Grant had given up hope that he would see his mystery girl, when he spotted her in Finn’s line. There were a couple people in front of her, which meant she’d be right next to Finn—and Grant—in just a couple minutes.
There was no one in his line and Grant tried to keep his eyes from wandering to where she stood. He looked down at the marker in his hands and twisted the cap. It wasn’t his usual style to be attracted to someone so quickly. What was it about this girl?
When she made her way to the front of the line, Finn stood up. He leaned over the table to give her a hug—a long, familiar hug.
“Good game,” she said as they pulled apart.
Finn didn’t immediately sit back down. Instead, he jerked his chin at the jersey she wore. “Nice shirt.”
She looked down with mock surprise. “Oh, this old thing?”
“This old thing” happened to be a one-of-a-kind game day jersey from last week’s themed night game. They were auctioned off with the proceeds going to a local charity. The guys had all watched the online bidding, joking about who was the most popular by how high the bids had gone. Even though Grant was new to the team, somehow he hadn’t gotten last place.
Not that it really mattered. Finn’s final price had beaten them all in a landslide thanks to a bidding war in the last thirty minutes. There were only a few reasons people paid that much for a jersey.
There was a sly smile on her face. “It cost a fortune, so I figured I might as well get it signed.”
Finn laughed and motioned for her to turn around. When she did, he signed the back with his marker. “You act like you weren’t going to see me unless you came tonight.”
She laughed and spun back around. “But you know I love seeing you play.”
“Funny, because I haven’t seen you at a game all season.”
Neither had Grant. He would have remembered her for sure.
She started into a long explanation about work being busy, and how she promised to do better for the rest of the home games. She started recapping some of her favorite plays from the game when a family appeared in front of Grant. They pulled out their ticket stubs and asked if he would sign them.
Grant barely resisted the urge to shush the little girl who was telling him how he was her favorite player, hating that he was missing the conversation between Finn and the redhead. But when he looked down at the girl’s gap-tooth grin, Grant felt a pang of guilt. He should be thrilled to know that he was someone’s favorite player his first season playing in the MASL. He racked his brain trying to find a way to make this encounter special for the little girl standing in front of him.
He could offer to sign her shirt, but since it wasn’t specifically Storm, that wasn’t exactly fitting. He could take a picture with her, but again, that wasn’t above and beyond. That was something he’d already done with three other fans that night.
An idea suddenly came to him. When the girl finished listing all the reasons she loved Grant, he gave her a big grin. “It’s great to know I have such a loyal fan. Are you coming to next week’s game?”
The little girl turned around and looked at her mom. “Are we?”
Her mom gave her a sad smile and looked over at the girl’s father.
He shook his head. “Sorry, sweetie. We can’t go to every game. Coming tonight was a special treat.”
Grant wished he could decipher what “special treat” meant. Was it a money thing? If so, his idea was perfect. He got a certain number of free tickets to give to friends for each game, and since he didn’t really know anyone other than his teammates, they always went to waste.
He stood up and jerked his chin at the girl’s father, hoping he would lean in over the table so he could ask him quietly. Grant had gotten enough lectures from his older sister about giving his nieces treats without first asking their parents first.
The dad’s brows furrowed, but he leaned in.
Grant kept his voice low. “I’ve got free tickets for next week’s game if you’d like them.”
The other man leaned back and shook his head. “No, I couldn’t.”
Grant lifted his brows. “Because you can’t come?”
“Because I don’t want to take advantage.”
“It’s hard to take advantage when I’m offering.” Grant chuckled and pulled out his phone. “Why don’t you give me your last name. I’ll make sure they’re waiting for you guys at the box office next week before the game.”
“That’s really generous of you.”
Grant shrugged. “It’s the least I can do for such an enthusiastic fan.”
