19. Sophie
CHAPTER 19
SOPHIE
“ T his is total sour grapes.” I sweep my gaze across the quaint chapel that was supposed to be the perfect setting for my best friend’s wedding. Water stains cover the walls where the brocade wallpaper peeled off in patches. The parts that hadn’t come off—yet—bulge in places where rain from a recent tropical storm invaded their leaky roof in a mass exodus. The once creamy carpet in the aisle looks more like a pack of muddy dogs ran through, and the dank smell will choke me soon if I don’t get out of there.
The plan for today was to decide where we wanted to place the flowers in the chapel, determine where the caterer would position the food in the reception area, and let the venue coordinator know how many tables to assemble and drape. Obviously, none of this is happening.
Or in time for Mia’s wedding.
She sniffles next to me. “They said the reception area is even worse. I can’t bring myself to look at it.” She lets out a sob. “And they said remediation alone will take at least a week and repairs several months. What are we going to do, Soph? The wedding’s in two weeks?”
My shoulders and my spirit sag. “We could reschedule. ”
She shakes her head. “Ethan’s entire family went through a lot of trouble to secure flights and lodging. His brother is flying in from California and had to fight for time off from his company, which they only agreed to when they found out he’s the best man.”
“Those bastards.” I lace my voice with humor so she knows I’m joking.
She snorts and almost laughs. “Seriously…what are we going to do?”
One way or another, I will get a giggle out of her because I know it will help defuse the stress of the situation. “Elope?”
Mia groans. “My mother would never speak to me again.”
“I was joking.” I give her a sidelong glance. “Then we find another venue. There has to be some way to make this work.”
She lets out a shuddering breath. “Got anything in mind?”
“Not yet, but I will.” I check the time on my phone. “I have to go to the game, but afterward, I’ll do some brainstorming and research.”
More tears leak out of her eyes, making a path down her already tear-stained cheeks. “I hope this doesn’t throw Ethan off his game tonight.”
“Does he know yet?”
The subtle shake of her head is minuscule.
“Then don’t tell him.”
She makes a circular gesture with her hand in front of her face. “He’ll read this like a book, Soph.”
“Then tell him we have a backup plan.”
“I don’t want to lie.”
“You won’t be. I’m going to figure something out tonight, and tomorrow we’ll implement it, okay?”
The battle of emotions roving Mia’s face shifts from outright despair to doubt and then to hope as she lifts her brows. “If anyone can figure out how to keep this wedding on schedule, it will be you.”
I hug her. “Don’t worry. Sometimes, the worst situation can turn into an even better outcome than you originally planned.”
She draws back from me. “I don’t think I’m capable of thinking like that.”
“But you trust me, right?”
“Of course.” She rolls her eyes as she tilts her head—quite the feat.
I squeeze her arms for reassurance. “I promise your wedding is going to be everything you wanted it to be, if not more.”
She nods with a watery smile. “Thank you. You’re the best, Soph.”
“No, just scrappy. And determined to see my best friend’s wedding become the event of a lifetime.”
“At this point, I’ll be ecstatic if we don’t have to cancel.”
“We won’t. I promise.”
Arriving late to the game cost me seeing the introduction of the starting line-ups. I’m kind of bummed because I didn’t get to see Luke geared up and standing proud on the ice, representing the Sun Kings. In college, I would roll my eyes at that part—and the gaggle of girlfriends swooning over their hockey boyfriends.
But now I get it. Luke is hecka sexy all on his own. Put the man in a suit pregame and then his Sun Kings gear…my heart never stood a chance. Now I get how Mia fell so hard and fast for Ethan, who turned out to be a great guy. I was so glad he disproved my initial skepticism because I really didn’t want to have THAT conversation with my BFF.
I make my way to the press area in the newly renovated and expanded luxury box to find the team owner, Rebecca Piedmont, chatting with a guy wearing a USA Hockey Magazine badge. She’s all business with her gray and black tailored suit and heels .
Hmmm, maybe Rebecca is schmoozing the press on a bigger scale to benefit the team’s profile. Makes sense. If Marty hadn’t told me she’d called, raving about the pieces I’ve written so far, I’d be totally paranoid seeing her here.
The first time I met her, I was so intimidated by her strong persona and business acumen that I stumbled over my first few questions. But her insistence that I call her by her first name and her gracious nature settled my initial anxiety, and we hit it off.
I muster my courage and take a position in her sight line, hoping she’ll see I’m there. And I’m hoping the more points I can win with the team owner, thereby growing my reputation, the better my chances of landing that column. Marty seemed truly impressed that she called.
To my delight, she glances my way and smiles with a double take as she waves me over.
I put on my best game face (pun intended) and join her. “Good to see you, Rebecca.”
“Sophie, I was hoping I’d run into you tonight.” She gestures to the man standing with her. “This is Peter Orion with USA Hockey Magazine. I was just bragging about the pieces you’ve been writing about the team.”
“Rebecca gave me a copy. I’m looking forward to reading it.” Peter tugs a folded paper from under his arm and opens it—the sports and leisure section of the Sarabella Herald Tribune.
A journalist from a national magazine intends to read my work? I think I’m about to float over the ice and become a human drone, covering the game.
“I’m excited for you to read it. Thank you.” I smile my thanks at Rebecca, who gives me a subtle wink.
But then I notice the picture of Luke on the front page. Not the one of him in his gear with his head tilted down and to the side to show only a smidgen of his face. No, this is the full-on larger-than-life headshot of him facing the camera with a smirk on his face that says, ‘I’m fierce, hot, and I know it.’
Luke asked me to keep his face shielded, so I specifically chose images to keep Luke’s face mostly hidden. The picture staring at me showed everything and was intended for my eyes only. It wasn’t supposed to get uploaded with the others. I thought I removed it from the folder I planned to upload to the paper. I could have sworn?—
Oh, no…that’s the day Payton walked in, and then Luke showed up. I must have forgotten to remove it from the upload…
This was bad…so, so bad. Did they turn the heat on in this room because I feel like I’m about to pass out from heat stroke?
Rebecca says something to Peter about the piece I did on her when she bought the team. Her smile shifts to concern when she looks at me. “Are you okay, Sophie?”
I try to swallow, but all moisture has left my mouth. “I just need some water,” I croak out, then dart over to a large bucket filled with ice and water bottles sitting on the end of the snack table. I press one to my neck before chugging down half the contents.
A touch on my shoulder spins me around.
Mia walks into the press lounge and stops next to me. “Are you okay? I hope you’re not coming down with something. It’s chilly in here.”
Funny…feels like it’s getting hotter by the second. Almost as if I’ve plunged into my own personal inferno. I want to spill the details of my gaff, but I’m still reeling. “Just a little sunburned, I think. I’m fine.”
Her stare says she’s not buying it. “Take it easy tonight.”
I give her as reassuring a smile as I can fake at the moment. Once she wanders over to a seat and sits down, I turn around and pretend to rifle through a basket holding every kind of candy bar imaginable while I try to breathe normally.
I totally blew it. Luke will think I disregarded his request and never trust me again. He’ll go back to thinking I’m one of those reporters who likes to create drama just for the extra exposure. This will change everything between us .
And just when I thought our situationship was moving in the right direction. Somehow, I have to talk to Luke and explain…and hope he believes me.
After reassuring Rebecca that I’m just a little dehydrated, I leave the luxury box and make my way down toward the rink to use one of the camera holes in the plexiglass to take some action shots.
Luke breaks away with the puck just as I’m getting into position, shooting ahead of Jayce and Ethan as the other team scrambles to catch up. I’m on the offensive side to the left of the net, so I have a clear shot of Luke in all his glory. And mine—this is going to be the picture of a lifetime. I can feel it in my gut.
Right as he takes the shot, so do I. The opposing goalie blocks it, but Ethan flies in after Luke and swings his stick in a blur of tangled movement with an opposing player. A double snap rings out as Ethan’s stick snaps in half, and the puck shoots up, smacking the top bar of the net. But then it bounces off the goalie’s shoulder into the net.
A deafening roar fills the place as the crowd cheers and stomps over the Sun Kings, scoring the first goal—also evidence of the team’s growing popularity. But I’m too focused on Luke, who’s skating toward me instead of making a pass by the rest of the team on the players’ bench.
He whips off his helmet and wipes his mouth on his sleeve before lowering his face to the camera hole.
He’s waiting for a kiss…
He wants to kiss me through the camera hole…
As if he’s announcing to the world that I’m his girlfriend and he’s proud to be with me.
My heart does a happy dance in my chest before sinking into the pit of worry in my stomach. Once he finds out about my flub up, he may not want anything to do with me, which would just prove I was right to begin with—I’m a disaster when it comes to boyfriends .
I guess my hesitation was enough to get the crowd involved. Their chant clarifies as it grows louder.
Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him!
Even Mia’s jumping up and down in the front of the luxury box above the stands.
If I kiss him, he might wind up madder at me later when he finds out about the picture in the article. But if I don’t, he might think I don’t want something serious with him. And I do, more than anything, I’m realizing. I also don’t want to embarrass him or put a dent in the team’s growing popularity. A kiss can mean a lot these days, it seems.
I shut down my brain, my worries, my overanalyzing, and lean in, offering my puckered lips to this man, who’s not only showing his presence on the ice but in my heart as well.
His kiss is salty with residual sweat but still warm and sweet with his gentle touch. When I start to draw away, he lingers, his eyes demanding more. And I oblige. How can I not?
The crowd goes nuts again, eclipsing their celebratory clamor over the first goal of the game. Luke smiles and winks before skating off to join his teammates, who take turns patting him on the shoulder and juggling him around while I stand in shock.
My father used to say that a moment can either be a crossroads or a defining factor in a person’s life.
This feels like one of those, but as to which one…?
I have no idea.