Page 91 of Switching Skates
“Now, are you going to get the guy, or are you going to run and hide?” Maeve asks.
Sitting up taller, I wipe under my eyes and smile. “I’m going to need your help.”
“That’s what best friends are for, babe.”
Iwake up to a text from Daphne this morning.
Aside from waking up next to her, this might be the second-best way to start the day.
Daphne: What would a girl like me have to do to get two tickets for tonight’s game?
She wants to come to my game? My heart does backflips in my chest.
Me: That depends on who the second ticket is for.
Daphne: Your sister, LOL.
Me: They’ll be waiting for you at the ticket counter under your name.
Daphne: What should I wear? A jersey?
Is she flirting right now? She knows damn well what people wear to hockey games. She attended countless ones with my sister in high school.
Me: I know what I want to see you in. ;)
Daphne: What? Nothing?
Oh, she’s definitely flirting.
Me: I mean … yeah, but that’s not what I was going to say.
Me: In the spare bedroom, hanging up in the closet, there’s something for you … if you want it, of course. But there’s one catch.
Me: If you decide to wear my name on your back, then I’ll have your answer, and you’re mine for good.
Another text comes through, not from Daphne, but from my agent, letting me know that the deal we were waiting for finally went through. Something I’ve kept close to myself since I instigated it.
Daphne loves her romance movies, and I’m going to give her a grand gesture to top them all.
Chet walks into my room as I’m doing my tie, sweating bullets of nerves and anxiety.
Why did I choose my game to be this big moment between Daphne and me? I’m jittery enough for the game alone. But I’m far more nervous about Daphne showing up.
Will she be wearing my jersey or not?
Will that be her final answer one way or the other?
Oh God, this was a terrible idea.
“You good, man?” he asks, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.
I nod sharply. “Yeah, just pregame jitters.”
He pats my back. “You’ll be good. Best damn goalie in the NCAA.”
I mean, technically, he’s right. Last season, I led the nation in save percentage. Which is one of the reasons I’m lucky enough to be pulling off the secret thing I’m doing with my agent.
“Thanks, man.”
