"How was your day?" I asked him. "I heard chitchat about some roster changes, but I was too busy with Beatrice starting to really pay attention."
My job was typically pretty far removed from dealing with the players anyway, so it didn't affect me too much.
Or it used to be far removed from the players, I thought, reminded again just how very unhappy Logan would be with this.
Paige, his wife of nine years and the coolest person on the planet, was stirring a boiling pot of pasta. She smiled at me as I poured a glass of white. "How'd it go?"
"Shouldn't I just wait until the other three get here so I don't have to repeat this?"
"No," they answered.
I sank into a stool and took a slow sip of my wine. "She's … different than Ava. Very …" I searched for the right word that wouldn't make them hate her right away. "She's no-nonsense. Reminds me of Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada but like, at seventy-five percent. Not all the way intimidating, but close."
Paige hummed. "Yes, yes, I'm following."
"I'm not," Logan said, folding his arms over his chest. "Who's the devil?"
"We've made you watch it at least three times," I told him. "The fashion internship movie."
"Absolutely would've blocked that from my subconscious. It's been wiped away by Captain Underpants and Transformers."
We all laughed about Emmett's current obsessions. Somewhere in the distance, he roared about defeating the undead.
"Do we like her?" Paige asked.
"I think we might," I answered, glancing back and forth between them. "She's actually giving me a promotion. Or the chance at one, if I want it."
Promotion. Test. Whatever.
Logan smiled. "That's great, Mol."
"Seriously great," Paige said. "What is it?"
I swallowed more wine. "She got Amazon to agree to include Washington in one of their All or Nothing documentaries."
Paige whistled. "No shit." Logan pushed the swear jar in her direction, and she pulled a five from her purse and dumped it in. "There, I'm covered for the night."
Logan eyed me again. "We weren't told about that. Who are they filming?"
"They're still deciding. I guess Allie and Cameron knew about this," I said, referencing the team owner—Paige's best friend—and the longtime COO. "So does Coach, but they're holding a meeting tomorrow to tell the rest of the coaching staff before they decide which players to film."
My brother was quiet as he processed that, and Paige smiled encouragingly at me, even as she knew her husband would be pissed that something like this might interrupt practice. We were less than a month away from the start of preseason, and while late roster changes weren't out of the ordinary, it was still stressful for the coaching staff.
The Wolves hadn't won a championship since Logan played, even though their record had stayed strong. We'd won our division but failed in the past few years to make it past the playoffs, despite a tough defense and young offense.
"That's big money for Washington," Paige said, "to land something like that."
"It is. And a huge opportunity for more, when you consider merchandising." I set my glass down. "It helps in just about every facet—community relations, social media exposure, and new sponsorship opportunities. Players get exposure to a new crowd that may not know much about them other than their field stats. It's exciting."
Logan nodded. "I get it. I don't have to like it, especially if cameras are tripping my players up during practice."
"They won't, I promise."
His smile was small. "Yeah? You gonna be in charge of them?"
"Sort of?" I grinned. "I have to take a day or two to think about it, but you're looking at the official special projects liaison. I'll be the point person between Washington and Amazon. I'll be in charge of making sure everything runs smoothly; that the film crew has what they need, that the players are protected, and nobody gets in each other's way."
"Molly, that's amazing," Paige gushed. She hurried around the island to give me a tight hug. "She can't be too bad if she trusted you with something like that."
Logan looked thoughtful. Not thrilled, but not unhappy either. "And this is something you want to do?"
I nodded. "I do. And I know, Logan, you loved that I never had to deal with the players, but I'll be fine. I have sixteen years of knowing how to manage stubborn athletes under my belt."