Only One Night (Only One 3)

I look over at Miller. “You’ve been acting weird since we got here.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, taking another sip of the water. “I’m fine.”

“You seem distracted,” Ralph says. “Is everything okay at home?”

“Well, if you’re asking me if Murielle is still there, the answer is yes.” I stop talking when the waitress comes over and takes our orders.

As the waitress opens the glass door to leave, I notice the music is now playing, and the sound is getting louder.

Conversation during the meal centers on how we can better the equipment they have for us. The developers all take notes of the things we want done. “I would like for my stick to be just a touch lighter,” I say, and they all look at me.

“You hold the record of the hardest shot from the All-Star game last year,” Miller says.

“One hundred and eight point five,” Ralph says, eating a piece of his steak. “You broke Karlson’s ankle last year when he tried to block the shot.”

I laugh. “That was not my fault. Who gets in the way? That’s what they have a goalie for.”

“You play defense,” Miller says.

“Yeah, and Karlson was playing forward. Would you get in the way of a puck?” I ask, and they shake their heads.

“I mean, not yours,” Miller says, laughing. “No way in hell would I even attempt that. But with anyone else, I don’t see the danger. You broke the Jones stick with that one-timer,” he says, talking about the time I took a shot and the goalie tried to block it with his stick. The part that got in the way of the puck broke off.

“Anyway.” I roll my eyes. “Last year, my stick was good, but if we can get it just a touch more flexible, I think it would be the stick to beat.”

“I’m going to test a couple of things out this week in the lab,” the man, whose name I think is Daniel, but I’m not sure, says. “I’ll have a couple of samples available within the next two weeks.”

“I wouldn’t mind a couple of samples,” Miller says, and the rest of the meal is spent talking about things he would like to have done for him. I only notice the outside once I look up. The lights have been dimmed now, and some of the tables have been moved.

I start to panic when I don’t see her, which makes me even more confused. I don’t think I’ve ever felt the need to talk to someone like this before. When I spot her, I see that she is still laughing, and she is drinking a glass of wine. From the looks of it, the table is having the best time. Someone must have said something really funny because the redhead hits the table, and I swear I can hear her laughter. Something inside me clicks; I just don’t know what it is.

Chapter 4

Evelyn

I take a sip of my wine and set the glass down next to my plate. I am the first to admit that this night is becoming one of my favorite nights in the longest time. It could also be the champagne and the wine talking.

When I got here, I was forced to put on a penis necklace. “We better be getting cheesecake for dessert.” I look over at Jeanie, who downs another glass of wine. “Oh, or apple pie with ice cream.”

“You just ate two appetizers, and then your whole meal, plus the extra mac and cheese you ordered.”

“It had lobster in it,” I say. “One does not say no to mac and cheese with lobster.”

She throws her head back and laughs. One of the bridesmaids clinks the glass with her spoon. “If I can have everyone’s attention,” she says, and I take a sip of my wine. “We are going to go around the table …” She has to shout to even be heard over the music being played in the restaurant. I look around to see that some of the tables have been moved, making way for a dance floor.

Looking out the back window, I see the outdoor space is filled with hanging lights, providing a soft glow to the garden of greenery all around. The DJ is set up at the corner on a stage of sorts. They have booths outside where people sit and drink, but some are up and dancing already. I get my glass of wine and take another sip, then turn my attention back to the other bridesmaid as she sits down.

“What did I miss?” I ask Jeanie, who leans in and whispers.

“No fucking clue, I was watching one of the waiters.” I look over at the guy she is trying to eye fuck, and I suddenly think back to the blue eyes I’ve been thinking about this whole time.