Page 19 of The Rebound Play
“Seriously? What happened?” She takes a sip of her coffee. “Not bad.”
“It’s either coffee here or at the bakery. There’s not a lot of choice on the coffee front in this town. Not like in Seattle. We were totally spoiled for choice there, remember, B?”
“No deflecting. Tell me your embarrassing story.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yup.”
“I saw him and made a snap decision to … hide,” I tell her reluctantly.
“As in rush to the ladies’?”
I press my lips together and slowly shake my head. “I dropped to the ground in the bleachers. I thought I could hide.”
As I utter the words, I can barely believe I did it myself.
“You did what?” She tries to keep the grin from forming on her lips.
“I lay down behind the seats, hoping he wouldn’t see me.”
“And did he?”
I twist my mouth. “He kinda helped me up.”
“Oh.” Her nose is scrunched up in secondary embarrassment for me, and I can tell she’s holding back a laugh.
“You can laugh. I know you want to.”
Her shoulders shake as she does just that.
“Got it out of your system now?”
Blair pulls her features into a concerned look. “I’m sorry you felt you had to do that.”
“It was the worst, B. Me, a grown woman, hiding from my ex.”
“Not the reunion meeting you were looking for.”
“Heck, no.”
“Okay. Let’s reframe this.”
“How?”
“You could see it as romantic instead of humiliating,” she offers.
I give her a look. “You’re such a PR person, B.”
“Okay, not romantic, per se, but definitely heroic in a manly, professional athlete kind of way. He saw you lying on the ground and helped you up.” She waggles her brows at me suggestively. “I don’t know about you, Kiki, but I’m picturing the guy in red Lycra and a cape right now.”
I can’t help but giggle at the image, and it ends in a snort.
“Super Dan, hockey god at your service.” She gives a salute.
I shake my head. “Why don’t you live here permanently, B? I could do with having you around more. Lighten the mood about all things Dan-related.”
“I’ll be here ’til after the final game. I am happy to lighten everything for you until then.”