“She’d have had forty if we could have,” Luc Richard adds.
“I’m happy with our two,” Rose says.“The other thirty-eight can be grandchildren.”
“Kill me now,” Harlow sighs, and I bite back a smile.
“Luckily, Landon has given my mom a taste of grandma-hood, and she’s still satisfied with that,” I tell Harlow.“And she better be for a long time.”
“No kids for you?”Rose asks.“It’s not for everyone.”
“I… no.Not for me,” I say simply, and it hits me that she wants grandkids.From Theo.Which isn’t something he could give her if he were serious with me.
Harlow catches my eye for a second but looks away.“I don’t want a baby.I want a Gold medal.”
“My brilliant daughter is gonna go to the Olympics!”Luc Richard announces, his voice much louder than it needs to be.Harlow shushes him, but he just smiles.“Didn’t even tell us she was skating again.But next year we’ll be in Italy watching her, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
“I still have to qualify,” Harlow says.“It’s not guaranteed.”
“Yeah, it is,” I say, even though I have no clue.“Theo says you’re incredible and he doesn’t lie.”
“You’re friends with Theo?”Rose asks as Randie wraps her chubby fingers around one of Rose’s.
“No.I mean… yeah… I think so.”Wow.I just gave the most awkward response ever to the most casual of questions.“He’s my twin brother’s d-partner.Callan loves him.And so I’ve met him.And we’ve talked.We were in a snowstorm together.”
Yeah, that makes it much better.Not.
Rose and Luc are looking at me cautiously, like I just spoke Morse code.Harlow is fighting a grin, which leads me to believe she knows some of the details that make up my Theo situation.I make sure not to make eye contact with her.
“I’m glad Callan is happy with Theo as his partner.They’ve played great together.”
I nod at Luc, grateful he’s trying to steer the conversation away from the awkward mess I’ve made of it.
“I should take my seat.Nice meeting you and seeing you again, Harlow.”
She winks at me as her parents nod and wave goodbye.
I make my way down the stairs to my seat as I hear Rose say, “You met her already?When?Where?With Theo?She was with Theo, wasn’t she?”
Rose Richard is some kind of witch.She’s picking up on the vibe I’m purposely trying not to throw down.I pray Harlow doesn’t say too much as I settle into my seat.A few minutes before the players come out to start the game, Melissa and Candice appear.The rows are pretty full now, and they’re trying to slip into the seats just left of mine, in the row behind.Melissa is holding a giant tub of popcorn she got from the free concession table in the Friends and Family lounge, and Candice is holding two beverage cups.The arena no longer gives out lids, citing it as an environmental move.But it’s a dangerous one because as Candice is trying to sneak by everyone already in their seats, she stumbles and one of the cups slips from her grasp.I see it in slow motion, and thankfully, my brain is working in fast-forward, so I react.I lift Randie off my lap, pushing her toward Declan, who is sitting right there, so she doesn’t get splashed with a single drop of liquid.But the entire cup and all its contents, which is some kind of cola, rains down my back from my neck to my butt.
I let out a strangled cry of shock because it’s cold and sticky and gross.“Oh, my God!Lola!I am so sorry!”
I jump up.Declan is clutching Randie like the precious cargo she is, and I’m careful not to drip on them.Candice has tears swimming in her eyes, and her cheeks are flushed.“It’s okay.It’s not your fault.I’m fine.”
Melissa looks shocked and contrite.“No.You’re not.You can’t watch the whole game like that.”
“No.I’ll have to leave,” I say, and I don’t even know how I’m going to drive home and not ruin my car’s leather seat.Maybe I can find trash bags somewhere.
“No.I’ll fix this,” Candice vows.“Come with me.”
She slips out of her row as the lights dim and spotlights swirl on the ice below.The team will be out soon.I glance at Declan, and he gives me a confident smile.“Go.I’ve got her.”
“She loves the light show, so she should be good,” I promise.“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“I’ll get someone from the arena to clean this up,” Melissa says as Candice yanks me down the aisle to the doors that lead to the concourse.
And that’s the story of how I end up in a Theo Richard jersey for the rest of the game.
We managed to dry the back of my pants with the hand dryer in the bathroom, since they barely got wet, but my cashmere sweater is drenched and unsavable.So Candice gives me the shirt right off her back.She’s got a black long-sleeve T-shirt underneath, so she’s good.I asked for the T-shirt instead, but she insists I take the jersey because it’s warmer.
