I laughed. “Yeah, not doing that again. I like a clear head at work.”
“You’ll do great. Gabe is really sweet and I can tell he’s not going to let you fend for yourself.”
“Yes, it will be fine.”
And I repeated that to myself more than once as I took my time heading over to Tipsy Steer.
It’s not like Gabe would be there right away.
TUCKS
“You ready for this?” Micah asked, punching me lightly in the shoulder.
We were almost at the door to Tipsy Steer and Dani’d texted thirty minutes ago to say she was there and to congratulate me on the win. Gotta say, it was nice getting that message. I didn’t date a lot, but I could get used to this, even if we were just pretending.
I should’ve had her meet me outside the locker room or something so we could have shown up together. I had a feeling she didn’t enjoy being around a big group of people without knowing any of them. Maybe Josie or Ally introduced themselves since they knew all about our fake relationship. Hopefully, she wasn’t ready to bail already. I settled my nerves and pasted on a nonchalant expression.
“For what? To have a beer and celebrate a win?” I knew exactly what he was hinting at.
“Your first official event with your new girlfriend and your teammates. She ready to act like she thinks you’re the best thing ever?”
“Fuck off. I am the best thing for everyone I meet.” I snorted. I never was good at trying to sound cocky. “Yeah, that sounded dumb even as I said it.”
“You’re nervous,” he teased, his hand on the doorknob.
“Am not.”
Dom laughed behind us.
“It’s okay, Tucks. We got you. We’ll make you sound so awesome. Oh wait, we don’t have to because you’re not actually trying to get the girl, right?” He paused and I glanced over my shoulder at him. “Or are you?” He waggled his eyebrows at me.
“I’m telling you, fake dating is a popular trope,” Micah said. At least he kept his voice low so only we heard him.
“Would you shut the hell up about that? You’re supposed to be helping me,” I muttered.
“Ah no, we’re supposed to give you shit. That’s what friends do,” Dom said.
“I mean, we could give him a little support too,” Micah said.
“I never should’ve told you guys the truth.”
Micah chuckled. “Too late for that now. Shall we?”
“Don’t be dicks.” I pulled open the door and walked inside, ignoring their chuckles as I scanned the bar for her.
The place was packed and loud, which was typical for a game night, especially when we won, even if it’d just been a preseason game.
“First round’s on me,” I heard Tally call out.
“Even top shelf, like that game-winning goal I got tonight,” Sin exclaimed.
Laughter was heard through the bar as we moved deeper into the crowd. A few patrons called out to me, sayingnice saveorgood game, slapping me on the back as I went by. I made sure to respond to each of them. I appreciated our fans and loved hearing them cheer us on.
Looking from one corner of the bar top to the other, I finally spotted her. She was sitting at one end and looking over the crowd, a small smile on her lips. Fuck, she was gorgeous. Her auburn hair was in a loose braid over one shoulder and she was currently playing with the straw in her drink. Then she glanced up and, spotting me, gave a little wave. I chuckled, remembering how I’d spent my time on the ice tonight giving her waves or tapping the glass in between plays. It was dorky as hell, but it’d felt right.
Sometimes I’d caught her off guard and her cheeks would turn pink. I loved watching her blush and seeing that quirky half-smile, like she was annoyed with me but couldn’t help finding humor in whatever gesture I was making.
I only had eyes for her as I made my way to her seat.
