Page 13 of Zero Pucks Given
Grayson clenched his jaw like he had anger issues he was trying to control, then opened the wine menu and selected another bottle.
I had the urge to pull out my phone and check the views on my latest video, but I resisted it.
“Help me understand how you got here,” Grayson said while the server fetched the wine. “Because I’m still confused about all of this.”
“We don’t have to make small talk,” I replied. “You don’t want to behere either, right? They make you do these kinds of events? We can drink the wine and eat the food in silence until it’s over.”
“It’ll make the date go by faster. And I’m kind of curious how a woman who doesn’t want to be here ended up winning the most coveted contest in San Antonio.”
“My friend signed me up,” I explained. “We both work in concessions at the Frost Bank Center.”
“I thought team employees weren’t allowed to participate in giveaways or contests,” Grayson said slowly. “They make that very clear to us.”
“Technically, I’m not a team employee. We’re all hired through a third-party company. Loophole!” I picked up my wine glass, remembered that it was empty, and put it back down. “Apparently they really liked the idea of an arena worker winning the contest, so they sweetened the pot. Offered me a bunch of cash to show up tonight.”
His sandy-blond eyebrows climbed up his forehead. “They had topayyou to be here?”
“Pretty sweet deal. Doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it, though. Although I’mreallyenjoying the wine. Is it actually good, or is my opinion influenced by knowing that it costs as much as my dad’s knee surgery?”
“It’s good,” he replied. “You know, most women would kill to be on this date. That’s not an exaggeration. I’ve met fans who wouldliterallysnap your neck and take your place if they could.”
I dug into my salad and said, “Too bad they didn’t win, huh?”
By the time the server brought the second bottle of wine, I had finished my salad and was going to town on the appetizers.
“What’s your job at the arena?” he asked.
“Concessions. I’m one of those beer girls. I liked walking around selling beer in the arena when the Spurs were the only team in town, because the tips are better out in the stands. But it’s freezing in there during hockey games. I hate it.”
“Why don’t you wear extra layers?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Gee, why didn’t I think about that? Of course I’ve worn layers. It’s never enough.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Relax. I didn’t realize the pussycat had claws.”
I ignored the comment.
“Because your name is Josie,” he pointed out. “You know. Like Josie and the Pussycats?”
“Wooooow,” I said mockingly. “Thanks for mansplaining a joke everyone in my life has been making since I was old enough to walk. You’resooriginal.”
“Okay, fuck off a little bit,” Grayson snapped. “I don’t want to be here either, you know.”
“Then why are you?” I demanded.
“Because I have to be.”
“You’re a multi-millionaire. You can do whatever you want.”
“Hah!” he barked a laugh. “Yeah, right. You have more freedom than I do.”
“I seriously doubt that,” I replied. “Your net worth is several orders of magnitude higher than mine, which means you have several orders of magnitude more freedom.”
“Money isn’t freedom. It comes with a million restrictions and requirements.”
His chair scraped as he stood up, and for a moment I thought he was going to storm out. But then he shrugged out of his suit jacket and folded it carefully across the back of the chair next to him.
I tried not to admire the way he looked in his vest and dress shirt. It really did look like it was tailored perfectly to his muscular frame.
