Page 29 of The Sweet Spot
We then met Tangi in the team lounge, reserved for VIPs, WAGS, and other invited guests. When we got there, everyone seemed to know Jill and Tangi, and they introduced me to all the wives and girlfriends of the Kodiaks. Every single one of them looked at my hair, but none commented. Yes, hot pink stuck out in a crowd, but if I wanted to look like everyone else, I would. And I didn’t want to.
My clothes did seem to fit in … at least a little. Most of the WAGS were dressed up a lot more, but then again, I wasn’t one of them, so that didn’t bother me. But even though Tangi was in simple jeans and a V-neck sweater, she still looked like a million bucks. Maybe it was the baby glow. Jill, never one to conform or care, was also dressed casually in jeans and a sweater. She looked like she’d just come off a fashion runway in Paris. I had tried so hard for my look, and at best, I was cute. The story of my life.
“We figure we’ll hang out here after the game for drinks with the guys. Jeremy is going to ask Brandon along,” Jill said.
This day was looking up.
Tangi glanced at her watch. “We should head down to our seats.”
We had great seats at center ice about twenty rows up. The guys had gotten them for us. I’d watched a few games since getting all Brandon’s hockey instruction, but I’d never been to one, and seeing the players on the ice, warming up, excited all the kids. I looked for Brandon, and there he was, number twenty-seven, taking shots on the goalie and skating leisurely around the ice. I suddenly envisioned him topless and wiped the image from my head.
“I might be taking on Ryan as a client part-time,” I said. “He and Brandon were talking about it, and we are going to work something out. While I’d love to work with both of them, full-time, there is no way I could swing it. So we are going to try a system where I make twice as much of evening dishes that Ryan can pick up or I can have delivered.”
“That’s great,” Jill said. “And Ryan is already looking better. He’s made huge strides. See, I was right about him all along.”
“Congrats! Who needs a restaurant?” Tangi said.
I froze for a moment. I know Tangi didn’t realize it, but it was such an insensitive thing to say. My life’s dream had been to open my own restaurant, and now my best friend was blowing that off. As if being a personal chef should have been my goal all along. I would have expected Jill to say something like that, but coming from Tangi, it hurt.
Jill picked up on the tension because she said, “Your restaurantwas amazing. And some day soon, you’re going to have that again.”
I bit my lower lip to keep from getting emotional. Jill was never the sappy one. I reached out and squeezed her hand in thanks. At that moment, Tangi realized her error.
“Oh shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way,” she said. “I’m blaming baby brain. I just meant that you could look forward and not back. You know what, I’ll just shut up.”
“Good idea,” Jill said.
Brandon had mentioned earlier that the last preseason game meant that most of the regulars started, so it was no surprise to see Jeremy, Ethan, and Brandon on the ice. I kept my eye on Brandon, and he was pretty damn good, scoring a goal in the second period. I couldn’t skate, so I had no expertise in the area, but he was so graceful about it, not as bumbling as someone like Ryan, but maybe that was due to his size.
After the game, we headed up to the team lounge, where Jill and I ordered drinks, and Tangi ordered a sparkling water. We perused the menu and ordered fries, meatless nachos, and a salad to share while we waited for the guys. Jill said it usually took them about an hour and a half to come by. There were postgame interviews, a team meeting, cooldown, followed by showers.
“I know you guys have been wondering about wedding details,” Jill said, piling fries and nachos onto her plate. “We decided on a small destination wedding in Italy. Lake Como, to be exact.”
“That sounds amazing! When?” Tangi asked.
“Seeing as you are pregnant, mid-August. We’ve picked this amazing estate to rent for two weeks. It has twelve bedrooms, so enough for all the important people in our lives. We’ve also planned to rent rooms for the rest of our guests, butwe’d like to keep the guest list under a hundred. Preferably around seventy-five.”
I was doing the math in my head, which Tangi seemed to be doing as well.
“I’m guessing his close family, some teammates, your friends, and that’s it?”
“Correct. Nice and small. If I had my way, it would be us, Jeremy, and his immediate family, but I lost that battle.”
“And your mom?” I asked, sipping my wine.
Jill sighed. “I don’t want any argument from either one of you, especially you, Wolseley. I’m not inviting her. And I plan to tell her she’s not invited.”
I tried not to frown because I wanted Jill to reconcile with her mother. I wanted everyone to have their happy endings, and I’d always felt that you could make a relationship work if you tried hard enough, but after knowing Jill for more than half my life and seeing what a toxic mother she had, I was rethinking all that now. But not inviting her to her wedding?
“Let me say only one thing. Will you regret the fact that you didn’t invite her?”
Jill didn’t hesitate. “No. I’ve given her enough chances to be a good mother. I can’t let her toxicity affect me anymore.”
Tangi reached over to pat Jill’s hand. “I think you’ve made the right decision.”
Deep down, I knew that too. But I still wanted Jill’s mother to be a decent human, and I wondered if that stemmed from the fact I didn’t know my birth parents. Then again, my adoptive parents were amazing, and being adopted by them was the best thing that happened to me and my brother.
We were almost finished our meal when Jill made a grand observation. “You know, you’re looking supercute today. I spy some makeup, and your outfit is perfect. What’s up?”