“Hi. I’m looking for suite…” I look down at my badge. “Seventeen.”
The man with red hair smiles at me. “Yes. If you follow this hallway down, it’s halfway down on the right.”
“Thank you.”
When Bode said he got me a pass to the game, I didn’t think it’d be in a suite. I would have been just fine in the nosebleed seats.
But as I find the suite in question, my nerves are ready to jump out of my throat.
What am I even doing here? Groups of people are lingering with drinks in hand. Chafing dishes hold all sorts of food. The back wall holds a counter with a sink and various drinks. Grabbing a seltzer, I stand in the corner.
It seems like everyone here knows each other. It’s one of those times I’m thrust back to that girl who worries about everyone else liking her. Some days I feel like a confident woman, and others, I’m that girl struggling with a mother who didn’t care.
“Hi.” A woman with stunning looks and blonde hair walks over to me. “Are you Bode’s guest?”
“Is it that obvious that I’m new here?”
“Bode told Marcus he invited someone, so he told me to look out for you.”
I smile at the kind woman. “Yeah, I’m Stevie.”
“Harper.” She holds her hand out and I shake it. “C’mon. The game is about to start. Have you ever been to a game before?”
I follow her out to the seats and drop down next to her. “First time.”
“You’ll love it. The games are fun, especially now that the team is doing so well.”
The game starts and it’s hard to follow the puck up here. It’s fast-paced, moving from one end of the ice to the other.
“Is the game always so fast?”
Harper nods. “It was hard to follow at first, but you get used to it.”
“Yeah?” I ask, sipping from my drink.
She nods. “I’ve been a fan since I was in college. Fell for Marcus the first time I saw him. I love watching him play. It’s hard to describe, but you’ll know it when you feel it.”
I try to find Bode on the ice, but it’s hard from up here. “I can imagine it’s fun watching them. I did try to look up a few things, and I’ve been watching on TV so I wouldn’t be a complete newbie.”
“Well, if you need help, let me know.”
It’s nice to have made a friend. It seems like all I do lately is work and hang out with Bode. Not that I’m complaining, but with Cressy all loved up, it’s nice to meet new people.
When did making friends as an adult become so hard?
“Mom, can we have dessert?” Two girls run up to Harper.
“These are my girls, Sam and Sadie. Jamie, our son, is at home with Grandma tonight. He cannot sit still during games.”
“Hi.” I smile at the twin girls standing near Harper.
“Hi,” they answer in unison.
She glances at her watch. “Did you eat the broccoli and carrots I gave you?”
“All of them.”
“Then yes, you can have a cookie. But just one!” she shouts as they run back up into the room. “I swear, those two have a sweet tooth now that I can’t control.”
