Well, I couldn’t worry about that now. I had to be behind the concession stand in five minutes. I’d better hurry.
I had to rush through a huge crowd of people but made it just in time. Maybe my almost tardiness was because I’d stopped to stare at the ice. I’d been working the concessions for several months yet had never really paid any attention to a single event. I was here to do my job and leave.
Tonight, I was tingling all over and I couldn’t understand why.
He already told you why. You’re his mate.
“No, I’m not.” Great, now I was speaking to myself. I’d remained in a fog the entire day and it had nothing to do with alcohol from the night before. Maybe the fact my mother had called twice was keeping me on edge. She hadn’t been nice in her voicemails either.
Then again, she never was.
What made me really angry was her continued harsh words about me skating. I hadn’t become ill because of figure skating. Besides, I was a freaking adult and would run my own life. Period.
“Hey, girl.” Tawny appeared, scaring the bejeebers out of me. Enough so I jumped. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, even if you were talking to yourself. What’s that all about? Wondering about the hot man who adores you?”
“Stop. He doesn’t adore me.” I’d told her what had happened. Well, at least some of the horrific events that would forever alter my life. What if I hadn’t used the get out of jail free card? Would the ugly secrets have been kept in the dark? I just couldn’t think about that right now. If they had, he’d still be lying to me.
No, my father had recognized him the second we’d walked into the room. I’d seen the flash in his eyes and I’d let it drop. I alsoknew my father far too well. I should have known hands down he’d been up to something. He’d seized the opportunity karma had presented him like a dying man tossed a life raft. And he’d enjoyed every second of the ruse. I could only imagine what my father would do with the information.
He’d try to ruin the Masters brothers. I couldn’t allow that to happen.
“Are you okay? You look flushed, and he does adore you.”
I shook my head while tying my apron. “I’m fine. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”
“Hmm… I can imagine. Did you set another appointment?”
Her reminder of just how much my life sucked hit me hard.
“It’s Saturday. I’ll take care of it on Monday.”
“They schedule appointments online now. You need to take care of you.”
“Go watch the game with your reporter boyfriend of yours.”
She giggled. “No matter what happens with the game tonight, Jeff is set on an exclusive interview beginning during the second intermission then after the finish of the game. Isn’t that exciting? Would you like me to have Jeff give Steven your regards?”
I threatened to toss a bunch of napkins in her direction. “Don’t you dare. He already knows I’m here. He even tried chasing me down.”
“What? That is exactly what romance novels are made of.”
“This is real life. Remember?” I chastised.
“Details. How did you get away?”
“I hid in the women’s bathroom.”
Tawny shook her head. “Dear God, Chris. You have one hot man after you and you were hiding in the women’s bathroom? Fuck your parents. Fuck that he lied to you. I saw the flowers. That was creative and romantic as hell. Jeff never did anything like that for me.”
“You date him. I gotta work. See you after the game.”
My heart wasn’t in the job, not that it had really ever been before. I was exhausted, riddled with anxiety and in truth was at the point of hating my life. Knowing that my father would do everything in his power to make the world of the shifters a pure nightmare pissed me off more than anything had in a very long time.
I did my best to ignore the game, managing to do so through the first intermission, which was crazy busy. I’d barely had time to think let alone pay any attention to the game. But with neither team scoring, I could tell the fans were getting antsy. I’d even heard a few boos before intermission had hit.
By the time the second period had begun, I was drenched in sweat, my ponytail barely holding on given the excessive heat and my makeup was likely running down my face. But as happened with every sports game, as soon as the intermission was over, the entire corridor emptied out.
I grabbed my drink, trying to cool down. With all the air now flowing in, my temperature should be dropping.
