“Okay.”
Awkward. It’s my trademark. I feel like a fool as I wave at Ryan. He waves back, then walks away.
Ari grabs my arm excitedly. “He’s cute, Lindy. You have a date! Right after we were talking about all this. It was meant to be.”
“I don’t have a date yet,” I clarify, putting the paper in my pocket.
“Shut up! All you have to do is call him. And you are so calling him, even if I have to dial the phone and make you do it.”
“You don’t even know anything about him. Neither do I.”
Ari scowls at me. “That’s what the date is for, Lindy. You’re going out with him to get to know him.”
“Oh, really?” I give her an amused look.
“Don’t you want to?”
I think about Ryan’s shy smile and the confident way he just asked me out. I could never do that. I admire it.
“I think I do,” I admit. “I mean, why not?”
Ari’s got me thinking about having my hand held now, and more. She’s right. There’s a lot more that a relationship can offer and I’m missing all of it.
Maybe my date with Ryan will be awful. But maybe not. It’s worth finding out.Chapter SixteenVictor
Jonah looks like he’s about to collapse. I wish there was something I could do for him, but there’s not. He had to stand there at Lily’s visitation and greet the hundreds of people who came through the line offering their condolences. Lily’s parents and sister are there, too, but Jonah was her husband. He’s the one holding it all together, his expression stoic. He’s got bags under his eyes and lines on his face that weren’t there before. I can’t imagine what the past several days have been like for him.
Lindy stood next to me for hours at the visitation, talking to players from other teams and their wives, celebrities connected to the team and the many people, along with their families, from the front office and team ownership that came today.
She lost it the moment she saw Jonah, silent tears streaming down her face. I slid my hand into hers and she squeezed mine like I was her lifeline, so I never let go. Holding hands led to quite a few looks and questions, most of which have left me so pissed off I can’t wait to get the fuck out of here. The funeral service is over, but I’m not leaving until Jonah does. He’s having a private burial for his wife, but still thanking all the people who came today.
Lindy and I are standing alone, talking quietly about the service, when we’re interrupted.
“I’m sorry, who are you?” Angelica Ford asks Lindy with a sneer, looking her up and down.
“I’m Lindy,” she says, flushing.
“Lindy who? Are you related to Victor or something?”
Angelica’s the niece of the Chicago Blaze’s majority owner, and she’s an entitled brat who’s slept with several players on the team. Not me, though. I couldn’t get a hard-on for that bitch if someone put a gun to my head. My teammate, Dante, said he told her that his kink is to fuck women with his hand covering their mouths just so he wouldn’t have to hear her whiny voice.
“No,” Lindy gives me a wide-eyed look.
“Angelica’s related to one of our team owners,” I say. “She’s used to meeting people and getting into places based entirely on that.”
“Fuck you,” Angelica says smoothly. “I went to Stanford.”
“Entirely on your academic merits, I’m sure.” I roll my eyes.
She shrugs. “I was born rich. So what?” She looks Lindy up and down again, studying her straight black pants and dark gray blouse. Then she breaks into an amused grin. “Oh my God. This is the concessions girl, isn’t it? I heard you were banging someone from Concessions, but I didn’t believe—”
I cut her off. “Christ, you’re miserable. Go find someone else’s day to ruin.”
Angelica’s lips part with surprise. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, Victor. Instead of focusing on this things outside the rink, maybe you should focus on hockey if you want to keep your job.”
Lindy tightens her hold on my hand, silently supporting me.
“I was serious,” I tell Angelica, waving my hand. “Go away. You don’t even belong here.”
She narrows her eyes. “And why not? My uncle is the team owner.”
Mia joins us then, saying, “I think Angelica just got confused. There’s a wet t-shirt contest nearby she was planning to enter.” She gives Angelica a sympathetic smile. “It was an accident walking in here right? I mean, how embarrassing, to wear that to a funeral.”
Lindy bursts out laughing as Angelica looks down at her very tight, low-cut black dress. Then Lindy covers her mouth, looking mortified to have laughed at a funeral. I squeeze her hand reassuringly. Lily would’ve approved.
“You guys are dicks,” Angelica says with a huff, walking away.