Page 65 of As You Ice It

Look—I have no problem getting dressed up. I like dresses and shoes and clothes that make me feel cute. I don’t have an issue wearing makeup. Though I don’t quite take it to the level that some of the women in the Get Ready With Me videos do. I almost choked when I stumbled upon the five pumps of foundation tutorial. FIVE PUMPS! My pores clogged just watching a woman spread that much foundation overeven her eyebrows.

No, thanks.

I don’t expect that kind of effort—not based on the vibe I picked up from the women who came over earlier in the week. Parker said there was not a dress code and they all wore whatever they felt like. For some, that’s jeans and a jersey, while people who like dressing up do.

“Don’t worry about it,” she told me. “Promise. Just wear what you want and come early to the gated area of the parking lot. Security will have your name. It will be so fun.”

Liam’s the lucky one. As he shoots me another exasperated look, his hand on the doorknob, I wish it were as easy as just throwing on an Appies jersey like the one Parker gave him over a pair of jeans and sneakers. Even if I wanted to go that route, I don’t have any Appies gear. So, I’m in a sweater that’s close enough to the turquoise of the Appies’ logo, dark jeans that fit me like a glove, and knee-high boots.

“Finally,” Liam says as I pull on my coat and the new scarf Camden gave me. I’ve taken to wearing it daily, leaving it on even when I remove my coat.

I love it. It’s beautiful and so soft. I always thought scarves looked itchy, but this one feels like a caress on my neck. Also, it still smells like Camden. I’m sure that will fade soon, and then I’ll have to decide if it’s too creepy to ask him to, like, sleep with it in his bed for a few nights to regain his scent.

Okay, it’s definitely kind of creepy.

I’ll probably do it anyway.

“Can’t you go any faster?” Liam grumbles more than once on the way to the Summit. It’s only a ten-minute drive, but he’s so anxious and excited about the game it’s making him grumpy.

When he gets like this, the best option is just to leave him alone and let him work through it, so I continue driving the speed limit while not pointing out how we’re still earlier than Parker even asked. I also don’t tell him she has some kind of surprise. If I told him Parker has something planned, he’d run through possible scenarios, then maybe be disappointed in whatever it is.

I’m glad I made this decision when some Appies staff person I don’t know greets us once security lets us in the back door. The guy has the eagerness and fresh face that screams intern, and he babbles about hockey things with Liam while leading us to a nice room with a whole table of food and a bartender in front of a table of drinks.

“This is the family suite,” the intern tells us. “Though families don’t usually arrive this early.”

I wonder if by families he means the WAGs. Or maybe parents and siblings who happen to be in town for a game?

“Thanks,” I tell him. Liam is already checking out the food for things he can eat while watching one of the televisions. It’s streaming what I guess is footage from past games.

“That’s from last year’s Calder Cup Championship,” the intern tells me without explaining what that means. “Parker said she’d meet you here in just a little while. Please, help yourself and just relax.”

Liam has a plate piled high with nachos while I go with a beer to help me relax. My nerves are shot with Liam’s pressure to leave on time combined with a nervous energy I didn’t expect to have about this game.

It’s not me caring whether Camden’s team wins or loses so much as getting to see this side of him fully: the hockey player in his natural habitat.

What if this makes it feel like things with Camden won’t work? What if I don’t like his natural habitat? Or who he really is inside of it?

“Mom, this is so cool,” Liam says with a mouthful of chips. He, obviously, is not having the mini freakout I am about this as he settles into one of the leather couches to watch the screens.

I’m glad when Parker finally enters the room, bouncing up and down on her toes and fiddling with the zipper of a black cross-body bag. She has on black pants, black sneakers, and a gray polo shirt with the Appies logo. Her excitement is palpably contagious, and my nerves shift slightly into something more like anticipation than anxiety.

“I have something so cool planned,” Parker says, grabbing Liam by the hand after hugging me hello with rib-crushing force. “Did you get enough to eat?”

“Definitely. Thank you. Are there usually more people?” The room is still empty aside from Liam and me and two servers who looked very bored.

“Having a family suite is new. Before last year, most of the guys were single, and very few have family nearby. It seemed silly to have something like this without people to enjoy it.” She glances at her phone and then waves us toward the door. “They’ll probably get here in the next thirty minutes or so. But there’s also food up in the box, so some just eat up there. You’re welcome to watch from up there or from the seats I got you. Bailey will be sitting with you as well.”

That makes me feel a little better. Bailey has a calming presence, and I think I’d feel more comfortable in normal seats than a suite for family when things with Cam and me are still so new. It will also be good to have another adult there. Liam is great company, but he’s my company alot. Bailey will be good balance.

Parker leads us down a hallway that looks like every other hallway I’ve seen in this building. I’m not sure how anyone can navigate the Summit without getting lost.

“All of this is so cool,” Liam says.

Parker beams at Liam, then at me. I didn’t know she had a whole other gear of excitement.

“I know, right? How’s your arm, by the way?” she asks Liam.

“Good. I got the sutures out two weeks ago. See?”

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