Page 93 of Lucky
Over it, I type:People talk.I know who she is.
I post the video and immediately, the likes start pouring in.Comments… all good so far.I can practically hear women sighing and I smile.
I know I can’t protect her, but I can be vocal so no one ever doubts she’s the one.
CHAPTER 30
Winnie
Ipush openthe door to Haven & Hearth fifteen minutes late, breathless and already flustered, and not because of traffic.
It’s TikTok.
And I’m not late because I was posting something.
I’m late because I wasn’t posting, which I know doesn’t make sense.
But the truth is, everyone is waiting on me because I was stuck in an endless spiral of indecision.After Lucky called me from the airport this morning and asked about the bathroom incident, which I downplayed like it was no big deal, I showered, put on minimal makeup and curled my hair.
I wasn’t meeting the girls for brunch until eleven a.m., so I had plenty of time to do a little filming.
My first mistake was scrolling to check out a few people I follow.Immediately, a notification popped up that I’d been tagged and I clicked it without thinking.
Big mistake.
It was from a huge influencer—one of those lifestyle commentators who usually reviews celebrity outfits or weighs in on PR disasters.
But this particular post?
It was ten full minutes of her dissecting me like I was a trending scandal, not a real person.
“Okay,” she said at the top of the video, with the smug energy of someone about to deliver what she thinks is the only truth.“Let’s talk about the TikTok teacher dating Lucky Branson, a.k.a.Pittsburgh’s golden boy of hockey.”
She used air quotes around the worddating.
“This isn’t jealousy.I’m not hating.But this whole situation feels off.First of all, no shade, but how do you go from dating models and other famous women to a schoolteacher who films herself in a messy kitchen with a rabbit named Buttermilk?I’m just saying.”
She laughed like it was a punch line.
“I get that the ‘normal girl’ angle is cute on paper.It makes him look grounded.Like, oh, look, he’s not shallow, he’s not one of those athletes.But let’s be honest—if she didn’t blow up on TikTok, would they have ever met?Would he have even looked at her twice?No, he wouldn’t have because she’s just a novelty and he was probably bored.”
She sighed dramatically and I was unable to look away.
“Maybe she’s cool.Maybe she’s funny.But this is starting to feel like a brand stunt that got out of hand.Her entire platform is built on being average—and now she’s trying to keep up with a guy who’s used to red carpets and VIP events.Girl, you can’t keep playing relatable while dating a millionaire athlete.”
She tilted her head, voice syrupy.
“And Lucky?Sweetheart.Blink twice if you need help.If this is your rom-com arc, cute.But if you’re serious?You better be ready for her to be followed by cameras, hated by your fans, and ripped apart online every time she makes a video where her lighting isn’t perfect.Because no one’s buying this wholesome-girl vibe she’s got going on.”
The video ends with her sipping from a designer tumbler and saying, “I’m just giving my honest opinion.Don’t cancel me.”
I didn’t comment but I did watch it twice.It was like a sickness, my inability to put it aside.To recognize it as pettiness and jealousy and a need to be nasty to get views.It got to me and I couldn’t stop hearing my own doubts in her voice.And that’s what messed me up the most—how much her words echoed the worst parts of what I’ve been secretly thinking.That I don’t belong in his world.That eventually, everyone will see it, even him.
That alone would not have made me late for brunch.
I really tried to rebound and figured I’d film a skin care review I’ve been putting off for days.I had completed a thirty-day regimen using bargain beauty brands and I needed to report my findings.The filming was easy—nothing fancy, just real results.I was on point, funny, a little self-deprecating in all the ways my followers usually eat up.
But when I went to post it, I froze.
