“Oh, I get it. Tough with a gooey center.”
The door opened and in walked Mia Wallace, munching on a pretzel.
“Oops, sorry, T, didn’t realize you—oh, hey, Pepper, just the woman I want to see.”
“Really?”
Mia was Vadim Petrov’s sister and was also married to right-winger Cal Foreman. While she’d always been friendly to Pepper, she couldn’t imagine why she’d want to seek her out.
“Yeah, we’re launching the Athenas soon, and we’re looking for a new mascot.”
The Athenas was the new women’s hockey franchise in Chicago, coached by Isobel Chase, one of the Rebels’ co-owners, and spearheaded by Mia.
“We’re thinking Athena, goddess of wisdom and warfare, so the costume might be more of a Grecian theme. I think you could totally pull it off. You’re so statuesque.”
“Or she could dress like a Greek urn? Would that be weird?” Tara said. “Oh my God, we could do amazing things with your hair! Like ringlets or something snakelike.”
“Hey, there,” Pepper said before Tara got carried away. “If you haven’t already noticed, I’m kind of infamous in mascot circles.”
“What? Because of the Big Dump?” Mia chuckled. “That’s what Cal’s calling it, which I heartily co-sign. I know you’re probably not ready to laugh about it, but some of the videos people created on TikTok are wild.” She turned serious and sent a baleful look Pepper’s way. “Sorry, I’m guessing it’s still kind of soon.”
“No, it’s fine.” She’d gained enough distance to see the funny side.
“And not your fault,” Tara said as she snipped the end of one strand of hair. Kind of shorter than her usual, but maybe she could do with a new look. “Flirty-eyes Durand was looking at that chick’s breasts as they Windexed the Plexi. The videos should be focusing on that!”
Pepper smiled. “Thanks, Tara. I appreciate it.” To Mia she said, “Sorry, but my mascot days are behind me.”
“Damn. I think you would have been awesome at it. You’re the only woman I know in the mascot biz. But not to worry! I’ll find someone. Just trying to keep it in the ladies’ circle.” She picked up some hair mousse and sniffed it. “So Pep, I heard you spent a lot of time with Bast Durand in a hot tub in Michigan.”
Pepper’s cheeks heated. “Does everyone know this?”
“Leave her be,” Tara said, then under her breath, “You should be telling me everything first. I’m your stylist.”
“There’s nothing to tell. I drove him to Michigan, and we got stuck there.”
“In a hot tub, though?” Tara mused. “Sounds romantic.”
It was. “It was good to get away, get some perspective. But now we’re back in the real world.”
Mia wrinkled her nose. “What happened in the hot tub stays in the hot tub?”
Pretty much. “He’s a great guy, though,” Pepper said after a beat. “What he did at that presser was really generous.”
“Yeah, but it’s the least he could do,” Tara said. “He had to absorb some of the flak.”
“Right. But people so rarely take a stand in public like that. Especially when it’s easier to stay quiet and under the radar.” She knew that strategy a little too well. She’d been living it for the last year. “And then, when I needed to get away from the press, he was there, too.”
“When he made you drive him all the way to Michigan so you could be stranded.” Tara again with a sly look at Mia. “What a prince.”
“He was helping me out there, too.”
“Well, well, well, this is interesting,” Mia said, shoving her screen in front of Tara’s face.
Tara scanned it and said, “Huh.”
“What is it?”
Mia passed off her phone to Pepper. On the screen was the press releases page on the Rebels website.
November 15—Chicago Rebels Press Office
Six days ago, an unfortunate accident occurred on the ice when Rebels player Bastian Durand collided with Rowdy Rebel, the team’s mascot. After a full investigation, it’s been determined that this collision was a result of a miscommunication between rink-side staff and the mascot, and that the person wearing the Rowdy Rebel costume was not at fault. As the footage surrounding the incident has been parsed almost as much as the Zapruder film, it’s possible that online sleuths might come to a different conclusion. We look forward to the multiple podcasts investigating the incident. Rest assured that Bastian Durand will be keeping his eyes forward from now on and will not be distracted by pretty faces in the crowd. We wish him a speedy recovery and can’t wait until he avoids a clash with Rowdy Rebel at some future date.
“This is—” Pepper looked up at Mia and Tara. “Some kind of official absolution. Right?”
“Full investigation, it says.” Mia took back her phone. “I can’t imagine they put that out without Bast’s approval.”
“Uh huh,” Tara said. “It kind of makes him look like a doofus. Which might just be the most heroic thing he could have done in this whole mess.”
Pepper’s heart was full to bursting.
“Guess all those things you said were right, Pepper,” Tara continued. “He really is a good guy—despite his flirty eyes!”
Yet another example of Bast protecting her. He’d already done so much. Maybe it was time she contributed to the rehabilitation of her rep. Recrafted the narrative.
“I have an idea, and I wondered if you guys would be willing to help. But it needs to be a secret, at least for a while.”
Mia grinned at Tara, then turned to Pepper. “A secret? You’ve come to the right place.”
33
Pepper
Hey there! Did you have anything to do with this press release?
Bast
What press release?
Pepper
Bast …
Bast
Just saying what needed to be said. Of course Internet opinion might already be set in stone, but I don’t mind stirring things a little :)
Pepper
You didn’t have to do that, especially as it involved you admitting to being less than focused at your job. I appreciate it.
Bast
Told you I’ve got your back, Tequila Girl. So how are you?
Pepper
Good. Better. Talked to my dad. Heard you got there before me!
Bast
Just the usual coach-player check-in. How did it go?
Pepper
Really good. We’ve made up.
Bast
Excellent. Any word from Connor?
Pepper
He’s been calling and texting, but I’m letting him stew for a while.