“Oh, that’s where I’m headed. I’ll take you there. I’m Scarlett Rivershon, by the way.”
Her brows knit together slightly, and I can tell she knows my last name from somewhere.
I flash her a smile. “And yes, I’m the coach’s daughter.”
“I’m Georgie Goodwin. I’m Beckham Bailey’s girlfriend.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say as we begin to walk. “Is this your first game?”
“I went to one last week, but we weren’t dating then,” she explains.
“Oh! So this is recent.”Just like Aiden and me, I think.
And I know it’s stupid, but I wish I could say that. That I’m dating Aiden Wentworth, and we’re new in our relationship, too.
“Yes, very much so,” Georgie says. I lead her down a corridor to the right. “Do you go to all the home games?”
I nod. “I try to. Obviously, I’ve grown up with hockey, so I love it. But I work for Real Miami FC in social media, so I have to go to all their games and travel with the team.”
Her blue eyes widen. “Oh, what a cool job!”
“It’s fun. I’ve always wanted to work in sports, and I just started with them this past fall. We’re in our offseason now, so I can take in the hockey games at night, which I love.”
I can also take hockey pictures, which I love more than anything,I think wistfully.
Now we’re close enough that you can feel the cold air coming off the surface of the ice. I take her past the main entrance that the players use to enter the ice, heading toward the elevator.
“Isn’t there an elevator we need to use? If I remember right?” Georgie asks.
“Yes, it’s right here. Good memory!”
We reach the elevator, and the attendant greets me and then checks Georgie’s credential.
“Plaza concourse, please,” I say.
“Of course,” the attendant says, pressing the button.
The doors close, and Georgie turns to me. “I should take pictures of everything as I walk. I’m afraid I won’t find my way back.”
“It will be second nature to you in no time, I promise. You should have seen me on my first day at Real Miami. They were showing me around, and I was like, ‘I will never remember where to get a cup of coffee. Or worse, how to find my way back to my desk!’”
Her eyes light with recognition. “Yes, that’s exactly it. It’s all so foreign.”
I feel as if I could connect with Georgie. But do I dare? She’s dating Beckham. I know he’s one of Aiden’s friends, his closest one on the team. Would it be a good thing? Or just more lying to people?
Again, I try to bury the thought because I don’t want to examine something so wonderful and beautiful through this lens. If people could see the way Aiden treats me, looks at me, and cares about me?
Nobody on earth would think it was wrong.
I go back Georgie’s last comment. “But look at me. I’ve not only found my way to the coffee, but out of the building and all the way to the Premier Airlines Arena,” I say, smiling. “I have full faith you will not only find your way to your seat, but back to the lounge at intermission.”
The elevator stops on the concourse level, and we exit. Georgie stops and takes a picture of the location, and I wait for her. We walk together toward the end of the rink where the Manatees will warm up.
“So do you come to warm-ups often?” she asks.
“Yes. I love hockey, so I take advantage of watching practices, games, everything I can when Real Miami is off. I mean, I still have my job to do, but now it’s nine to five.”
“You say you do social media for Real Miami, but what does that entail?”
