Jett (Arizona Vengeance 10)

I get a solid nod of understanding, as if I’m not the only one who’s noted the differences in the siblings. “It’s pretty simple. My dad is English and I was born in London. My mom died in childbirth, but he met Jenna’s mother and married her when I was two. Jenna came along a year later. I look just like our father, and she looks just like her mother.”

“And the accents?” I inquire.

“We lived in London until I was fifteen and Jenna was twelve, before moving back to my stepmother’s home city of Los Angeles. Jenna had developed a bit of an accent while we lived in London, but for whatever reason, hers became very Americanized when we moved here. I retained mine though.”

“Genetics maybe?” I ponder. It’s truly fascinating, but I also know accents are a product of environment. My own Swedish accent had lightened considerably since living in North America the last six years.

Emory shrugs and continues to talk about her family. It doesn’t take long to figure out she comes from money, although she never comes out and says it. Her father is a hotelier and franchised his company to the States, which is why they moved back here. Her mother is the chief marketing officer of his company, which is how they met originally when she’d moved to London to take a job he was offering.

“And what about you?” Emory asks, sipping intermittently on her Diet Coke.

“Born in Stockholm, had a bit of hockey talent. Played for Färjestad Bollklubb in Karlstad.”

“And what is that?” she interrupts.

“It’s a team in the Swedish Hockey League,” I explain, and continue on. “I was actually drafted by Toronto and immediately loaned back to Färjestad Bollklubb where I played until I was twenty. Then I moved to Toronto and played there for four years and then to the Vengeance in the expansion draft.”

This precipitates a bunch of questions from Emory, some from natural curiosity but some from a business perspective. I can see she’s trying to figure out how to leverage my international background into the team’s social media strategy.

Because, as she said, “We’re not only interested in American fans.”

I tell her that Färjestad Bollklubb is the most successful team in Sweden and that I was recruited to play for our national team because of my success there. I explain the differences in the styles of play, including the fact the size of the international rink compared to the North American rinks lends to more emphasis on puck handling and defense.

It was then that I learned Emory was just learning about the sport of hockey, which was one of her downfalls when deciding to apply for the job with the Vengeance. She was more of a football person—meaning soccer. I was impressed to learn she studied the league and all the teams extensively before her interview, including an exhaustive comparative review of the social media platforms, with a game plan on how to make the Vengeance’s even better. I’m guessing that landed her Dominik’s respect and the job.

How she got the job lent to more discussion about her vision for the team and how she’d like me to conform to that. Admittedly, it was something I could easily do.

It’s not until we finish our meals that I finally ask the question, “So you’re a single mom, huh?”

Emory smiles, her eyes sparkling with pride. “Felicity is seven and the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

That statement right there should be an accurate representation of why I stay away from women with kids. They are a priority, as they should be.

But my life has priorities too, mainly my career, and I’ve found the two just don’t mesh well.

And yet… there’s something in her tone that touches a soft spot inside me for the role a single mom takes on. The bravery of it.

“Her father out of the picture?” I ask, trying to poke gently without being overtly nosy.

She nods but doesn’t elaborate. I can tell by the pinched expression he’s a sore subject, so I leave it alone. She does say though, “Jenna coming to live with us has been a lifesaver. She works from home so she’s there when Felicity gets home from school. Saves me on having to pay for daycare after.”

“What does Jenna do?”

“Freelance copy editing for newspapers,” she replies, circling her finger around the rim of her glass. “Although she just landed a job with the Phoenix Tribune and will be starting there soon. Still, I wonder how long this career will be since print media seems to be a dying breed.”

I nod. I can’t remember the last time I even saw someone reading their news in print. It’s all right on our smartphones now. “It’s good to have family to lean on.”

I know this from personal experience. My mother has a muscular dystrophy disease, and my older sister lives very close so she can help care for her back in Stockholm. If I didn’t have her, I’m not sure what choices I’d have to make to ensure my mom had everything she needed.