Page 33 of My Lucky Charm

“Probably for the best.”

I start skating off, and she calls after me.

“I don’t know how to get anywhere from here.”

I lift a hand. “I’ll be right back.” I don’t turn around to see if she heard me. I’m too busy trying to reconcile the fact that I have to spend time with a woman who’s way more “girl-next-door” than “beauty queen.”

And I’ve always had a weakness for the girl next door.

About an hour later, I’m walking out of the locker room, expecting Eloise to walk in with dinner, when my phone buzzes.

It’s Burke.

“Hello?”

“Okay, the first thing you need to know is that everyone is fine.”

The bottom drops out of my stomach and my chest goes hollow. “What? What happened?”

I can hear noise in the background, including a woman who sounds like she’s crying. “He’s going to kill me. Tell him I’m so sorry.”

“Burke?” My voice is sharp.

“There was a little accident.”

“Is she okay?” I realize I’m racing toward the parking lot, but my car isn’t there. Because Eloise took it.

I also realize the car doesn’t really matter to me at all.

And that’s the part I don’t like. I just met her. Why am I worried about a woman I just met?

“She is,” Burke says. “She’s fine. A little bruised, that’s all. And worried you’re going to be mad.”

I sigh, turning a circle like a tiger in a cage. “It’s just a car.”

“Right,” Dallas says. He covers the phone, but I can still hear him when he says, “He said ‘it’s just a car.’” I picture the look of relief on Eloise’s face.

I don’t know her. At all. But in that moment, I’m relieved she’s okay. I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Uh, how can I get there?”

“I already sent my driver to get you,” Burke says. “He’ll be in our parking lot in about three minutes.”

I nod, and when I get off the phone, I’m reminded all over again of the dangers of caring about people. I’m not open to that. There’s one person in the world I care about, and that’s enough for me.

Stay focused. The game is all that matters.

A few minutes later, I’m sitting in the back seat of an Escalade as a man named Gerard drives me through the unfamiliar city. Mercifully, he doesn’t try to make small talk, almost like Burke told him I’d prefer to ride in silence.

Smart guy, that Burke.

After about fifteen minutes, Gerard pulls the car over and motions up ahead to where the lights from a squad car flash. There’s a car in front of mine, both pulled over, and as I get out and start toward them, I can see Eloise pacing.

When she sees me, she rushes over, meeting me halfway between Dallas’s car and the scene of the accident. “This guy is a huge hockey fan. But once he finds out this is your car, I’m afraid he’s going to try to squeeze more money out of you.”

I stop moving and shove my hands in my pockets to keep from reaching out and hugging her. “Are you okay?”

Her shoulders slump and her bottom lip quivers. “Yeah . . . yes, I’m fine. But I’m really sorry about all of this. About your SUV—” She turns and points to the windshield, covered in marinara. “And the food.”

I crack a smile but hide it again before she looks back at me. “It’s fine.”

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