“I’m Kevin. I work for the team in media relations.” He held up an ID badge hanging around his neck. “One of the players asked me to find you. He asked me to bring you and your friends to meet him.”
My friends wentveryquietveryquickly.
“Which player?” I asked, though I already knew.
“I wasn't told, only that one of the guys asked for you.” Kevin was still catching his breath. “I was told to look for four people, one wearing a jersey, another with fiery red hair and an Irish accent. That was you guys at the game, right? Section 108?”
“That was us,” Mia said when I seemed to have lost the ability to speak.
“Great. If you could follow me.” Kevin was already turning back toward the arena. “We need to hurry, though. The guys have media obligations.”
I stood frozen on the sidewalk while Kevin waited. My friends exchanged looks that ranged from excited to concerned.
“Jacks?” Benji’s voice was careful. “You okay?”
Was I okay?
Had Skyler sent someone to find me—someone who worked for the Lightning? After scoring a goal and playing in front of twenty thousand people, he’dmade sure someone would track me down and bring me to him. Or was this something else? Was one of the other guys pulling a prank? Why was my head spinning?
Bit if it was Sky?
It would be . . .
It would be huge.
It would be the kind of gesture thatmeantsomething.
It would be the kind of thing one did when another person mattered enough that he couldn’t let them disappear into the night after sharing something important.
“Yeah,” I said, my voice coming out rougher than intended. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“So we’re doing this?” Mia asked.
I looked at my best friends, all of whom were watching me with expressions that managed to be supportive and protective and excited all at once.
“We’re doing this.”
Kevin led us back into the arena through a side entrance I hadn’t noticed on our way in. He badged us through security and down a series of hallways that got quieter and more institutional the further we went. The sounds of the crowd faded behind us, replaced by the low hum of building systems and the distant echo of voices from what was probably themedia room.
“First time behind the scenes?” Kevin asked as we walked.
“First time at a game,” I admitted.
“Really? Wow. Cap picked a good one for your first experience. He was incredible tonight. Two goals, played maybe his best game of the season.” Kevin glanced back at me. “He seemed pretty excited about you being here. He kept asking if we’d spotted his guests yet.”
His guests.
Not just me.Us.
He’d included my friends, people he knew mattered to me.
We stopped outside a door marked “PLAYERS & STAFF ONLY” in large red letters.
“Wait here for a second,” Kevin said. “Let me make sure he’s ready.”
He disappeared through the door, leaving the four of us standing in a sterile hallway that smelled like industrial cleaning supplies and athletic tape.
“This is surreal,” Finn muttered.
