Page 84 of Daddies on Ice

Jake stops pacing. “What do you think, Ash? You’re the captain.”

Ash is quiet for a long moment. “I think we don’t have much choice. If we don’t tell our story, people like Marcus Webb will tell it for us.”

Carl nods grimly. “Agreed. Tish, set up a meeting with the production company. But I want final approval on everything.”

“I’ll call them first thing tomorrow.”

“Actually,” Carl says, checking his watch, “you’ll have to call them from the road. We’re leaving today.”

“Today?” I ask, surprised. “But Ash just got out of the hospital?—”

“The doctor cleared him for travel. And after that interview, I want us out of this city before the media circus gets worse.”

Jake frowns. “Where are we going?”

Carl walks to the window. “I’ve been thinking about our accommodations. All these hotel rooms, scattered across different floors, it’s too easy for people to get to us, plant stories, cause trouble.”

He turns back to us. “I’ve canceled our hotel reservations. Instead, I’ve booked us a camping area two hours north of our next game location. Several cabins and a large lodge for team meetings. More private, more secure.”

“Camping?” Jake asks incredulously. “In December?”

“The cabins are heated,” Carl says dryly. “Only for a couple weeks. All our games in this region are close together.”

I’m already calculating logistics. “What about the production crew?”

“They can film at the camp. Might actually be better. More intimate setting, shows we’re not hiding anything.”

Ash struggles to sit straighter. “When do we leave?”

Carl checks his watch. “Bus leaves in three hours. That gives everyone time to pack.”

The TV switches to a commercial, and the sudden quiet makes us realize how much our lives are about to change.

“So we’re really doing this?” Jake asks. “The documentary thing?”

I look around at these three men who’ve become so important to me, each dealing with this crisis in their own way.

Carl, taking charge and making hard decisions.

Jake, trying to keep things light but clearly worried.

And Ash, hurt and vulnerable but still thinking about what’s best for the team.

“We’re really doing this,” I confirm. “It’s time to take control of our story.”

Carl heads toward the door. “I’ll make the final arrangements. Everyone be ready by eight o’clock.”

As he leaves, I can’t shake the feeling that we’re about to embark on something that will change everything.

Whether it will be for the better or the worse, we’ll just have to wait and see.

29

CARL

The late morning light filters through the lodge’s massive windows, casting long shadows across the rustic wooden floors.

I settle into the leather armchair by the stone fireplace, wrapping my hands around a steaming mug of black coffee.