Page 91 of Whiskey Wednesdays

“Yeah, and he lasted about three minutes,” I told him.

We headed inside. It was still a little light out, so the guys hit the outdoor beer garden first. I was surprised to see it, but looking around I realized there were as many adults here as children.

The large, illuminated lanterns started to glow in the twilight, and a few of us pulled our phones out and started taking pictures.

Some of the other zoo-goers recognized Connor and Titus, and even a few players on the team. Several of them approached for photos and autographs. Pretty soon, word spread and the crowd swelled.

I glanced at Jackson. “Maybe I’ll take Elodie and go look at the zodiac lanterns.”

Titus and Connor stood in the thick of the crowd, and I waved at him and pointed to Elodie, then at the lanterns. He nodded and mouthedthank you.

Jackson looked around and grimaced. “I’ll come with you. I’ve never been good at the public relations bullshit.”

We wandered through the exhibit and bought bubble tea.

Elodie gazed at the glowing, ten-foot lanterns. “They’re beautiful. How do they get so big?”

I pointed to the small fans hooked up to a few of them. “They’re similar to big, blow-up hand-painted puppets.”

“How do they move?” Several of the lanterns were automated, and an enormous whale slowly moved back and forth as if it were swimming.

Jackson pointed to the mechanism underneath the whale. “They use those machines. It looks like magic, doesn’t it?”

Just then, a bubble machine behind the whale spewed bright opaque blue bubbles and fog all over the walkway. Elodie gasped and darted around, trying to pop them. I laughed and tried to catch a couple with her.

A few other kids ran over and played with the bubbles for a few minutes.

Jackson watched her. “I’m glad you and Connor are together. They deserve someone like you who makes them happy.”

I looked over at Connor and the team, who were slowly extracting themselves from the crowd.

“I don’t know what to think,” I admitted. “We’re different in so many ways. He’s a hockey superstar, and I’m an intern. He’s ten years older than I am, and has a dating history I can’t get my head around.”

“Yeah, but it’s been almost five years. He seems settled and happy, and I don’t think he’s messing around this time.”

Elodie ran over and tugged my hand. “Let’s go see the rest.”

A few of the players caught up with us, and they stared at the big moving whale.

“Okay, I’m not gonna lie,” a player said. “That’s fucking cool.”

Just then, another stream of fog and blue bubbles floated out from behind the whale, and several of the younger players started trying to pop them, just like the little kids.

Connor and Titus extracted themselves from the crowd and caught up with us.

Connor draped an arm across my shoulder. “It’s been a while since that happened. I don’t miss it.”

We made our way through the exhibits and pointed out the animals to Elodie as we wandered around together. A couple of hours later, Elodie got tired and Connor picked her up and carried her to the exit.

Most of the players took off, and Mikael turned to me. “I must eat my words, as you Americans say. That was an incredibledisplay of artistry, mechanical ingenuity, and creativity. I will admit when I am wrong.”

Jackson chuckled. “What he’s trying to say is this was the shit, Isa.”

Elodie lifted her head from Connor’s shoulder. “Yeah, Belly. It was awesome.” She laid her head back down. “And you owe me two bucks, Jack.”

I chuckled and patted her little back as Connor gazed down at me with a soft grin. My heart slowly turned over in my chest; I was so screwed.

Chapter 25

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