“Not yet,” she insists, sitting down in her chair, tugging it closer to the table with a loud scrape. “But close.”
We dive into the food, and it’s just as good as all her other concoctions.
“So,” Stevie starts, “are you nervous about tomorrow?”
“What’s tomorrow?” Macie asks.
“I’m going to a fundraiser the Comets are hosting.”
Her eyes widen at this information, and she sits up higher in her chair. “You’ll be there with the whole team?”
I nod. “Yep.”
“And she’s going as Grady Miller’s date.”
“A date?!” Macie squeaks out, clapping her hands together.
“As friends,” I clarify, sending a pointed glare Stevie’s way. She doesn’t break under the weight of it. “It’s just as friends.”
“You’re friends with him?” Macie asks.
“Umm…yes. I guess I am.” At this point, I think I might be telling the truth. Sure, I’ve told Miller we’re friends, but not until after our shopping trip and lunch date, when I spilled all of my secrets to him, did I really feel like that might be true.
“Like boyfriend-and-girlfriend kind of friends?”
“No.” I shake my head. “Just friends friends.”
She twists her lips, her face scrunching up like she just ate something sour and doesn’t like it. “Hmm. Okay.”
Stevie points her fork toward her daughter. “For the record, I’m with her.”
“I’m shocked,” I deadpan.
I love my sister, but she’s driving me nuts about this whole fundraiser thing. She’s been dropping hints all week about how she thinks Miller and I would make a cute couple. I keep telling her it’s never going to happen, but she doesn’t believe me.
“Liar.” Stevie sticks her tongue out when Macie isn’t looking.
“Can you get me an autographed puck tomorrow?”
“I’m sure I can swing it,” I say to my niece, unsurprised by her request. She asked for one when I went to Smith’s party too. Luckily, Wright was kind enough to send one home with me for her. “Do you want Miller’s signature?”
She scrunches her nose. “No. And not one from the jackass from the truck either.”
“Macie!” her mother cries out in protest.
“You said she could say jackass,” I point out.
Stevie hangs her head, her shoulders shaking with laughter. “I did say she could say jackass.”
“All right, so no autograph from Greer either. Maybe Smith?”
Macie guffaws. “That old man? Nope. I want Beast’s. He’s dreamy.” She bounces her brows up and down. I have no clue if she even knows what dreamy means or if she just heard her mother lusting after Chris Hemsworth again.
“All right. Beast’s it is.”
“And maybe Coach Heller too?” She folds her hands together, sticking her bottom lip out in a plea. “You’d be my favorite aunt.”
“I’m your only aunt.”
“Please?”
I sigh, but there’s no real annoyance behind it. “Fine. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Yes!” She fist-pumps the air. “Also, it’s your turn to do dishes tonight.”
“I’m going to get all these autographs for you, and you’re still making me do dishes? I thought I was your favorite aunt.”
“You are, but I also hate doing dishes, so…” She shovels the last of her mac and cheese in her mouth, swallows, then hops off her chair. She presses a kiss to my cheek before yelling “Bye!” and running off.
I look at Stevie, who is just shaking her head at her daughter’s antics.
“That’s your kid,” I say.
“I know. Don’t you love her?”
“So much.” I really truly do. “I hope the guys are cool about the autographed pucks.”
“I’m sure they will be. They all always seem nice when they stop by the truck.” She takes a bite of her dinner. “Speaking of…now that the little ears are gone, how are you really feeling about tomorrow?”
“Like I’m going to vomit.”
“Because you’re still crushing on Miller, and you’re worried seeing him all dressed up in his tux is going to send your lady bits into overdrive, and you’ll have to ravage him in the coat closet?”
A laugh bubbles out of me. “I thought I was the storyteller here.”
She lifts a shoulder. “What? I have an overactive imagination sometimes, especially when I haven’t been laid in ages.” She mutters the last part.
She doesn’t have to tell me twice. What I didn’t finish telling Miller the other day is that I’m not a virgin, but I may as well be. I haven’t had sex in three years. Haven’t dated in that long either. It feels like a lifetime ago in so many ways.
“I am nervous,” I tell her honestly.
She perks up at this. “You are?”
I nod. “Yeah. I… Well, I haven’t been out with anyone since Aaron.” I wince when I say my ex’s name. “While this isn’t a date”—I give her a pointed look—“in some ways, it feels like it is. Probably just because the event is fancy, I’m sure.”
“Right. Nothing to do with the fact that you’re still crushing on Miller.”
“Shut up,” I tell her. “But yes. He’s so…”
“Miller?”
I nod. “Is it weird to describe him that way? By his name?”
“No, not with a guy like him. He’s his own brand of…well, him. It’s kind of hard not to find him attractive and obnoxious all in one breath. I think you two are going to have a great time tomorrow.”
“I hope so.” I groan, running my hand through my messy hair. “I can’t believe I’m going to be in a room full of hockey players tomorrow. I hope I don’t do or say something embarrassing.”
“Trust me, I think Miller will embarrass himself enough for the both of you.”
I laugh. “True.”
“Besides, the wives will be there, right? You can always mingle with them, make some new friends. Live a little, have fun—you deserve it.”
For the first time in a long time, I think Stevie’s right.
I do deserve it.
This is a lot more than I was expecting it to be.
A camera flashes in my face, which already hurts from smiling so much, and I grip Miller’s arm tighter because I’m now too blind to see much of anything.
“Are you okay?” he asks out of the side of his mouth, somehow still smiling at the camera.
I simply squeeze his arm in response because I’m honestly not sure if I am okay. I feel like a fraud and like I look like a million bucks all at once. It’s hard to recognize who I am under all this makeup and glam, but it also feels good to try something different.
There’s at least another minute of posing and smiling—which doesn’t really sound like a long time, but when you have several cameras in your face, it feels like an eternity—before we’re finally free and walking through the doors of the event.