Seraphina Hanson was not looking forward to going to Las Vegas this weekend. It was Wednesday – the day after Valentine’s Day – and her phone buzzed with a reminder to check on the status of her flight. Despite the fact that her grandfather – well, technically her and her older sister Katella – owned a private jet and could schedule things whenever they wanted, Seraphina liked to schedule things accordingly.

She had completely forgotten about the game this Saturday against the Las Vegas Blackjacks, a new hockey team that became part of the National Hockey League that was voted on last year. An expansion draft took place this past summer – which was how she lost Ben Avery, her star defenseman – and they started playing officially this season. This was the first game the Newport Beach Seagulls would play the Las Vegas Blackjacks and as general manager and owner of the team, she wanted to play nice. It was out of the norm for her to attend away games – in fact, this was her first away game she attended this season.

Her head was already throbbing thanks to the fact that she still had to go shopping for a nice gown. Apparently, the Vegas team manager wanted to take her out to dinner before the game and show her around the strip. She wasn’t sure she actually wanted to do that but he was doing it for all GMs and she didn’t want to be perceived as snotty – on top of all the other negative traits she was known for – by the media. Being the only female GM meant she had to play by their rules. For now.

At that moment, Katella Hanson bounded into her office without even thinking of knocking, a big smile on her face.

“Sera!” she sing-songed, her green-gold eyes shining when she saw her sister sitting behind her desk. “It’s almost here! Why are you looking like that? You look like you’re holding in a fart.”

Seraphina shot her sister a look. “Gross,” she said. “Does Negan like when you talk like that?”

Katella snorted and took a seat across from her. “You should hear what Negan says,” she pointed out. “Plus, I never use the word fart in front of him. That word doesn’t exist in my vocabulary when he’s around. It’s still new.”

James Negan was a second-line center and Katella’s boyfriend. Seraphina was actually surprised when the two got together just because they constantly went at it with each other whenever they were in the same room. However, Seraphina knew Katella had gone through a lot and if Negan made her happy, Seraphina would support the two. Plus, to be honest, Seraphina hadn’t known anyone else to take care of Katella, to really care about her, the way Negan did for Katella. And Katella had dated third-line center Matt Peters for a couple of years prior.

Seraphina had thought Matt was it for her sister. The One. They seemed happy, maybe not as physically affectionate but Seraphina always thought that was because they felt uncomfortable due to the fact that he was a player and she was his boss's daughter and didn't want to flaunt their relationship. But once her grandfather died, Matt got weird. He pulled away and they wound up breaking up a few weeks after the funeral. He demanded to be traded so Seraphina traded him to Buffalo in exchange for a couple of draft picks. After her first season, Matt's one-year contract expired and as an unrestricted free agent, any team had the opportunity to sign him. No one did. As such, he requested to train with the Gulls over the summer and Seraphina gave him a roster spot just before the season, signing him to a one-year contract as a third-line center. It was purely a business decision but Katella was a mess earlier this year. She hooked up with a fourth-line winger and goon, Xander Vane, and they fizzled out after a few weeks. At least they were both professional about it and both parties involved knew they were just having fun for the time being. Then Katella and Matt had some issues and it didn't help when somehow Negan got involved but luckily, everything settled down and it looked as though everything was fine. Everyone was happy. And the team didn't have any issues.

"So," Katella drawled, perking her eyebrows. "How's everything on the Thorpe front? Getting anywhere with that?"

Seraphina grunted. "Of course not, Kat," she said, picking her eyes up from all the paperwork she wanted to complete. "He is my star goalie, the captain of the team. How can I get anywhere with him if I'm not allowed to date him?"

"You're the boss, Sera," Katella pointed out. "You get to make that call, not anyone else. Plus, no one has to know about you guys even being together. I learned from Matt and even Xander that I don't need everyone to know my business. It's not that I'm ashamed of Negan but it sucks when people call you names. I don't need that and I'm sure Negan doesn't need that, either. Although, I think he kind of ruined that when he fought Guzman a couple of weeks ago."

Seraphina nodded, pressing her lips together as if to say I told you so. "I remember that fight," she said. "Wasn't Guzman trying to get a reaction out of Matt?"

"Yeah," Katella said. "Negan reacted instead. Practically threw the gloves off. Almost damaged his hands because Guzman wears a shield." She shook her head, the corners of her lips tilting up. "At least I know I can count on him to have my back."

Seraphina snorted.

"Anyway," Katella continued. "We're not here to talk about me. We're here to talk about you."

"Actually," Seraphina said, standing up. "We're here to go shopping since you're telling me my business clothes aren't good enough for Vegas."

"True," Katella says with a nod. "I'm glad you understand."

The two drove down PCH to Fashion Island, an outdoor mall catered to the affluent population on Newport Beach. There were a lot more boutiques at the mall - along with department stores including Nordstroms and Macy's, Victoria's Secret and Barnes & Noble - as well as a food court that had recognizable restaurants along with some trendy cafes. There were koi ponds and fountains throughout the mall and there was a sense in the air that this mall was much more exclusive than even the Spectrum in Irvine or The Mission Viejo mall further south.

The sisters preferred Fashion Island just because this was the mall they were used to since they grew up here, unless they wanted to see a movie. Then, they typically visited the Spectrum just because the movie theatre had 21 theatres and was huge.

Katella drove - Katella loved to drive and Seraphina loved that her sister loved to drive since it meant she didn't have to. Technically, she could hire a driver and have him drive her around but she didn't want to be a lazy rich asshole if she could help it. Her grandfather had always been hands-on. He worked hard, made the right investments - property rather than stocks - and built up his wealth by saving, living well under his means. He was the epitome of discipline and Seraphina tried to emulate his value as best as she could. It was a way for her to keep his memory alive and, hopefully, do justice to his legacy. It was why he owned the team and partook in general manager responsibilities. He hired scouts and he had someone he trusted to discuss negotiations regarding movement and trades when he couldn't do it himself.

Seraphina had huge shoes to fill, especially considering she had no idea what he was doing. Since the team stemmed from his wealth, her grandfather hadn't formed a board to do what was best for the company. He did hire a good coach - who took Seraphina under his wing and taught her as much as he could. Every now and then, she would bring Henry Wayne in for a consult as well, just to put certain things in terms she could understand. She still had a long way to go, and she knew that, but she was doing her own research and talking to those that would help her. She was learning as much as possible. 

Which made it hard to date at all, much less one of her own players.

"So," Katella drawled. "Tell me about you and Brandon. I thought the last time we talked you were going to make a move on him finally."

"I thought so too," Seraphina said with a nod of her head. Her eyes were in her lap as Katella pulled out of the parking lot. She sunk into the familiar cushion of the dark leather seats and glanced out the window. She loved that her grandfather decided to put the Ice Palace on PCH, right across the street from the beach. She loved being able to look out her window and watch the sun glittering against the water. It calmed her down and reminded her that her grandfather's memory was still alive in her, that he was with her even when she felt so, so alone. "But I didn't, I haven't. I'm just... I don't know, Kat. I'm not you. I don't have this confidence where I can talk to a guy the way you can talk to a guy. Plus, I'm his boss and I know I make the rules but still. Think about it. We start dating and St. Louis wants to trade for him."

Katella snorted. "Yeah, right," she said. "You would never trade Thorpe, even if you weren't dating. I know he's a goalie and it's risky but have you considered a long-term contract with him? I mean, instead of six or seven-year deals like some big-name forwards have, you could do three or four. It would prevent him from going anywhere else, although, if I'm being honest, he wouldn't go anywhere else, even if the deal was fucking good."

"What makes you say that?" Seraphina asked, ripping her eyes away from the beach to look at her sister.

Katella rolled her eyes and shot her sister a quick look before resuming her concentration on the road ahead of her. "Sera, I don't get how you could be the dumbest smart person I know," she said. "Thorpe is in love with you. He doesn't talk like it at all but it's so obvious." Seraphina felt her cheeks start to turn pink. "And don't pretend like you aren't aware of this. I've been telling you he's in love with you for forever so don't play dumb."

Seraphina rolled her eyes at her sister's contradiction but didn't say anything. Instead, she let her thoughts drift to Thorpe and what it might be like to actually date him. He would hold her hand, she would lean her head on his chest.

"Are you even listening to me?" Katella asked as they pulled into the parking lot just outside of Macy's. Even though it was lunch time during the week, the parking lot was nearly full. "Look, we have to get you an amazing dress so when Thorpe sees you in it, his jaw drops."

Seraphina rolled her eyes but didn't dismiss the idea. And if her dress caused a reaction in Thorpe, all the better.