I stared him down. “Rory.”
He mirrored my pose. “Crystal. You can tell me what you want or I’ll order you my favourite.”
“Which is?”
“Burger. Four patties.”
I pursed my lips. “Fine. Panini.”
“Got it. And a cookie!”
The final straw came after my last class. I was packing my bag when the classroom door swung open and in walked Nick. Holding flowers.
“For you,” he said brightly.
I threw out my hands. “Okay, seriously. Is someone dead?”
Nick laughed, handing me the bouquet. “Nope. See you tonight. You’re coming to the game, right?”
“Yep, I’m—” I froze.
Well, you can’t just give it to them. You have to make them earn it.
Okay, I’ve got it. I’ll email them.
Logan frigging Kemp.
Chapter
Eighteen
Logan hadn’t just gottenus tickets. He’d gone full fairy godmother.
We didn’t realize it until we got to the Saddledome and the usher didn’t steer us toward the nosebleeds or the student-discount section, but up. Up the escalator, down a private hallway with framed jerseys and corporate logos, and straight into a glass-fronted luxury suite.
“Holy…” Rory stopped dead in the doorway. “We’re not supposed to be in here.”
“We’re ABSOLUTELY supposed to be in here,” Axel said, barging past him. “Look at this. There’s shrimp. And, holy shit, is that a meat carving station?”
It was. There was an entire table laid out with hot food. Sliders, wings, nachos, pasta, three different dips I couldn’t identify but was likely to bathe in. The other side was full of veggies, chips and candy, and had a cooler built into the counter that held more pop than a 7-Eleven. There was a private bathroom off to the side, and big leather seats faced the ice in a row with a little ledge for plates and drinks.
“Crystal,” Maddie whispered, her eyes wide. “What did youdo?”
“Her favours are better than mine!” Axel crowed, and Maddie smacked him for me.
Chase and Rob were already digging into the food behind Nick and Bear while Shar arranged Carter’s carrier beside one of the leather seats and tucked a blanket around him. The baby blinked sleepily, thoroughly unimpressed by his first NHL experience.
An attendant popped her head in. “Hi there, everyone—I’m Kelly. If you need anything, let me know. The food’s all yours, bar tab is covered, and we’ll replenish between periods.”
Axel stared at her like she’d just announced free tuition. “Hell, yes!”
When all the guys were stocked with food and drinks, we settled in and watched the players pour onto the ice for warmup. The crowd noise swelled, and as people stood I noticed a few people wearing Logan’s jersey.
For some reason, that kicked me in the gut. This was real. Logan was an NHL player. He’d made it all the way. It was one thing to see these guys on the ice on TV and another to have watched someone make their career happen right before your eyes.
Rory nudged me with his elbow. “This is wild.”
He was telling me.
