Page 26 of The Pucker and the Princess
Maybe, despite our terrible first impressions, Dozer and I can be friends after all.
The morning before Dozer’s game, I open my front door to discover a gift bag. Inside is a neatly folded Seattle Emerald’s hoodie with a note from Dozer.
Marissa,
I’m sure you have plenty to wear tonight, but I thought you might like wearing the team colors. I hope you enjoy the game. Text me afterward if you have any questions!
Dozer
Grinning, I set the hoodie on my breakfast bar and pull out my phone to send him a text.
Thanks for the hoodie. I’m excited to wear it tonight!
But since it’s a work day, I don’t sit around hoping he’ll text back. Instead, I tuck my phone into my bag and head out.
Game days mean suits, right? That’s what happened the day I gave him a jump. He was on his way to a game.
The image of him leaning over the hood of his truck in his suit, jacket off, shirtsleeves rolled up, pants pulled tight across a taut, round ass …
Blinking, I shake that off. Dozer and I are friends. He’s apparently a generous friend. Or he sees the hoodie as part of his way of paying me back for helping with the battery. Considering he probably gets free tickets but not necessarily free merch, him spending a little money that I now realize he can easily afford on a sweatshirt doesn’t feel like too much.
But I definitely don’t need to fantasize about his body.
“I’m not dating right now,” I remind myself out loud. “I’m getting settled and finding my bearings, and maybe in six months or a year I’ll feel more open to the possibility of a relationship. Even so, I’mneverdoing dating apps again. If it happens, it happens, and if it doesn’t, I can be happy on my own.”
I repeat the last sentence to myself as I grab my things and head out the door.
I can be happy on my own.
It’s the mantra I’ve been using since I broke up with Peter despite my brief detours back into the dating world.
But those just solidified that Ican, in fact, be happy on my own. Not only that, but I’m far more happy on my own than with the wrong company.
I have friends and family for when I feel lonely. And a really good vibrator for the other needs one might use a man for. Besides, in my experience, the vibrator does a better job anyway.
Sure, Dozer’s attractive. But we’re friends. That’s all either of us is looking for anyway.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Marissa
I makemy way to the arena, the brand new hoodie keeping away the chill of the late summer evening. I haven’t gotten used to how much it cools off once the sun goes down here. In Texas, it stays hot. Sure, the nights are cooler than when the sun’s beating down on you, but it’s still Texas, even at night.
Here, though, once the sun dips behind the buildings, the temperature drops quickly. And once night falls, it’s downright cool, especially for a southerner like me. The good thing about this side of the state compared to where my brother lives in Eastern Washington, is that it very rarely snows here. The summers are a lot cooler, too, which will be an adjustment. But hey, maybe I’ll enjoy it.
It’s also very green here. So many trees. I understand why the hockey team is called the Emeralds.
And the mountains … It’s a world away from Texas, that’s for sure.
It’s funny hearing people here talk about how, “The mountain’s out today,” when the weather’s clear, but I’ve heard the phrase at work several times in the month or so I’ve been here.
It’s true, though. A lot of the time Mount Rainier is obscured by clouds. When it’s visible, it’s gorgeous. Huge and snow-capped. I like being able to look at it.
It’s on so many pictures around here, too. Even the arena has a big photo mural of Mount Rainier on the wall opposite the main entrance.
I’m traveling light tonight—just my phone and my keys in one pocket, my ID and a credit card in my other one. I’ve been to enough sporting events to know that most arenas only allow see-through bags of a certain size, and the size limits here are different than the ones back home, so my see-through bag is too big. It’s fine, though, because I usually prefer not to have to worry about a bag at this kind of place. As long as I can buy something to eat and maybe a souvenir, I’m good.
I follow the signs on the wall to the right section, and an usher points me in the direction of my seat.
