“I’m so sorry,” I said a bit too loud and slowly, as if that would help bridge our language gap. “How much for the shirt?” I said in the same ridiculous way.
The man scowled at me until I pulled a twenty-dollar bill from my purse and shoved it into his hand, pointing at Zane’s new threads. The right amount of green was all it took to make the man stop seeing red. He nodded and then went back inside, holding the twenty up to the sunlight as if checking it for authenticity.
“Smooth move,” Zane said.
“You, too. You’ve got great reflexes.”
He shrugged. “It was purely self-preservation. What got into Percy?”
We turned our attention on my furry disaster of a dog and saw him lying on Zane’s hoodie and licking the last crumbs of beef jerky from the bag he’d pulled from the pocket and torn open.
I moaned. “It looks like your protein got into him. I’m sorry. How much do I owe you?”
“Why don’t you give me your number and we’ll call it even.”
I shook my head and came around to his side of the rack. “All I’ve got left on me is another twenty. Hopefully that’ll cover your dry cleaning and replace the jerky Percy stole.” I held it out to him, but he wouldn’t take it until I pressed the cash into the palm of his hand. He held onto my fingertips for an extra beat before I slipped them away to grab the leash.
“Time to go, Percy.” I took one last look at Zane’s unforgettable eyes and then set off down the street toward my car. “It was nice meeting you, Zane,” I called overmy shoulder.
“You’ll be sorry,” Zane called out behind me. “You’ll never know if the stain came out if I can’t text you a pic. Can you handle the guilt?”
I spun around and continued walking backward down the sidewalk. “I’ll just have to risk it.” I waved, excitement coursing through my veins. I turned around and set my sights on my tiny Fiat 500.
“See you around,” Zane called out from somewhere behind me.
Once Percy was situated in the back seat, I chanced a glance in Zane’s direction. He was gone, and the thrill that had had me flying high evaporated, leaving me to crash and burn.
Zane was gone.
I didn’t even know his last name.
Perhaps no-strings flirtingwasn’tmy favorite new sport after all. If only my life were one of those “choose your own way” books we sold in the kids’ aisle back home. I’d flip back to the last section and choose the option where I gaveZane my number and we gave those thirty years he was talking about a chance.
But do-overs weren’t a real thing, and I’d just made the dumbest decision of my life.
THREE
I’d kissed Percy goodbye on the top of his head and locked my vacation rental door behind me twenty minutes ago. It was weird leaving him in a strange house, but he’d enjoy himself a lot more stretched out on the king-size bed there than he would where I was going. Something told me I would, too.
Now, I was sitting in a limo full of chattering bridesmaids on our way to the arena where the Briarwood Bobcats would soon be taking the ice.
It was a special kind of woman who chose to have her bachelorette party at ahockey game. Bri had always been a sporty gal in college, but this felt extreme—even for her. However, I wasn’t here to judge. I was here to support my friend in all her wedding festivity choices, no matter how weird.
After taking a few laps around downtown in the limo, we pulled up to the arena. Bri was the first one out. She wore a bedazzled tiara on her head and rhinestone-encrusted stilettos on her feet. Their sparkle was a sharp contrast to her boyfriend jeans and man-sized hockey jersey.
I climbed out of the limo, watching her pump her fist in the air. She chanted the team’s name and amped up the other fans as they streamed past her toward the arena.
I joined in, pretending I knew what I was doing. Bri wrapped her arms around me and gave me a squeeze. “I’m so glad you came! I know hockey isn’t really your thing.”
“What are you talking about?” Iteased while straightening her sash, which identified her as the bride in our chatty party. “I’ve been a Bobcats fan all day.”
It was true. My up-close-and-personal inspection of Zane’s ruined hoodie earlier that day had given me a new appreciation for the sport. I could get behind any organization that created merchandise that hugged a man’s physique the way that piece of clothing had clung to Zane.
I glanced around me, hoping beyond hope to spot him in the crowd.
Bri tossed her perfect, blonde beach waves over her shoulder and laughed. “Come on, girls. Our luxury box awaits.”
We practically jogged through the arena to our seats. “Hurry up,” Hattie called over her shoulder. “We took too long in that limo. I gotta get situated before the boys get out on the ice for warmups.” She patted thelarge crochet bag slung across her body. “The team’s counting on me.”
