“What?”
“That’s Rowyn Perry. She and Jaxon are great friends. The two go way back. She helped him out and did a real journalist story on Rip Hart’s wife, Charly…AKA Indie Rhodes.”
I scrub my face with a hand. “You’re really tuned in, aren’t you?” I drop onto the bench and start unlacing my skates.
She laughs. “I’m out of work. I have to find something to do with my time.”
“I actually heard about what went down with Rip’s wife. Charly seems really nice.” Not that I’ve had a conversation with her. I watch Jaxon and Rowyn for a moment. “Looks like she’s coming to Jaxon’s rescue this time.”
Rowyn laughs and places her hand on Jaxon’s chest, like she’s claiming him as her own. “Yeah, she knows what Theresa did to him,” Jaylynn whispers, practically snarling.
Apparently, everyone knows but me. I open my mouth to ask, then it clicks. “Rowyn’s a reporter, huh?”
“Yeah. From here, but lives in Boston.” Jaylynn sighs, no doubt remembering her own thriving career there. “Do you remember her?”
“Not really.”
“She’s back home to cover the festivities.”
I finish unlacing my skates. “That could be good for both of us.”
Jaylynn seems a mile away. “That’s the plan.” She refocuses and checks the time. “Okay, hurry up. I want to beat the snow.”
I slip into my boots. As we make our way to the SUV, she says, “Playing with the kids is good for your image. I saw Rowyn taking pictures.” She grins as we reach the car. I hit the fob to unlock it. “That was actually a lot of fun, Penn. The kids love it,” she says. Her cheeks are pink, her little nose red, and the way she smiles at me makes my chest tighten. I want to kiss the hell out of her.
“That was chaos,” I tell her, then nod. “But yeah, definitely fun.”
“You and Jaxon…slayed.” She laughs. Hard.
“Ah, so that’s what made it fun for you? Watching us get slayed?”
“A little. Maybe I should get you a sweatshirt that says Slayed All Day. Spell it SLAYED instead of SLEIGHED.”
“I get it. No need to spell it out. Honestly, I had no idea you were a comedic genius.” I shake my head, laughing at how happy she seems. “Honestly, we were doomed from the start. Those tots and your dad had it in for us. We never stood a chance.”
She laughs again as I open her door, and she slides into the passenger seat and buckles in. “Jesse is going to be bragging all night about scoring on you.”
I throw my hands up. “We didn’t have a goalie.”
“Aww, is the NHL player butt-hurt he lost?”
“It’s just…” I stop and laugh. “It’s not like I could knock any of them into the boards. They were kids.”
“There were no boards. Where was Dylan, anyway?”
“Beats me.”
“Maybe he was too afraid you’d emasculate him.” She shrugs, then adds with a smirk, “He probably snuck off to our room to plot something sinister with that damn elf.”
I give a mock shiver. “Probably.” I walk around the SUV and slide into the driver’s seat. “Where to?”
“We have to set out the ballot boxes and get our ugly sweaters for tonight’s event.”
I groan. “Whose idea was that?”
“Mine, of course.” She pokes me in the ribs. “And you’d better like it.”
“Best idea I’ve ever heard,” I lie with a grin.