Although the arena was only a few blocks away, walking there was out of the question, for Cary at least. Being famous came with some minor drawbacks, like not getting your steps in.
When they arrived at the venue the taxi pulled around to the back where a dozen fans were waiting.
“What are these people doing here?” she asked. “The players are already inside the arena.”
Cary smiled shyly. “I think they’re here to see me.”
She knocked on the side of her head with her fist. “Right. I keep forgetting you’re Cary Kingston.”
He laughed. “When I’m with you, I forget I’m me.”
Tyler said goodbye to her boyfriend, ducked into the VIP entrance, and headed to the suite. Sebastien would no doubt be lurking somewhere in the building, and she needed to avoid him, at least for the time being.
“Hi, Tyler!” Jessica greeted her excitedly. “I asked to be your server tonight.”
“It’s nice to see you.”
“I saw Cary’s speech on TV.” Jessica frowned, shifting her weight. “It—it sounds like he has someone special, huh? Bummer.”
Tyler shrugged with a tight-lipped smile. “Yeah, bummer.”
“How many people are you expecting?” the server asked, passing her a Blue Moon beer.
“Let’s see . . .” She counted on her fingers. “Four from my family. Pamela, John, Sebastien, Kim, Vegas, and Cary. So . . . ten.”
Tyler’s brothers couldn’t make it because her nephews were playing in a hockey tournament the next morning. All four boys were on the top-seeded teams, and she chalked their achievements up to the extra conditioning they did in the off-season.
The Kingstons entered the suite and waved at Tyler.
“Thanks for having us, dear,” Pamela said, her grin stretching from ear to ear.
“We’re too early,” John added, scanning the empty room.
“Don’t be silly,” Tyler said. “I’ll take your coats. Your son won’t be here for a while, so please make yourselves comfortable.”
Pamela’s eyes twinkled. “I have to tell you, we’ve seen more of him in the last four months than in the past ten years.”
Tyler nodded and smiled. She’d suspected as much and was glad they’d reconnected with their only child.
“This is Jessica,” Tyler said, introducing their server. “She’ll take your order. There’s an open bar and food. Have whatever you want.”
“How lovely!” Pamela shook Jessica’s hand. “I’m Pamela, and this is my husband, John.”
“Hello,” John said politely.
“The Kingstons,” Tyler said. “As in Cary’s parents.”
Jessica’s eyes lit up like a pinball machine. “You’re Cary’s parents?”
“We are.” Pamela tightened the bow on her blouse.
“Wow!” Jessica gushed. “Thank you for having him.”
That’s enough, Jessica.
The Kingstons laughed, embarrassed, but they were probably used to it, given their son was a celebrity.
“Cary said your family’s coming?” John asked.
