Page 19 of Drawn to You

“I know it sounds weird, but it helps me to eat something small before I fly. I take CBD oil, too. But if there’s bad turbulence, I get sick anyway.”

“Yeah, that flight felt like it took about twelve hours,” I say. “I’m hoping to sleep on tonight’s flight.”

“Hope you can. I’m staying an extra couple of days at my hotel with my sister, my daughter and my two nephews. My sister’s back at the hotel with the kids tonight.”

“You have a daughter?”

She smiles brightly. “Amara. Now that you’ve indicated a slight interest, I have to break out my photo slideshow.”

Elena’s husband, Aaron, is tall and blond. Their daughter is a beautiful mix of the two of them with caramel curls and big dark-brown eyes. I ooh and aah at Elena’s photos, trying not to let on how distracted I am by the conversation going on next to us.

“Of course Dane is tamable,” a woman with flawless makeup and bright red nails says. “You just have to let him have his fun and always be there when he’s done.”

“I don’t expect to be the only woman,” another woman says. “I just want to be the onlylegitone, you know? The one in pictures with him.”

“Exactly. I’m going to introduce you when the time is right. Just trust me.”

I look over at Jenn and Elena to see if they heard the conversation. Jenn’s completely focused on the game. Elena leans over and softly says, “We’ll talk later.”

I take Elena’s advice and eat a soft pretzel. I’m nervous about flying again tonight, but it’s inevitable. And this time, I’ll be smarter and not sit next to Dane.

The Mammoths win the game 2–1. Dane has to do interviews afterward and then shower. I’ve been sitting on the floor in the hallway outside the locker room reading a book for more than an hour when he finally walks out of the locker room.

His hair is damp from the shower and he’s dressed in a dark suit with a white dress shirt and a light-blue tie, his dress shoes shining. I feel frumpy next to him in my jeans, Vans and Mammoths T-shirt.

“Hey, Nosy,” he says in greeting.

“Hi.”

“Take this.”

He holds out his hand and I put my outstretched palm under it. He drops a little white pill into my hand.

“Dramamine. Take it now.”

“Oh.” I look up at him, surprised. “Thanks.”

“I just don’t want to get puked on.”

“Of course,” I say wryly. “I didn’t mean to insinuate you’re considerate or anything.”

He glares at me. “You’re a pain in my ass, you know that?”

“Likewise, Foster.”

His snoring woke me up last night and I couldn’t get back to sleep for two hours. Then I woke up this morning to a bathroom that smelled like a long-neglected public sewer.

Hopefully Dane will be more bearable in Boston than he was in Tampa. Somehow, though, I doubt it.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Josie

“She saidto tell you she’s sorry she had to work so much and that she loves you more than anything.”

I sit up in bed with a gasp, my alarm waking me from a dream. After pushing a button on the screen to stop the alarm, I heave out a sigh, wishing I could fast-forward to bedtime.

It’s March 11. Three years ago, on this day, my mom was killed by a drunk driver. I didn’t make it to the hospital in time, so her final words to me were relayed by a nurse. Those words have haunted and comforted me since.

---