Chapter 69
# CHAPTER 9: POWER PLAY ADVANTAGE
Emma stood in the middle of their living room, surrounded by boxes, watching Charlotte try to "help" pack by putting her stuffed animals in random containers.
"Not the dishes box, sweetheart," Emma laughed, rescuing a soggy elephant from a box of wrapped china.
"Ellie wants to help too," Charlotte explained seriously.
Three weeks had passed since Seattle, and they were deep in preparation for the Toronto move. The six-month timeline felt both generous and impossibly short, depending on the day.
"How was the Toronto call?" Alek asked, appearing in the doorway with Frankie on his shoulders.
"Interesting." Emma sealed another box, marking it "FRAGILE" in large letters. "The sports network wants to offer me a hosting role, not just consulting."
"Hosting what?"
"A weekly show about women's hockey. Interview players, cover games, build the sport's profile." Emma tried to gauge Alek's reaction. "It would be a bigger commitment than I originally planned."
"But also a bigger opportunity."
"Exactly." Emma lifted Charlotte away from another inappropriate packing choice. "The only catch is they want an answer by Friday."
"What does your gut tell you?"
Emma considered the question. Since their marriage crisis, she'd been trying to trust her instincts more instead of overthinking every decision.
"That it could be amazing. But also that it would mean even more time away from the kids."
"We'll figure out the logistics," Alek said confidently. "If it's the right opportunity, we'll make it work."
Emma felt a familiar flutter of gratitude for Alek's support. Their partnership was definitely stronger than it had been a month ago.
"There's something else," she said. "They want to know if you'd be willing to appear on the show occasionally. NHL Commissioner perspective on women's hockey development."
Alek raised his eyebrows. "That could get politically complicated."
"Could it?"
"Some of the board members are still touchy about anything that might be seen as favoring your interests over league interests."
Emma's stomach dropped slightly. "So you can't do it?"
"I didn't say that. Just that we'd need to be careful how we present it."
Before Emma could respond, her phone rang. Lisa's number.
"Emma, we have a problem," Lisa said without preamble.
"What kind of problem?"
"Three of our New York sponsors are threatening to pull out if you relocate to Toronto. They see it as abandoning the league you built here."
Emma sank into a chair, feeling the familiar weight of impossible choices. "Which sponsors?"
"The big ones. Enough to seriously damage the league's financial stability."
Alek must have read her expression, because he immediately moved closer, taking Charlotte's hand to keep her from wandering off.
"What are my options?" Emma asked.
"Stay in New York. Or convince them that Toronto expansion enhances the league rather than abandoning it."
"How do I do that?"
"I'm working on it. But Emma, you should know - there are rumors that some people are actively trying to undermine your move."
"What kind of people?"
"Competitors. Other women's hockey organizations who see your success as a threat."
Emma closed her eyes, feeling exhausted before the day had really started. "So even when I try to build something positive, there are people working to tear it down."
"That's how you know you're succeeding," Lisa said with forced optimism. "You're threatening the status quo."
After hanging up, Emma filled Alek in on the sponsor crisis.
"This is exactly what I was afraid of," she said. "Moving to Toronto might destroy everything I've built here."
"Or it might force you to build something even better," Alek countered. "Emma, you've faced hostile business environments before."
"Not while pregnant. Not while grieving. Not while trying to relocate my entire family."
Alek knelt in front of her chair, taking her hands. "What happened to one hour at a time?"
Emma managed a small smile. "I'm up to one day at a time now. That's progress."
"It is progress." Alek squeezed her hands. "And we'll handle this the same way we handled everything else - together."
"Even if it means your board gets upset about us appearing to work together?"
"Especially then. Emma, hiding our partnership is what got us in trouble in the first place."
Before Emma could respond, Charlotte appeared with her tiny suitcase, packed with an odd assortment of toys, books, and what appeared to be an entire box of crackers.
"I ready!" she announced proudly.
"Ready for what, baby?" Emma asked.
"Moving! To Toronto!"
Emma and Alek exchanged glances. They hadn't officially told the children about the move yet, trying to wait until plans were more concrete.
"How did you know about Toronto?" Alek asked.
"I listen good," Charlotte said matter-of-factly. "We going to new house?"
"We're thinking about it," Emma said carefully. "How do you feel about moving to a new city?"
Charlotte considered this with the seriousness only a two-year-old could muster. "Will my room be purple?"
"If you want it to be purple, we'll make it purple," Alek promised.
"Then it's good," Charlotte decided, and went back to her packing.
"Well, that was easier than expected," Emma said.
"At least one decision-maker in this family is decisive," Alek joked.
That afternoon, while the children napped, Emma called the Toronto sports network back.
"I'm interested in the hosting position," she told the executive. "But I need to be upfront about some complications."
She explained about the sponsor issues and the political sensitivities around Alek's involvement.
"Actually," the executive said, "those complications might make the show more compelling. Real behind-the-scenes look at building women's hockey while navigating industry politics."
"You want to document the drama?"
"We want to document the reality. Women in sports leadership face unique challenges. Your story could inspire others facing similar situations."
Emma thought about the Netflix offer she'd missed, about opportunities lost to fear and poor timing.
"What kind of timeline are you thinking?" she asked.
"Soft launch in September, right around when you relocate. We'd film through your first season in Toronto."
"And if the sponsor issues kill my league?"
"Then we document how you build something new from the ashes."
Emma found herself smiling despite her stress. "You really think there's a story worth telling?"
"Emma, you're pioneering women's hockey while managing family life, career politics, and a cross-country move. If that's not compelling television, nothing is."
After the call, Emma found Alek in his office, reviewing contracts.
"I think I'm going to do the Toronto show," she announced.
"Good. What changed your mind?"
"The realization that I've been so focused on protecting what I've already built that I forgot about building something new."
Alek looked up from his papers. "That sounds very Franklin-esque."
"It does, doesn't it?" Emma settled into the chair across from his desk. "Alek, what if the Toronto move is exactly what my career needs? What if trying to preserve the New York league exactly as it is actually limits its potential?"
"Then you'll figure out how to make it bigger and better in Toronto."
"Even with all the political complications?"
"Especially with the complications. The best stories come from overcoming obstacles, not avoiding them."
Emma felt something click into place - not just about her career, but about their marriage, their family, their entire approach to life's challenges.
"We're really doing this, aren't we?" she said.
"Moving to Toronto? Starting over? Building something new together?"
"All of it."
"Yeah," Alek grinned. "We're really doing this."
Outside, New York hummed with its usual energy, oblivious to the fact that one small family was preparing to write an entirely new chapter of their story.
But for the first time in months, Emma felt excited rather than anxious about the blank page ahead.
Some adventures were worth the risk.
This one definitely was.