Page 14 of Glitz & Goals

Jaime and Mia both lean across the table toward me.

I should have kept my mouth shut, but it’s too late now. “I mean, there’s Elevator Guy.”

“I have not heard of him,” Jaime says.

Mia rubs her hands together and gives me an impish grin. “Do tell. Did something occur in said elevator?”

“Just happened. Today. While I was stuck in the damn mermaid costume.” I pause for dramatic effect. “He helped me out of it.”

Mia looks down at her costume with a mixture of scandal and delight. “You went cruisingin the tail?”

“No, oh, my God, I was notcruisingat eight a.m.” I explain the circumstances of my meeting with the mystery man at the arena this morning. “...and then I left him in the elevator after refusing to give my name,” I conclude.

“Oh.” Jaime gives me a cheerful smile. “So, you’re an idiot.”

“I told him I was single,” I add in my defense.

“That doesn’t help if he doesn’t know who you are,” Jaime shoots back. “How can a man shoot his shot without a ball?”

“What was wrong with him?” Mia asks.

I think back to our little exchange. He was... different. Intense, in a way that felt both magnetic and a little dangerous, like something was simmering beneath the surface, waiting to break free. His piercing blue eyes held mine just a second too long, full of a heat that sent shivers down my spine. Perfectly tousled dark hair, a jawline that could cut glass, and a brooding kind of confidence that made him feel untouchable—yet I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to reach out. He had a ruggedness about him like he’d been through hell and came out stronger on the other side, and something in his gaze hinted at stories untold, regrets left unspoken.

He was awkward at times, sure, but not in a creepy way—more like someone who’s used to carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and doesn’t quite know how to let it go.And yet, the chemistry was there, crackling between us in the quietest of moments. Not that I would’ve acted on it at the time, not that we even had a chance to, but... “Nothing. Not one single thing. Maybe I should have given him my contacts.”

“You could probably track him down,” Mia points out. “Renee would know who he is.”

I nod as I mull it over. Viktor would help if I asked him. He’d be a shit, but he’d do it because deep down, we love each other more than anything.

“So, what’s stopping you?” Jaime presses.

“I don’t know anything about him,” I argue. “For all I know, he was just in town to scout one of the players. And poof, now he’s gone. Besides, isn’t it better to have a fun little story about how some stranger and I crossed paths for ten silly minutes than to ask him out on a date and find out that he’s just some guy my dad’s age who’s a little bit of a perv?”

Mia winces. “Oh, so he’s older.”

“That doesn’t have to be a dealbreaker,” Jaime counters. “Howmucholder?”

“Like… forty-five maybe?” It was hard to gauge, since he was in good shape, but the age gap is enough to give me pause.

“Ah.” Jaime looks crestfallen as if it was his romantic prospect that I just shot down rather than my own. “Fair. Almost half your age is a bit of a gap.” He pauses for dramatic effect. “You could still climb him like a tree, though.”

I snort.

Mia nods her agreement. “If you never see him again, it’s a missed connection… but promise me that if you see him again, you’ll at least ask his name? Thirteen years really isn’t that big of a deal for mature couples.”

“And slip him your number,” Jaime adds.

“So that he can slip you his D,” Mia concludes.

I shake my head in amusement. “I promise, if I see him again, I’ll give him a chance. One chance.” After all, it’s not like I have any better offers right now. And judging by our brief exchange, if nothing else, the sex would be great. I’d settle for a one-night stand, even if there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that it would lead anywhere.

Assuming he’s even interested in me when I’m not dressed like a sexy fish.

Chapter Five

Grady

I stand with my arms crossed, watching the Venom players run drills across the ice. Ostensibly, I’m getting a sense of their endurance.

---