The words came out of their mouths at the same time. They both responded with surprise.
“Well, Penny,” Gareth said slowly, scratching the back of his neck. “Sure, you help a lot of people…but all that traveling was for yourself. You wanted to run away from the reality that was waiting for you in LA. It was a little selfish of you to abandon ushere. To abandonme. We had a plan, and you just left without a word.”
She gritted her teeth. She hadn’tjustleft. “Oh yeah? And what about you?” she replied tersely. “All that law stuff is easy for you, Gareth! It’s not hard work for you. Neither is bossing people around or being the decision maker! As long as you get your way and stay in control, you’re completely at ease. It’s only stressful when you have to prioritize the wishes of others. When you’re asked to be empathetic.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he replied hostilely.
She opened her mouth, wanting to tell him exactly what she meant…but instead, she groaned and put her hand on her forehead. “Oh God. He’s already started turning us against each other! Teaching us something we don’t realize yet. And the stupid competition hasn’t even started!”
Gareth blinked, confused. “Wait. You seriously want to take part in this?”
“You don’t?” she asked, perplexed.
“Yes, of course, but I thought…” He paused, opened his mouth, and ran his index finger over his chin. “Well, I assumed that you…”
“That I what?” Penny asked sharply.
Her brother cleared his throat with an expression straight from the negotiating room. “That you’d just give it to me.”
She blinked at him, confused. “What?”
He sighed heavily. “Come on, Penny. You have no interest in the team at all. You just want the money so you can continue to enjoy your freedom.”
She swallowed. Was that what everyone thought of her? That she was only here to make money and then leave? That she hadn’t been in South America for the past few years to do something good, but to forget her real, disastrous life in L.A.?
And more importantly, was that truly her plan? Had she been running away for five years?
A lump worked its way up her throat, but she swallowed it quickly.
She blinked, catapulting herself out of her thoughts. “I grew up just as obsessed with hockey as you, Gareth,” she reminded him quietly. “Like you, I studied something I wasn’t honestly interested in just so I could lead this team one day. I may not have graduated summa cum laude, but I did save two dozen animals from animal testing labs!”
Gareth tapped his fingers impatiently on his folded arm. “I’m not saying you wouldn’t be suitable to lead the team, but…” He narrowed his eyes before sighing heavily. “I love you, Penny. Honestly. We always wanted to do this together. But then you abandoned me and traveled the world. I, on the other hand, have been working toward exactly this for the last few years.”
Her mouth went dry. “But I had to leave! I…”
“Why?Why did you have to leave?” he interrupted sharply. “You never explained it to me!”
“Because… Because I…” …Because I was the crazy Penelope nobody took seriously. Because I felt like I was truly going crazy. Because I had to get away from being compared to anyone and everyone else and be only me. Because…because I was a burden.
She thought all these words, but they didn’t come out of her mouth. Because Gareth was right. She had let him down, even if not intentionally.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said, suddenly exhausted. “That was then and now is now. Back then, I left, but now I’m here. Back then, I thought I didn’t want the team at all, but now I’ve changed my mind.”
Penny knew that leading the L.A. Hawks wasn’t merely a job. It would be her opportunity to prove that she was neither crazynor eccentric. On the contrary, she was competent, intelligent, and no longer theblack sheepof the family.
It wasn’t only about the money, it was about…everything else. About what the damn country thought of her! About what her incredibly successful parents thought of her. Her father, who had been a successful businessman for years until he began focusing exclusively on the Hawks. Her mother, the owner of a five-star hotel until she retired. It was about her proving to them that she could be successful, too, if that was what she wanted. It was about what she thought about herself.
She cleared her throat audibly and adjusted her posture.
“I want the money, Gareth,” she said soberly. The language of money was something Gareth understood. “Not for me, but for all the good I could do with it. I want the organization, the reach, and the charity events I could host.”
Her brother sighed heavily. “The misunderstood philanthropist. Batwoman, if you will.”
The corners of her mouth twitched. “Better than Batman. I don’t sound like I smoke five packs a day.”
Gareth raised the corners of his mouth but didn’t look particularly pleased. “So, we’re being forced into opposition now?”
“Looks like it.”
