When I reach in my purse for money, the driver waves me off. “Your fare and a nice tip were paid by your secretary when he booked me. He paid me to drop off your bags at the Palmer House too, so I’m heading there next.”
“Great, thanks.”
“Have a good one,” he tells us. “Don’t forget, you want a West sweater. Jonah West.”
Percy grins at me as the driver pulls away from the curb. “I’m guessing you’ll be getting a sweater with your man’s name on it.”
“He’s not my man.”
“Sorry, I mean your piece.”
“Who invited you?” I grumble, laughing.
She looks down at her watch. “What time does this thing start? I’m kinda hungry.”
“Oh, we’re eating hot dogs and nachos in the arena.”
Percy turns to me, her lips parted in shock. “What?”
“Yeah, did I forget to mention that?”
“You know I don’t eat that shit, Abby!”
“Today you do. Today is a day to rest and have fun.”
“Lord have mercy,” Percy says softly. “I don’t know if I can eat a hot dog. Aren’t those things made from lips and assholes?”
“Mmm, lips and assholes.”
We make our way to the ticketing area and as we stand in line, my phone dings with a text. I take it out and see that Luca finally responded to my message this morning telling him I’m coming.
Luca: Great! Ask for Gloria at the ticket box, she’ll take care of you. Come down to the hallway outside the locker room after the game. I’ll meet up with you when I’m done with interviews.
Me: Okay. Good luck!
When we get to the front of the line, I ask for Gloria and the person behind the window picks up a phone and presses a button to call her. Within five minutes, a middle-aged woman with pretty, spiky silver hair comes to meet up with me and Percy.
“So nice to meet ya’ll,” she says in a southern accent. “Guests of Luca Campbell, right?”
“Yes,” I say. “Great to meet you, too.”
She turns and gives us an apologetic look as she leads us toward a hallway. “I’m so sorry, Luca told me ya’ll weren’t coming, so I’ve already got the Friends and Family section filled.”
“Oh, well…can I buy other tickets?” I ask.
Gloria waves a hand. “No, honey. I’ve got other VIP seating for you, it just won’t be in Friends and Family.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Are you hungry? We’ve got a buffet upstairs and you’ve got plenty of time to eat before the puck drops.”
“That would be great.”
I look around at the arena as we walk, admiring its size. Our driver was right—everyone is wearing red. There are lots of families here, all smiling and looking excited about the game.
“Listen, if there’s anything at all ya’ll need while you’re here, you just let me know,” Gloria says to us. “I’m here to make sure you have a fantastic time and get a warm Blaze welcome, okay?”
“Thank you.” I stop, remembering our lack of red shirts. “Can you tell us where the gift shop is? We need to get some shirts.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you some. I’ll bring them to your suite.”
Percy gives me an approving look. We’re getting red carpet treatment, which is nice but makes me question once again if I should’ve come. I really like Luca, but this feels pretty relationship-ey.
Relationships hurt. Maybe not at first. Maybe not even for a while. But eventually, they rip you to shreds. I’m not getting shredded again.
Gloria shows us to a spacious suite with plush, comfortable seats, a stocked bar and a spectacular view of the ice. As I look out over the vast rink, a sense of excitement tingles down my spine.
Luca’s going to skate out there. I’ll get to see him play. If this whole thing starts to feel too personal, I can back off and stay alone in one of the two rooms I got for tonight at the Palmer House. For now, I just want to live in the moment and let myself enjoy the game and my time with Percy.
“Girl, that buffet is sick,” Percy says as she walks back into our suite after going to the bathroom. “I took a glance when I walked by. It’s got chicken and veggies—”
“Boo,” I cut in. “What about nachos?”
“Yeah, that too. It’s got everything. Let’s go eat, please.”
We eat a delicious meal, a few people greeting us when they read the badges Gloria gave us that say we’re guests of Luca. One of them is Lily West, the wife of the goalie the driver mentioned. She’s warm and nice but doesn’t ask how we know Luca. I like her immediately.
When we get back to our seats, we find a few neatly folded Blaze shirts on each one, a Blaze baseball hat sitting on top of each stack.
“Can we take Gloria home with us?” Percy jokes as she unfolds a shirt.