“Seems like Beth is wanting you to.”
“Beth will get over it. She should probably focus on her new husband.” He straightened up and cradled the snack box. “I’m headed out.”
“Did you say her name was Birdie?” Brock asked. “I think she’s signed up for the ATV tour. The shuttle picked them up fifteen minutes ago.”
Lance frowned and made his way to the excursion sheet. Sure enough, her name was scribbled fourth from the top.Birdie Grenadine. Huh.
“I think she’s coming to the game tonight.”
“She won’t be back until after it starts,” Brock said. “Maybe text her and ask her to meet us there?”
Confused, he nodded. She hadn’t mentioned the excursion. They’d talked about her going to his game, and he’d told her the time to meet, and she hadn’t even batted an eyelash. Maybe she skipped the excursion.
But when he made his way to her cabin and knocked, no one answered the door. He knocked again. Still nothing.
The little hamster was scratching at the insides of the box. “I know little buddy. Your owner is going to tell us what to do with you soon. He could hear chewing on the box, and he pried the top open by centimeters. Good gah, the hamster had emptied its cheek pouches, ate all of that, and every snack he’d put in there.
He put a handful of cereal in there and watched in awe as the critter started demolishing the food. He liked it. Sometimes all he wanted to do in stressful situations was eat too.
He stood and looked around for inspiration. Okay. If he left the little box in his cabin, he had a feeling the little thing would run through the snacks and chew its way out. Maybe he should put it in a glass jar? No, it would suffocate. He didn’t have any Tupperware containers. Even the thought of poking holes in the top made him think the hamster would start chewing its way out as soon as the snackies dried up.
It seemed content as long as he kept feeding it.
So okay, the little hamster was going to come on an adventure with him. He would just need to make a little detour before the game to the store to pick up more hamster snacks.
He made his way to his cabin and set the box on the kitchen counter, and then texted pictures of the little thing to Birdie.
I found this little guy in one of the cabins. A little boy lost him a couple of months ago. Until he claims him, I’m naming him Raisin. Have fun on the ATV ride!! Want to meet at the game? If you’re still up for it? I will buy you nachos as a bribe. They make them with liquid cheese and shredded cheddar there. I kind of miss you, wild thing. Me and Raisin will see you at the game. P.S. I miss your boobs.Send. He typed out the address and then sent that as well.
Then he braved a bite from the fuzzy little critter and pulled it out of the box, held it up next to his face and took a selfie of him and Raisin, and then sent it to Birdie.
It didn’t even bite him. Not even once. Raisin just wiggled it’s cute little nose and twitched its whiskers.
He let the hamster run across his hands over and over, moving one hand in front of the other, and then the other hand, and then the free hand and so on. He was so fast and so cute. The little ears were killing him.
A selfish part of him kind of hoped the little boy didn’t want Raisin anymore. Maybe the mom had bought him a replacement hamster, like Lance’s mom used to do.
But then Raisin got mad and bit his finger, and his teeth were really sharp, and Lance had to put him back in the cardboard box and give him more food. That settled him down.
“Okay, spirit animal,” he grumbled. “I get grumpy when I’m hungry too.”
He dressed quickly and grabbed his soccer bag, and he and Raisin were out the door. He cast a glance at Birdie’s cabin, but the lights were off. It was weird that she hadn’t told him. She wasn’t freaking out after they’d slept together, right?
Fuck, what if she was?
He checked his phone, but she hadn’t texted him back yet.
Oh no. What if they had gone too far too fast and Birdie had started second guessing in the couple of hours they were apart?
Maybe he should’ve kept them slowed down.
No. Lance shook his head hard, trying to jar that thought out of his head. He was just overthinking it. Birdie was zooming around a snowy mountain right now on an ATV, probably having the time of her life.
He would see her at the game.
He was sure of it.
Chapter Seven
