Page 55 of Wilder

Lexi lifted her brows at him. “You don’t like Alexandra?”

“It’s not that at all.” He smiled. “Alexandra just feels really formal. Have you never had a nickname?”

“My mom calls me Lexi. My dad hated that name, so he always insisted that everyone call me Alexandra.”

“I won’t call you something you don’t like,” Wilder said. “It’s just that I’m kind of a less formal guy.”

“Do you have a nickname?”

“Not really. Sometimes people will call me Wild.”

“That seems appropriate.”

Wilder laughed. “I do have my moments.”

Only her mom had ever called her Lexi. In her mind, the shortening of her name denoted a closeness that she’d never felt with anyone outside of her small circle. But even then, Mik, her coaches, and her dad had always called her Alexandra.

Did she want Wilder to use her nickname? Was he important enough to her?

Having Wilder use a nickname for her felt like a step in a direction she wasn’t sure they should go. Her future was uncertain. He was going to be leaving. She didn’t want to even entertain thoughts of anything but friendship between them.

Wilder was just so different from the men she’d known. His easy-going, laid-back attitude was totally foreign to her, which made her curious. And without even realizing it, she’d begun to look forward to seeing him, and when they didn’t get a chance to talk, she missed him.

“You can call me Lexi,” she told him, deciding that he’d been a good friend to her and treated her well, unlike some in her life.

Wilder’s smile took over his face, and his brown eyes sparkled. “Perfect! Lexi fits you, I think.”

She had no idea what to say to that. “So, what do we need to do for this fundraiser?”

“I’m glad you’re on board with this. I really think it will be a good time, and I’m hoping that Alexander will cough up some money to help out.”

“That would be great of him.” Lexi would help as much as she could, too, but she’d been living on a pretty strict budget since her dad’s arrest.

Thankfully, her financial advisor had helped her set up a livable budget using the money she’d saved from collaborations and endorsements she’d done over the years. Saving the money had been about the only good financial advice her dad had given her.

“Maybe you could think it over and see what other ideas you can come up with for the event. Then we’ll have another meeting with Kayleigh and Hudson to pool our ideas.”

“I guess we can’t delay too much if we need to get things like costumes.”

“This is going to be fun,” Wilder declared, and Lexi had no reason to doubt him. His confidence and excitement were catching.

She felt a lot more at ease with this kind of setup than she had with the previous idea. The focus wouldn’t be on her as a skater. She’d just be one person in a group putting on a show.

At one time, she’d loved the spotlight. Skating out on the ice with Mik had always given her such a rush. And completing a program with no mistakes was a high that nothing else in her life had matched.

This event wouldn’t give her that rush or the high, but as she thought about it, she realized that it would give her direction. At least until Christmas. She’d have something to focus on. A goal. That was something that had been sorely missing in her life, which was why she’d felt so adrift since everyone had abandoned her.

To Wilder, this might be a fundraiser for something he was passionate about, but for Lexi, it felt like a lifeline.

They talked a bit more about when they could schedule a meeting, with Wilder deciding to see if Kayleigh and Hudson would be available for one during the day. Lexi’s schedule at the rink wasn’t usually too busy. In fact, that day was her busiest yet, with four different groups booked in.

The next one was coming soon, so she needed to finish up with Wilder before they arrived.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Wilder asked as they got to their feet. “I don’t want you going along with it just because you feel like you don’t have another choice.”

“I’m definitely okay with it. This idea is far more appealing to me than the initial one we had.”

“And I like it because we can share the burden and not have so much of it land on you. It will be more of a group effort.”

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