“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.”
