Page 44 of Total Ship Show

“Do you know that guy, Aris?”

“Know him?” He looks to me and then back to the man again. “You mean, you don’t know who that is?”

I shake my head, clueless. “Nope.”

“That’s Dylan Harding! The professional hockey player?”

I scrunch my nose. “Oh, sorry. I don’t follow sportsball very much.”

“You don’t…” He gestures to the said hockey player. “Seriously? You don’t follow hockey?”

“Nope. I did, growing up with my family, but since I moved to California, I just never allowed myself the time other than going to a baseball game now and again with friends.”

“He’s a pretty big deal in the hockey world,” he explains as we head to the art gallery.

“Should we ask him to take our picture then?”

“You want to pose for a racy picture, and you want Dylan Harding to take it?” he asks, his brows raised.

“Why not? He’s just a guy.” I narrow my eyes and wag my brows, an idea popping into my head. “You game?”

“Just a guy.” Aris rubs his forehead as he shakes his head back and forth trying not to laugh. “You’re incredible. Yeah, alright. Let’s ask him.”

I push forward after the man and call out to him. “Mr. Harding! Excuse me!

Mr. Harding?”

The man turns and smiles at me, as do the two other guys he’s with.

“Oh shit,” I hear Aris mumble beside me. When I glance over at him, his cheeks are pink and he swallows hard.

“What?”

“Those guys he’s with are also pro hockey players.”

Oh my God, he’s like a little fangirl! So cute!

“Hey guys,” Dylan says. “You must be hockey fans.”

I smile as sweetly as possible. “Actually, I don’t know a damn thing about hockey.”

His friends laugh and clap Dylan on the shoulder. “Did you hear that Dyl? We’re not so famous after all.”

“This guy, here, is a big fan though,” I tell them, nudging Aris beside me.

“Aris McElfry,” he says to them. “Big fan. Big, big fan. Of all of you.”

“Hey Aris. Pleasure to meet you.” Dylan shakes his hand. “You know my friends Alex and Olie.”

“Yeah.” He shakes their hands. “Pleasure to meet you both.”

“I don’t mean to bother you guys while you’re on vacation,” I tell them. “But I was hoping you might be willing to do us a favor and take our picture over there in the art gallery.”

Dylan’s brow pinches. “Uh, sure.”

I show them my phone so they don’t think I’m crazy, though after this the jury may decide otherwise. “It’s for this scavenger hunt we’re in. The leaderboard says we’re in the lead so far, but we have to ask a passerby to take a racy picture of us somewhere in the gallery.”

“Oooh, a racy picture huh?” Olie sings a little something that sounds like “Bom chica wow wow.”

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