Lily leans over the table toward me. “You already kissed him, Bree. As much as you may want to, you can’t undo that. So why not consider exploring what’s clearly sitting between you two?”
Mia gives the other two women a knowing look. “I say there’s no turning back now.”
Sophie giggles. “Oh, this will be fun.”
Lily chortles like a woman in the know and about to do harm.
The hair on my arms stands up. “What are you talking about?”
As if she’s extremely proud of herself, Mia lifts her chin and purses her lips. “We’re going to help you get your man.”
My man? Are they nuts?
I can’t even bring myself to talk to Wade, let alone flirt with him.
That’s on the list, by the way. Lots of flirting. And not just the how, but the when, where, and what. I had no idea that many ways to flirt with a guy existed. By the time we finished dinner, the three of them had created a spreadsheet, using an app on Sophie’s phone, that entailed a complete timeline, which she had already emailed to me. Of course.
Seriously, they’re out of their minds.
There’s no way I can do this. One, I’ve never had a serious boyfriend until Chase, and look where that got me. Two, this is Wade we’re talking about. My best friend, as far back as I can remember.
And three? This is Wade! I wasn’t in his league in high school, and I’m not now either. Not this gullible, stupid version of myself, anyway. The last two days have proven I’m still a blazing mess.
But I can’t think that right now. As much as I want to fix things before I even consider something more between us, that’s not happening tonight.
The puck drops in thirty minutes, and before that, we’re revealing our new mascot, the results of the ‘Name Our Arena’ fan poll, and the ‘Date a Hockey Player’ charity event. And by we, I mean Rebecca, Zach, and me.
So, here I am, racing toward my boss’s office to review the script one last time, while sweat trickles down my back. I had the perfect schedule planned until Zayne pulled another prank by detaching the oversized sunglasses from the new mascot costume and taping them to the Sun Kings logo in the locker room.
The guys thought it was great and asked if we could leave them there because it ‘made them feel more connected to their identity as Sun Kings.’ I mimicked a gag over that one as I ripped them off the wall, imagining the horrific expression on children’s faces in the audience when they saw Stingin’ Ray had no eyes.
Yeah, not on my watch.
Thankfully, we reattached Ray’s glasses with no issues. I just hope they don’t fall off during his intermission appearances.
I shove that out of my mind as I push open the door to Rebecca’s office, who’s standing in the circle of Zach’s arms and engaging in a rather sweet and intimate moment. They’re both wearing the Sun Kings jerseys I had specially made for them for the event. Zach’s has his old number on it from his playing days and ‘Rebecca’ across the back, while Rebecca is wearing her father’s number and ‘Zachary’ on her shoulders.
“Oh, sorry!” I whirl around. “Should have knocked first.”
Rebecca’s laugh jerks me back. “No need to apologize. Zach seems to think the rules cease at five o’clock.”
“If they didn’t, I’d never get to kiss you until after the games.”
“You two are so stinkin’ cute, you know that?” I approach them, enjoying how easy it is to be around them, let alone work for them. “But you’re going to be late if you don’t go downstairs now for the presentation. The IT team has your mics ready.”
“Tell them to get a third one ready.” Rebecca eyes me.
Did they plan something without telling me? I have all the post and video reel templates ready to pop in images andupload them during the game. This could throw all my planning sideways. “What’s going on? Who’s it for?”
“You,” she replies, her smile growing wider by the second as she holds what appears to be a folded jersey. “And you’ll need this.”
“You want me to help with the presentation?” I take the jersey, bunching the thick fabric in my hand as every nerve in my body fires with warning. This wasn’t part of the plan.
“Yes. The fans should see the mastermind behind all the excitement. I think it’s great for our brand, too, don’t you?”
A surge of panic floods me, but this is the job I signed up for. “Sure,” my voice squeaks out.
Rebecca glances at her watch. “She’s right. We need to hustle.”
