Page 76 of Drawn to You

Josie: Or not. She can listen to us going at it, I don’t care.

Dane: She’s a boner killer. I’ll get rid of her for the night.

Josie: I have to take a shower. See you tomorrow night. xoxo

Dane: See you soon, gorgeous. Have a good day.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Josie

“Thanks, have a good night,”I tell my Uber driver as I rush out of his sedan at the front entrance to the Nashville arena.

Glancing at my watch, I groan when I see the time. Eighteen minutes to puck drop. Dane sent me an electronic ticket to a premium front-row seat right on the glass, where he said Jenn would be waiting for me. When he looks at the seat at game time, I want to be there.

I barely caught my flight here on time. Since deciding to start my own business, I’ve been on the go every waking minute. It’s been worth it, though. I secured an office space yesterday and I’ve scored two clients already. I poached both of them from Jane, which feels extra good.

Garver Publicity offers boutique services, which is basically a positive spin on the fact that I’m just getting started and hardly have any clients or employees.

I’m excited about what I do have, though, and about how quickly I’ve managed to put it together. Both Linda and Erinhave put in their two-week notices with Jane so they can come work for me.

It was scary, making this leap and taking the money Dane offered me. But the new and improved Josie believes in herself relentlessly. I went back to my newly leased office space alone yesterday evening, crying as I stood in the recently renovated downtown warehouse space.

My aunt forced me to jump off this cliff, but I’ve already found my wings. It felt incredible being able to offer Linda and Erin salaries that are twenty percent higher than what Jane pays them. They both deserve it. I told them we’re going to build this business together, and it’s going to be an inclusive, peaceful, collaborative environment.

“Ticket, ma’am?” an usher asks me when I reach a ticketing gate.

I pass him my phone and he scans the barcode, then points me in the direction I need to go.

As I descend the concrete steps to reach the front row, I take in the view of the rink. The ice is smooth and perfectly polished, ready for skate blades. I’ve never been so close to a game.

Dane got me this seat so I won’t have to see Monica, who’s either with Arnold or in the team’s friends-and-family section of seats. I’m happy, and seeing her would ruin my good mood.

By the time I reach my seat, I’m sweaty and probably flushed. Jenn stands up from her seat and greets me with a warm smile and a hug.

“Hey, girl,” I say. “Thanks for sitting here with me.”

“Anytime. I love watching games up close.” She eyes me as I exhale heavily. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’ve just been moving nonstop for the past twelve hours. I even worked on the flight here. I’m so happy I came, though. I needed this.”

The lights go down and the pregame show starts. My gaze is locked on the visiting team’s bench, my heart racing with excitement when I see Mammoths players coming out.

There’s Dane. He looks over at me and I grin like a teenager with a crush. The day has felt chaotic, but seeing him makes me immediately relax.

The game starts and I force myself to follow the puck instead of Dane. Though I do get to see plenty of him, too, because he and Dalton are passing the puck back and forth.

“Aiden told me about your job thing,” Jenn says, leaning over while keeping her eyes on the game. “I’m glad you’re going into business for yourself and we’re here to support you however we can.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it. I’ve already found an office space and hired two people.”

She glances at me, grinning. “That’s amazing!” Returning her gaze to the ice, she slams her hands on the glass as Aiden battles with a Nashville player for the puck. “Fight for it, baby! Don’t let him get away!”

She’s her husband’s biggest fan, and the closer Dane and I get, the more I realize how important it is to me that we have the same kind of relationship.

He believes in me more than anyone ever has. I wish my mom could have met him because he’s exactly the kind of man she always hoped I’d choose for myself.

Jenn slumps back against her seat as Nashville regains control of the puck and all the players head for the other end of the ice.

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