“It’s not that I bought it up, he started talking in the locker room about them. He was down to one girlfriend a few weeks ago, but then she got wise and dumped him. The guys were teasing him, and so he was bragging that he could win back one of his other women ‘on the bench.’” Jake shakes his head. “He actually ordered flowers to be delivered to one of them that nightin front of us. And the card he sent with it. Oy.” Jake cringes. “So cheesy. I heard enough and told him to stop.”
“Why?” Because now I have to know.
“Because they’re not just faceless women, but someone’s daughter or sister. They’re people who shouldn’t be handled like tokens in a game. There’s something to be said about winning someone over, but in this case, he just wanted to be a winner. It made me despise him and what he stood for, and I lost faith in my teammate.”
The fact that the sequence of events and the timeline all feel exceptionally close to what I’d gone through was eerie. And the arrival of the flowers and the more frequent apology texts from Todd? Now they make sense. The coincidence that it’s Jake who was at the heart of this, or maybe it’s serendipitous…I’m not sure.
Time to come clean in case I pass out.
“I know Todd,” I say softly, licking my ice cream for good measure. “I dated him until a few months ago when I found out, thanks to a photo in a magazine, that he was in a relationship with someone named Shelly.”
His jaw slack, Jake does a double take. “Shelly?”
I nod. “I have a feeling I’m the long-distance girl you’re talking about. In fact, he started sending me flowers a few weeks ago and texting me every few days, trying to get me to talk to him.”
A look of irritation flashes on his face, but Jake calms himself and his reaction, and he only nods his head. “What are the odds?”
“I think we should play a lottery ticket, that’s the kind of odds we’re looking at,” I say, attempting to make a joke. “You got into a fight with him on the ice and off, right?”
“I was mad when we went out on the ice because of his attitude and lack of remorse. It just felt gross. Then he bumpedme when we got out there. I’m sure he meant nothing from it, but it made me madder. So, I hit him.”
The way Jake throws his hands in the air makes me laugh, but I turn serious quickly. “But you kept fighting.”
“Yeah.” Eyes downcast, he takes a bite of his cone. “At the end of the game, he came up to me and started poking me in the chest with his finger, just inciting things. He was mad that I had acted the way I did, and I was mad, too. I was about to say I was sorry when he got aggressive, and it didn’t help things. I reacted and…well, it’s history now. I was suspended and now I’m heading back to my old team.”
“But you’re okay with going back there?”
“I am. I left there in a blaze of glory, but I’ll save you that tale for another day.” He chuckles. “Right now, James, I want to give you something. Close your eyes and open your hand.”
“You can’t use my middle name against me, ever, you know.” I close my eyes as he’s reaching into his pocket. I had admitted to him on the ride over that my middle name was an odd one, the result of my parents thinking they were getting a boy. Surprise. I showed up.
I keep my eyes closed tightly until, a moment later, there’s a small package placed in the palm of my hand. The packaging makes a crackling sound, and while it’s an odd shape, it’s a familiar one.
“Can I look now?” I say, holding up my prize.
“Go ahead.”
Opening one eye, I peek at my hand, giggling when I see it. I tear open the plastic and pluck the candy ring out. I take a quick lick before smiling and looking back at Jake. “It’s watermelon flavored! My favorite.”
“I had to get it when I saw it.” He takes the ring from me and takes my hand. “Let me do the honors.”
I watch in stunned silence as he places the candy ring on my ring finger. Okay, so no, it’s not a ring that means anything, but COME ON! How romantic is it to be sitting by a fountain on a spring evening with a cute boy who you just found out stood up for you…and he didn’t even know you at the time?
I think I’ve fallen into a fairytale. If this guy can sing, then I’m definitely in a Disney film. One hundred percent.
He must have had a similar thought because his eyes began a slow procession upward, finding mine again. We hold our gaze for a second before he clears his throat and, grinning, runs his fingers through his hair.
“Well,” he says before he pops the last of his ice cream cone into his mouth. “I hate to break this up, but I need to practice early tomorrow. I want to be ready so I can hopefully play in the last games of the season with the Renegades.”
“No, I get it,” I say, popping the last of my ice cream in my mouth, taking a quick lick of my ring to show my appreciation as well. “And thanks for the jewelry.”
Holding out his hand to help me stand, he looks at the ring on my finger, stroking the back of my hand with his thumb. “It looks good.”
“Don’t forget,” I say, poking him in the ribs. “You’ve got change. Are we wishing for anything?”
“Yes!” Jake exclaims, grabbing the change from his pocket and putting a dime in my hand. He closes his eyes, tosses his coin, and looks back at me once it breaks the surface. “I was ready with a wish. Your turn.”
“That was the fastest wish in the west,” I manage to say, giggling. I close my eyes and a thousand wishes come to mind. I wish that my dinner would go well, I wish that I could kiss Jake again, but I also wish for the world to be perfect and peaceful for everyone in it. So, yeah.
