“I had enough pucks in the net tonight. Maybe you should have better taste. Or know your hockey better.” I know it’s dangerous territory to say that to any fan, much less a fan of my rivalry, but I want to push her buttons.
“My hockey knowledge is abundant, and I have much better taste. That’s why I’m a Vegas girl. Now, please sign this, and then I can go.”
“Are you sure you aren’t just playing the hard-to-get tactic? Do you want me to take you out to dinner? Is that what this-” I motion to her Gamblers’ jersey “-is all about?”
She shakes her head in aggravation. “Wow, you actually proved my point. You’re nothing but an arrogant jerk. You will never have a woman like me. Sign it.” Her gaze is pointedly on the not-yet-autographed piece of clothing in my hands.
“Oh, you wound me…what’s your name again?” She hasn’t said it yet, and I have to know. If I never see her again for the rest of my life, I need to know her name.
She avoids my question. “The name for the jersey is Tiffany, she’s my friend.”
“I asked for your name.”
“You don’t need it.” This woman is such a piece of work. It’s fun, though.
“Yes, I do. I need to have a name to go with your face because I won’t be forgetting you anytime soon. So, give me your name, and I’ll give you the signed jersey back.”
“You know, I was taught to respect my elders, and since I’m much older than you, you should remember that. However, I’ll let this interaction go. This time. It’s Lexie. Now, sign it.”
Much older than me? Not a chance in hell that’s true. I grin over the victory of learning her name. “Well, Lexie, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” I finally sign and hand it back to her, not able to let her age go without saying something about it first. “And for the record, there’s no way you’re much older than me, but if you are, then you’re definitely doing something right.” I allow myself the chance to truly appreciate Lexie’s looks. Hell, it doesn’t even matter whose jersey she’s wearing. She’s stunning either way.
When my eyes meet hers again, the glare is back in full force. “Thanks for the autograph. Hope you are able to make through the season, but if not there’s always next year.” Lexie turns on her heels and walks away without a glance back, which is great because I watch her until she disappears through the doors.
~
“Close your mouth while you eat,” I tell Reed. I came over to Brooke’s early this morning for us to have breakfast and because I’m taking him to school today.
“Yes, sir,” he mumbles around a sausage link.
Brooke laughs, shaking her head. Before he can take another bite, I ask him how school is going.
Reed shrugs like nothing new has happened, which is his sign that something new has happened.
“Re
ed, tell your dad about your new friend,” Brooke urges him.
“Sadie,” my son smiles. “She’s my new best friend.”
“She is? What is she like? Maybe we can invite her to the park next time you go.”
“Dad, she’s so cool. She loves SpongeBob and everything. But she has a really ugly Hello Kitty bag. Girls.” He shakes his head and rolls his eyes.
“That might be her favorite bag, you shouldn’t call it ugly. You wouldn’t want her to say that about yours, would you?”
My comment flies right over his head. “It’s pink and has lots of glitter,” he says, explaining why he’s right. “But I won’t tell her it’s ugly, if you say not to. Could she come to a game?”
I glance at Brooke. This is an iffy subject with us because we’ve had issues before with Reed having more fake friends than genuine friends. “You’ll have to ask your mom that first.”
“We’ll see,” she tells him. “Come on, it’s time for your dad to take you to school.”
We grab his book bag and then we’re on our way. Reed asks me about the game, even apologizes for falling asleep.
“It’s okay, little man. You missed a sweet goal that I made, though. I’ll show you a clip from the internet tonight, if you want.” I go into the play-by-play for him and he high-fives me as we pull into the school. “Have a good day.” I ruffle his hair, causing him to laugh before he quickly reaches up to put it back in place.
With him at school, I head back to Brooke’s.
“So, who is this Sadie? He wanted me to tell him about the game, so we didn’t talk about her.”