Page 78 of Tempest

“The first of many, I’ll assume by how much time you and Mr. Vaughn have been spending together the past week.”

“We’ll see.”

“I’m proud of you, Odette. It’s not easy to give second chances.”

“It’s terrifying, Britt.”

“It’s brave. And love is worth the risk.”

I hope she’s right. There’s still a feeling of impending doom that has settled at the bottom of my heart. It’s a constant, quiet chant. The end is nigh, the end is nigh. I can’t shake the fucking thing and it worries me that I’ll self-sabotage.

It’s human nature to avoid painful situations, to avoid danger. Maybe it’s human nature to see the dream ahead and tell yourself you’ll never reach it. Being cognizant is the struggle. I’m trying very hard to stay in the moment, keep to reality, and take what Gavin tells me as truth.

“Logically, I know you’re right.”

“Old habits are hard to break, though, yeah?”

“Most definitely.”

At the arena, Vanessa’s waiting for us at the entrance closest to where the families sit.

“Can we get inside now, it’s as cold as my mother-in-law’s heart out here,” Vanessa says in way of greeting.

“Yep, we’re ready,” I tell her, pulling the tickets up on my phone.

“Shouldn’t you both be wearing jerseys emblazoned with your men’s names or something?”

“Hugo is not my man,” Britton says. “We’re just having fun while I’m in town.”

“When I can figure out how to make it stylish, I’ll consider it. Until then, I’ll stick to my own wardrobe, thank you very much,” I add. “Come on, drinks and food, first.”

“Didn’t that throw you into a flare-up last time,” Vanessa warns.

“I’m going to be much pickier tonight. But Britt wants the full experience.” We walk into the arena and immediately people pause mid-step, making double takes at Britton. She pretends she doesn’t see or hear. If someone comes up to her, she’s always very pleasant, but once it starts, it’s hard to stop the crowds of people.

It makes it hard for her to experience mundane things, like a dinner out at a burger joint, or popping into a Target to grab a box of tampons. She’s not the type of person to rely on an assistant to manage every little detail of her life. Britton lives for these moments, when she can go somewhere with a crowd of people and just…live.

Getting food is easy enough, there aren’t interruptions from fans. Nobody seems to notice her except the young gal ringing up our veggie burgers, whose smile grows the size of her face when she notices who is paying her. The kid looks like she might cry from excitement. Britton winks at her and throws a fifty-dollar bill in the tip bucket, a silent thank you for not drawing attention.

We get to the seats early, most of the others aren’t here yet, but Tori shows up shortly after. She takes a seat next to mine, her fingers nervously tapping on her knee.

“Britt, this is Gavin’s daughter, Tori,” I introduce.

“Hi,” Tori says loudly. “Shit, sorry. Hi.”

“You’re stunning,” Britton says to her, causing Tori to blink in astonishment. Having a famous Hollywood starlet tell you that is probably jarring, even though it’s not a lie. “It’s great to meet you.”

“You, too. I mean, it’s nice to meet you, too. But you’re also so pretty.”

“I like you already,” Britton says.

Isla, her daughter, and Willa arrive next, and conversation turns to our meals. Sadie is a vegetarian and applauds our food choices. I ask her about her favorite meals and favorite restaurants. She rattles off all sorts of information and suggestions. Making note of many of them, especially one vegan restaurant that specializes in breakfast.

Soon enough, warmups start, and Britton’s sight is glued to the ice.

“I could get used to this,” she says, causing Willa to laugh.

“It’s not a bad view,” she agrees, homing in on Zander Fane, one of her two boyfriends.

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