Page 6 of What if I Told You

“You’re making my life sound much more glamourous than it really is, you know.”

“You don’t have to lie to me, Auggie. You’re a celebrity. And you deserve all the things a celebrity athlete could possibly have in life. I’m just jealous because I’m stuck here in stupid Indigo Bay with nothing and nobody.”

There really isn’t much in Indigo Bay. It’s a small college town where everybody knows everybody else. Honestly, Auggie was right to get out, but it killed me that he was leaving me with no promise of when I would ever get to see him again.

“Quiet around campus this summer I assume?”

“Of course. It’s always quiet in the summertime. I’m starting to hate it. You guys are out there living life and loving every minute of it I’m starting to regret staying here.”

“Okay, then change things up. Make a move. Do something new.”

“Like what?”

He’s quiet for a minute and I can tell he’s thinking something. “Well…actually, what would you think about becoming a hockey team mascot?”

I cock my head. “A what? What are you talking about?”

“Astro, our mascot. The guy who wears the costume is leaving the team,” he explains. “His wife got a promotion and they’re moving to Seattle. So, the Stars are going to have to do a search to find the next Astro, only Bear mentioned something about them creating a whole new mascot and retiring Astro so I guess I don’t really know all the specifics yet.”

Me?

A hockey mascot?

The wheels begin to turn in my head. “You’re serious about this?”

“Why would I bring it up if I weren’t serious babe? I wouldn’t do that to you.”

My smile widens and the sparkle returns to my eyes for just a moment. “You think I could really do it though? You think I could seriously wear the costume and do all the things and like, be the face of the team?”

“Of course. You’re great at what you do now. As long as you can skate on ice, and I know you can because I’m the one who taught you, you can do this job.”

Oh, my gosh! How cool would it be to be a freaking team mascot! Wait…” My smile morphs into an uncomfortable cringe. “Uh…what does a job like that pay? California has a much higher cost of living than Indigo Bay. I might end up living on the streets. Hmm, maybe I could substitute teach by day and mascot by night. I don’t know. It sounds cool but I’m sure there are more qualified people out there. Honestly, it’s probably too good to be true.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Ella. Hang on,” he tells me as he swipes through something on his phone. “Okay so I’m sure I can find out what Kingston was making but Google says starting salaries run anywhere from sixty to seventy thousand per year.”

“WHOA! Sixty to seventy thousand! That’s way more than I make now! Ugh…but we’re talking about California. Is that enough?” I cringe. “I mean I feel terrible for even asking that because to me that’s more money than I could ever dream of and I realize I’m talking to a millionaire hockey star but still. It’s a ton of money compared to what I’m making now but California is California. I’m pretty sure just breathing costs a couple thousand dollars a day. Can I get a nice place on that salary Auggie? You would know better than me. Where would I live? Would it be like a relatively sturdy carboard box in an old, abandoned parking lot somewhere or would there actually be an apartment with working doors and windows?”

He chuckles lightly on the other end of the line and looks straight at the camera on his phone “What do you mean where would you live, Ella? Why wouldn’t you live with me?”

Wait.

What?

My brow furrows. “Uuuh, why would I do that?”

“Uuuh…” he mocks. “Why wouldn’t you? My place is huge. It’s more than enough space for two people. We’re friends who haven’t gotten to really see each other in…how long’s it been?”

“Two years at least.”

Two years, five months, and fourteen days, but who’s counting?

“Right. Two years. Plus, for about eight to nine months out of the year, I’m not here, so you’d have the place to yourself.”

I give him a gentle smile and clear my throat. “Auggie. My dear sweet Auggie. You’re forgetting one thing.”

“What?”

“If I move out there, it’s because I’ll have the job as the new Anaheim Stars team mascot. So that means for eight to nine months out of the year, I also won’t be there much.”

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