Page 62 of Puck You Very Much

“Nothing,” she replied a bit too quickly and turned back to the game. She automatically searched for number 14…

“Oh my God, you guys did it!" Maddie said, shocked.

She glared at her sister. “How do you get that from me sayingnothing?”

“I run a dating agency, Lucy! I have an eye for it,” she said with a grin and put an arm around her. “I can’t believe you kept it from me. That Matt kept it from me!”

“He doesn’t know,” she whispered, shifting in her seat. “I would have told you at some point. But you would have—”

“So, you and Dax? I thought you hated him? How could that happen?”

“—just asked stupid questions,” Lucy concluded with a sigh. “Yeah, I thought I hated him too.” But could you truly hate a man who had given you the orgasm of your life?

“Oh.” Her sister’s eyes lit up and she looked dreamily over the crowd. “So now you don’t. It’s so sweet and romantic! From enemies to lovers…”

“No, stop writing a romance novel in your head! It’s nothing, Maddie!” she insisted vehemently. If she said it often enough, maybe it would come true. “He’s still an idiot who makes my life miserable. Him with his stupid muscles and his stupid words and…”

Maddie laughed. “Oh my God, you really like him.”

Angry, she furrowed her brow. “No, I don’t!”

“Yes, you do.”

“No. I don’t date players.”

“Yes, but the rule doesn’t preclude you from liking one,” Maddie replied with a grin. “I’m all for jumping into bed with him, having the best weeks of your life—then marrying him and being happy.”

Lucy had to laugh. “All your stories end with someone getting married and everyone being happy.”

Her sister shrugged. “I repeat—I set people up for a living. Hey, have you convinced Matt to sign up with us yet? He won’t listen to me. And, eh, if things don’t work out, Dax can always let me find him the woman of his dreams.”

Lucy made a face. She didn’t like the idea. Plus, she was certain that Dax wasn’t even searching for a life partner. History suggested that he was basically just looking for one-night stands.

“Maddie, you’re not taking this at all seriously,” she complained. “Dax is…a problem. A big problem.”

“Yes, but hasn’t he always been?” her sister noted, frowning.

“Yes, he has. But…it’s taken on new, catastrophic proportions.”

“I see. What’s changed?”

Everything.

“Nothing,” she whispered and swallowed. “I’m exaggerating.”

But she wasn’t.

Because her job was to find solutions—but what if there simply weren’t any solutions to the Dax problem?

“Let’s just focus on the game,” she said out loud.

Maddie was still looking at her, but then a Hawks player scored a goal—was it Dax again?—and the crowd around them jumped up cheering. For a few blissful minutes, the fans’ euphoria washed over them, bringing back their smiles and their sense of lightness. Maddie hugged her happily and they jumped up and down in their oversized Hawks jerseys just like they used to do as kids.

The crowd settled down and, to Lucy's surprise, she saw tears in Maddie’s eyes as they returned to their seats.

“It’s not the same without him,” she finally said softly, gazing at the empty seat to the left.

“I know,” Lucy replied quietly and patted Maddie’s knee. “Maybe Dad will come next time.”

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