Page 10 of Pucking Only
“Carson, I need you to promise me that you won’t be a dick to her,” Grace snaps, as if she’s able to read my mind. “I haven’t seen her in months and I don’t want you doing anything to ruin her visit. She’s going to be here for work, so you can’t do anything that might put her job at risk.”
She’s got her eyes narrowed and is wagging a finger at me. I hold up my hands and make my eyes as wide and innocent-looking as I can.
“I won’t do anything,” I assure her. “I’ll be a perfect gentleman, I promise.”
Grace glares at me for several moments as if she’s struggling to believe me.
At length, she nods. “All right…I’m choosing to believe you. But, if you break your promise, I will sneak into your apartment in the middle of the night and strangle you in your sleep, got it?”
Part of me thinks she might be serious.
“Scout’s honor,” I declare.
When Grace finally turns from me to get the lasagna, I release a long breath. Jensen winks at me then tosses me a beer. I crack it open and take a deep drink.
Skyler McKenzie.
The one girl I will never touch, but the only girl who I can never fully get out of my head. I haven’t seen her in so long.I’m sure our reunion is not going to be a touchy-feely one. When it comes to Skyler, I never know exactly where I stand. That leaves me feeling off-balance.
I’ve known her since we were in diapers. For most of my life I thought of her like a sister. In high school, things between us changed and became strained. It only got worse from there. Now, I have no clue how to be around her without letting things get hostile.
Whether she decides to love me or hate me, the next few weeks are going to be like a minefield. I just have to pray I don’t take a wrong step.
CHAPTER THREE: REUNITED
SKYLER
The flightto Denver is smooth and uneventful, which is a relief after the hoops I had to jump through to get Mr. Ferguson to approve my little trip. I had to convince him that the direct experience would only make the game better. I agreed to drop my paid vacation rate while I’m out of the office. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make because it will all be worth it when I get that promotion.
As soon as the plane touches down, I text my dad to let him know I arrived in Denver safely. Even though he lives so far away, he still worries when he knows I’m traveling and wants me to check in.
Making my way off the plane, my heart is hammering with excitement as I weave through the crowd toward baggage claim. MyZeldat-shirt and yoga pants feel stretched out and rumpled. My skin is weirdly dry from the recycled plane air. I don’t really care. There’s only one thing on my mind right now. That’s finding my best friend, my head on a swivel as I search for Grace.
“Skyler! Skyler! Over here!”
Stopping in my tracks, I turn in the direction of hervoice. When my eyes land on her, I squeal and run toward her. We crash into each other, screaming and laughing and hugging.
“You’re here! You’re here!” she exclaims as we jump up and down, hands clutched tightly.
“I’m here! I’m here!” I reply with equal jubilation.
We hug again, neither of us seemingly willing to let the other go. I’m so happy to see Grace again that I feel tears prick the corners of my eyes, but I hold them back. Being with her, I feel whole again - like she’s a part of me that I hadn’t realized I’d been missing. Now that we’re back together, I feel like the world has been righted and every piece of me has clicked back into place.
At last, we calm down enough that we can speak at a regular volume and stop bouncing.
“Oh, my God, it’s so good to see you,” Grace says, looking me up and down. “You look fantastic.”
I roll my eyes playfully and shake my head. “Please, I’m a mess. You, though…you’re stunning, Grace. Being in love seems to agree with you.”
I look her up and down, and she looks as beautiful as ever. Her brown hair is pulled back into a ponytail. When the light catches it, her golden highlights sparkle. Her blue eyes are twinkling in a way I’ve never seen before, and she seems to have a strange glow about her. She’s holding her chin higher, and she just appears…softer. Not as rigid and tightly buttoned-up as she used to be.
With a start, I realize that she’s actually looked this way before…that week in Miami, when she first met Jensen.
Her cheeks flush and her lips curl up into an almost giddy grin.
“Yes, well…I’m pretty lucky,” she replies. Looping her arm through mine. “Come on! Let’s get your bags and head to my place. We’ll get you settled before you go meet the team tomorrow.”
“Sounds great,” I tell her.