Page 26 of The Flirty Forward

Tina turns to me and laughs. “I’m sorry; it’s not you. I just think it’s hilarious.”

“What is?” I ask her.

“The fact that you want nothing to do with my brother.”

“Oh, no. He’s...he’s...” I bite my tongue from what I want to say. “I’m sorry. I’m sure he’s a great guy,” I say lamely.

She laughs harder. “I can’t wait to tease him about this. He’s so used to girls falling all over him.” She shakes her head. “This will be good for him.”

I shift uncomfortably in my chair. Without knowing it, she’s hit on exactly why I can’t stand the guy and why I would never be interested in him. Thankfully, I’m spared from having to say anything when the lights dim and things get going. The opening montage for the Green Thunder begins, and I settle back in my seat. Somebody slides into the empty seat next to mine, but it’s not until things settle down that I finally turn to see who itis. “Hey, Kayla,” I say in surprise. For the first time tonight, a genuine smile crosses my lips.

“Hi, Miss Winston.”

“I didn’t know you were going to be my seat buddy for the night,” I tell her over the noise of the crowd. She grins at me, and I lean towards her. “I don’t know a whole lot about the game, so you can tell me what’s happening.”

She grins again. “Sounds good, Miss Winston.”

I relax a little, some of my nerves dissipating. It takes a few minutes before the game gets going. Once it finally does, I settle in for the first period. I watch the Green Thunder completely dominate. Kayla keeps a running commentary of the game, surprising me with how much she knows about the game. It’s actually interesting and intense. She keeps me aware of what’s going on, so much more than I usually pick up on. I usually just note which team shoots the puck into the net. I'm impressed with how much Sebastian’s family gets into the game. Even Sebastian’s mom yells practically the entire time. At one point, when she’s yelling at a call the referee made, Kayla leans towards me. “My grandma gets a little worked up sometimes. It’s Grandpa’s job to keep her calm.” I look down to the end of the row where the tiny woman is shaking her head, obviously fed up with something that happened on the ice. Sebastian gets his height from his dad, I note, not his mom.

We head into the second period with a two-zero lead. The game gets going again, and I settle in to watch the game. At one of the breaks, Kayla nudges me and points up. I tense when I see that we’re on camera, but I force a smile. I probably look possessed, but oh well. Thankfully, the camera doesn’t stay on us for long.

At the very end of the second period, the other team scores. I stand to my feet as the time winds down, and we prepare to head into the third period. “Whew!” Tina says as she stands andstretches. She turns to somebody on her other side and bends down before turning back to me. “We’re going to brave the crowd for a bathroom trip. Do you need anything?”

I shake my head. “I’m good. Thanks.”

She leaves, taking two kids with her. The guy that had been sitting next to Tina waves at me. “I’m Andrew, Tina’s husband.”

I lean forward and shake his hand. “Stephanie. Nice to meet you.”

“You as well.”

“What do you think of the game?” he asks, nodding at the ice.

“It’s a great game,” I say quickly.

“You into hockey?”

I grimace. “Not really.”

He laughs. “That’s okay. I wasn’t either before I married into the family.”

I don’t know what to say to that, so I don’t respond. Thankfully, Kayla comes back. “Hey Miss Winston, what do you think of the game?”

“It’s great. Are you having a good time?”

She nods, her eyes excited. “Yes! I love hockey!”

“Do you play?” I ask.

“No. Just watch. My brother plays,” she offers.

"Is he good?”

She glances behind her. “Not like Uncle Sebastian.”

I smile. “Well, I think he’s got time before he has to be at your uncle’s level.”

“Ooo, they’re starting,” she says excitedly.

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