Tomorrow was her choosing to show up instead of hiding.
Lucy hung the sweater on her bedroom door where she'd see it first thing in the morning, then finally let herself go to bed.
The locker room after the game was loud with victory, but Jake felt strangely detached from it. They'd won. He'd played well. The Nashville scout had watched the entire game from his seat behind the bench.
And Jake had spent three periods thinking about farmers markets and blue ceramic mugs and the way Lucy's eyes had crinkled when she laughed.
"Reaper!" Marcus appeared, still in his goalie gear, grinning like a maniac. "Two assists! You were on fire!"
"Thanks."
"The scout looked impressed. I saw him taking notes."
"Great."
Marcus's expression shifted. "You okay, man? We just won. You just dominated. Why do you look like someone killed your dog?"
"I don't have a dog."
"You know what I mean."
Jake pulled off his jersey, focusing on the familiar ritual of undressing after a game. "I'm fine. Just tired."
"Bull. Something's up." Marcus lowered his voice. "Is this about Lucy?"
"No. Maybe. I don't know."
"Jake—"
"I'm seeing her tomorrow," Jake said quietly. "She invited me over to taste-test muffins."
Marcus's eyes went wide. "She invited you to her apartment?"
"Yeah."
"For muffins."
"Butternut squash muffins."
"That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard."
"It's vegetables baked into bread. It's not romantic."
"It's absolutely romantic. She's sharing her baking with you. In her private space. That's intimacy, Reaper."
Jake finished changing, ignoring the way his heart was beating too fast. "The scout's probably going to make an offer. Derek called during the second period."
"And?"
"And I don't know if I want it."
Marcus sat down on the bench next to Jake, suddenly serious. "Talk to me."
"I spent the entire game thinking about tomorrow. About sitting in Lucy's kitchen, eating muffins, talking about something other than hockey. And I realized—I was more excited about that than I was about the scout being here." Jake looked at his hands. "What does that mean?"
"It means you're figuring out what matters to you. Finally."
"My dad would be disappointed."
