“I didn’t know you knew my dad,” I reply, hoping I don’t sound too cold. Mr. Isles doesn’t need or deserve my attitude.
“I didn’t until today.” Mr. Isles says. “He’s here as Nolan’s guest. I thought you knew.”
“I… I’m… no. I didn’t know,” I sputter because his words are floating around my brain like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that don’t seem to fit together. “Nolan? Duggan? Invited my dad here?”
“Yes,” Mr. Isles says, and his salt-n-pepper eyebrows furrow. Then his dark eyes move past me and he waves at someone else. “Harvey! You didn’t tell your daughter you were coming?”
“Wanted to surprise her,” Dad’s voice hits my ears, and I turn as see him walking toward me. He’s in a suit. And behind him, done with playing Santa but still in the outfit, is Nolan.
His eyes are as wide and shocked as mine. I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m not liking it at all.
“Surprise honey! When your mom found out I was coming here to sign Nolan, she filled the trunk with gifts for you.”
“Sign Nolan?” I swallow. “You’re going to rep Nolan?”
My eyes land on Nolan. He averts his stare. “Mr. Roarke can we talk about this later? This is an event for the kids and I—”
“Of course. Of course. Go be merry and bright,” Dad tells Nolan.
“Felicity…” Nolan says my name and steps towards me, but I step away.
I plaster the biggest smile I can on my face and announce, “I’m going to see how our VIP guests are doing in the suite upstairs.”
“I should go with you,” Nolan says. “That’s where the kids with mobility issues are right? They should have their time with Santa too.”
“Great idea!” I say, and my voice is a little too shrill to be considered cheery, but I hope no one takes note. “You go do that. I’m going to help Ellery at the games table.”
“But —”
“You’re on your own,” I say tersely and storm away as fast as I can.
Chapter 15
Nolan
She disappears into the crowd before I can sputter out a complete sentence. Left in her wake is this undeniable cloud of awkwardness. I turn and see Harvey Roarke and Mr. Isles staring at me, confused.
“I’m heading up to the suite to see those kids,” I mutter and start to walk away.
“I’ll walk with you,” Harvey tells me and falls in step beside me.
We walk in silence all the way off the ice, down the tunnel and to the elevator that will bring us up to suite level. It isn’t until we step inside and I punch the button that I speak. Still staring straight ahead I say. “Felicity is your daughter?”
“Yeah. My one and only,” Harvey says. “Unless you don’t like her and then, never seen her before in my life.”
He laughs. It’s not a funny joke.
“I like her. A lot,” I reply, finally turning to look at him. “Which is why I’m concerned you told her I invited you here. I didn’t.”
“Well, you invited Rick,” Harvey explains. “I work for the same agency as him. Well that he used to work at. I normally rep baseball players but I’m branching out, and so when I saw the invite on his desk as we were clearing it out with his widow, I decided to come. Introduce myself. You’re going to need someone to rep you, and I’m more than happy to be that person.”
I grunt out a sound, like a “Huh” but much meaner sounding. Harvey’s smile dims. He shoves his hands in the pocket of his designer suit. “So you like Felicity?”
“She’s wonderful,” I tell him and take a low slow breath. “I think… well, I think we have something special, her and I. We kind of just started dating.”
His eyes widen so much it smoothes the crinkles by the corner of his eyes, and then his smile is back full force. It’s similar to his daughter’s — wide and bright — but not as warm. “Amazing! Great news! Another reason to sign with me. Keep it in the family.”
The elevator doors slide open and we’re high above the ice now, on the floor that has a string of V.I.P suites. The doors are open to one at the end of the hall, and I hear happy chatter. Harvey steps out with me. “You know I rep her ex. Felicity used to date a baseball player.”
