Chapter Nineteen
CHAPTER NINETEEN
VIVIAN
N othing can ruin my good mood today—not even the multiple texts from my sister, which I’ve deliberately ignored until now. It’s no surprise that Jaclyn is eager to reschedule her introduction to Mac, but I’m not about to rearrange my workday just to accommodate her ever-changing plans. She can wait. Besides, she has no idea how much things have shifted since the night she bailed on us.
In a way, I should probably thank her. If she and her minions had shown up that night, things might have played out very differently. Everything happens for a reason, right?
As soon as I shut my laptop for the day, I pick up my phone and tap on her name. The call barely has time to ring before she answers.
“Hi, Vivi,” Jaclyn answers, quite a bit of chaotic noise in the background. “What are you up to?”
I lean back in my chair, stretching out my legs. “Just finishing up at the office. I saw your messages, but it’s been a hectic day. ”
I’m totally exaggerating, but it’s important to remind her that my job comes before her social calendar.
“I wanted to see when we could meet up with Mac,” she says, getting right to the point.
I bite my lip, trying to keep myself from smiling at the mention of Mac’s name. “Sure. I’ll check with him and work out a time that’s good for us.”
“Perfect,” she exclaims.
There’s a brief pause, and I realize it’s the perfect moment to drop my little bombshell. I hesitate for a second, but then the anticipation takes over.
“Hey, Jackie—there’s something I should tell you,” I say, my voice eager. “It’s…a bit surprising.”
“Ohh, what is it?” she exclaims. “You know I love some good gossip.”
I exhale slowly, gathering my thoughts. This moment feels strange but satisfying at the same time. My sister and I have never been the type to discuss every little detail of our lives, and I have no intention of changing that now. So, I decide to just say it without the backstory.
“Well, a lot has happened since we last spoke,” I begin. “And long story short, Mac and I have started seeing each other.”
The silence that follows is almost deafening.
“Wait—seriously?” she blurts out, her voice filled with disbelief. “I thought you said you two weren’t even friends.”
“I did,” I admit with a small laugh. “And we weren’t. Quite the opposite.” The words still feel strange coming out of my mouth.
“So, let me get this straight,” she says, drawing out the words. “You’re dating a hockey player. And not just any hockey player—a famous one.” She pauses for a few seconds before continuing, “He’s not your usual type. ”
I can’t argue with her there.
“I know,” I admit. “When he returned, we agreed to be friendly for Katie’s and Kyle’s sakes. That was all it was supposed to be.” I hesitate as I replay the first few interactions we had and how reluctant I was to even have a conversation with him.
“And now…” I trail off, a smile forming on my face as I think about the time we’ve spent together over the last few weeks.
“Now you’re seeing each other,” Jaclyn says in disbelief. “Does this mean you’re going to have a long-distance situation? Is that really what you want? You do realize he’s on the road constantly, meeting tons of women…” She trails off letting the last part sink in.
I press my lips together, trying to decide if she’s genuinely concerned or just trying to rain on my parade. I know exactly what comes with Mac’s career—the constant travel, the long stretches on the road, the attention from fans. I’m not naive.
“I don’t know,” I retort. “I can’t predict the future. But I do know that we’re enjoying spending time together right now, and that’s enough.
Jaclyn exhales sharply. “So you haven’t really talked about what this means?”
“We’ve touched on it,” I admit. “But we’re taking things as they come.”
“Vivi, you’re my sister,” she says patronizingly. “I’m only asking because I don’t want you to get hurt.”
I want to believe her. But I haven’t forgotten that when she first brought up Mac, she mentioned he was single. There might be more going on than just concern for me.
“I appreciate it,” I say sincerely.
“I just know how you are,” she continues. “You always think things through before making decisions. Hopefully this isn’t an exception.”
Everything she’s saying makes sense, but for once I’m not going to overanalyze the situation.
“Anyway,” I say, steering the conversation in a different direction, “I’ll talk to Mac and get back to you about getting together.”
Jaclyn hesitates. “That’s fine. Just let me know.”
As I end the call, I feel a bit deflated even though I don’t usually expect much from these conversations. I love my sister, but we aren’t close, so letting her doubts creep into my mind isn’t happening.
My phone buzzes, and Mac’s name flashes across the screen. My stomach flips—just like it always does when he calls. I wonder how long it will take before this stops surprising me.
“Hello,” I answer, putting my ear bud in.
“Hey.” His voice is smooth. “How was your day?”
“Busy,” I say, shifting on the couch. “Nonstop, actually. How about yours?”
He exhales. “Good. I got some work done.”
I raise an eyebrow, even though he can’t see me. “Really? You mean you didn’t just lounge around watching soap operas all day?”
He chuckles. “Nope. But I used to watch The Bold and the Beautiful with my grandma.”
I giggle, resting my head against the back of the couch. “Of course you did. Hasn’t everyone? My granny’s favorite was General Hospital .”
“Classic,” he says. I love these little moments, sharing tiny pieces of our pasts. It makes it feel like our distance grows smaller.
“Anyway,” he continues, “I had a Zoom meeting with my agent and some endorsement reps earlier. Then I had a call with my financial advisor.”
I hesitate for half a second. “How did those go?” Hearing this is just another reminder of the world he will inevitably be returning too. Hockey is his career, and the Tennessee Wolves are his second family. I understand this completely.
"Great," he says, his voice confident. "Naturally there's a long list of companies dying to work with me. They’re practically breaking down my door.”
I scoff, rolling my eyes even though he can’t see me. "Sure they are."
"When are you finally going to accept the fact that I’m kind of a big deal?" he asks.
I laugh, shaking my head. "Whatever you say."
"I'm kidding," he adds, a smirk evident in his tone. "Mostly."
He grows silent for a few seconds. "And speaking of calls, I talked to Katie today."
This gets my attention. I straighten up, gripping the phone a little tighter. "Ah. How did that go? Did she go easy on you?"
He lets out a snort. "For the most part. She’s going to talk to Kyle, so that’s good. I told her I don’t want to miss celebrating their birthdays. At least she didn’t officially uninvite me, so I guess that’s a win."
I smirk, knowing full well Katie would never go that far. "Yeah, not a chance. She wouldn’t do that to you."
"No, I guess not," he murmurs. It could be my imagination, but there’s something off in his tone .
"So…your conversation went alright otherwise?" I prompt, waiting for him to fill in the blanks.
There’s a pause, just long enough to make my stomach twist.
"Yeah…other than a few warnings I was expecting."
Warnings? My frown deepens. He’s holding something back, and my gut is telling me it’s important. But I also know Mac. If he wanted to tell me, he would. I’m not going to push him.
"Anyway, do you have plans tonight? Want to grab some dinner?"
A sense of relief falls over me. "Sure, dinner sounds good."
If he needs to talk, he will. And if not…well, that’s between him and Katie.
"How about Casa?" he suggests. "Or would you rather go somewhere else? I’m good with anything—just as long as I get to see you."
His words send a rush of heat to my cheeks, and I’m glad he’s not here to see me blushing.
"Casa is perfect," I say, hoping my voice sounds normal. "Six-thirty?"
"I’ll be there."
As soon as we end our call, I stare at my phone. My fingers hover over the screen, ready to text Katie, but I quickly put my phone down. I’m sure I’ll hear about their conversation soon enough.
Instead, I hop off the couch and head toward my room to get ready. There’s a nervous feeling in my stomach I can’t seem to shake. For some reason it feels like my time with Mac is short, so I should soak it all up while I can.