Claire
“What the fuck?”
The words came flying from my mouth in the middle of the restaurant where I was trying to take a couple’s order as I was lifted off my feet and tossed up in the air by someone from behind.
When they set me back down on my feet, I spun around only to see the overly excited, beaming smile of Seth.
“What happened?” I asked, forgetting about everything and everyone else.
“We did it! I’m in!” Seth boomed, causing everyone who wasn’t already starring to turn and look at us like we’d lost our damn minds. In truth, that’s exactly how we looked.
Whooping and hollering, I jumped up, dropping my notepad and pen to the ground, and wrapped my legs around Seth’s waist. Thank God he was paying attention and caught me or I would’ve landed on my arse.
“I’m so happy for you,” I told him before planting a loud, wet, smacking kiss on his lips.
Hugging him tightly, he slid me down his body until I was standing in front of him, his hands resting on my waist.
“Can you come?”
“Huh?”
“To the game. I want you there. I need you there. I wouldn’t have made it without you, and I want to be able to look up in the stands and see you when I run onto the field.”
I swear to God behind me I heard someone aww.
Or maybe it was just my hormones that were celebrating right now.
“When is it? I might have a shift?”
“Honey.” A hand reached out and touched my wrist, and I almost jumped through the roof. I’d completely forgotten about everything other than the man standing in front of me. “I’ll cover your shift for you.”
Holy fucking shitballs, Batman. It was a customer. Someone I didn’t know from a bar of soap. And she was offering to cover my shift so I could go watch Seth play. Maybe there really was some good left in the world. After being held at knifepoint, I’d become jaded and cynical and convinced the world sucked, but perhaps I was wrong. Maybe things weren’t as bad as they sometimes seemed.
“Thank you.” I smiled at her generosity.
“Game’s Sunday afternoon. Two o’clock.”
“I’m working,” I blurted out, hating it. Seth’s face fell, and I felt like shit. He’d been on top of the world when he barrelled in here, but now he looked like I’d kicked his puppy. “But let me see if I can swap my shift.”
“You’d do that?”
I didn’t like that the idea surprised him. It was bullshit and something that needed to be dealt with. But not here. And certainly not now. We’d provided enough of a show already for the afternoon, I doubted they could take much more.
“Absolutely. Now, get out of here so I can get back to work.”
Propping up on my toes, I kissed him quickly, knowing if I didn’t pull away things would go from sweet and appropriate to downright dirty very quickly.
“Talk to you when you finish?”
“Absolutely!”
Bending over, I picked up my notepad and pen I’d dropped when Seth had swept me off my feet only to have my arse slapped loudly, leaving a slight sting reverberating through my body. A sting that was going to keep me on edge and torment me all afternoon.
I thought Isla was going to kick my arse when she found out about the spectacle we’d put on during the afternoon rush, but she surprised the crap out of me when she just burst out laughing before asking if we had something rehearsed for the night crowd too. Thankfully, she understood my wanting to swap my shift out and helped me organise a swap with one of the other girls. It meant that I was doing a double on Monday, but I didn’t give a flying fuck. I was going to be there when Seth ran onto the field.
Clocking off, I hurried out the door, desperate to get out and celebrate with Seth. Then there he was, leaning against his car, looking every delicious inch the sexy as sin athlete. With his dark wash jeans, black t-shirt pulled tight across his chest, and those damn aviator sunglasses covering his eyes, I almost melted into a puddle right where I stood.
Feeling on top of the world, it’d been a damn good week for the both of us and I wanted to celebrate. “Come here often?” I asked, sauntering towards him, adding a bit more sway to my hips. I wished I looked more presentable, but after an eight-hour shift, this was as good as it was going to get.
