because her daddy does not want to share her.”

Mom laughed. “I don’t blame him. I remember when you were born, I didn’t want to let anyone else hold you.”