Page 47 of That Thing You Brew
The crowd began to chant, “Kiss! Kiss!”
I grinned, sipped my coffee, and waited for further instruction. Bailey wore a smug expression, and I had no doubt she’d orchestrated this whole thing. She and Brenna were thick as thieves, and both loved to play matchmaker. I trusted Brenna hadn’t told her our plans, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d cooked up this scheme or hinted to Bailey that we were her next “project.”
Bailey smiled at the crowd. “Calm down, calm down. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. But maaaaaybe if Swanny wins this competition, Pennymightconsider rewarding him with a kiss?”
Bailey was pushing it now. She held her mic out to Penny, who looked surprisingly unruffled and calm. Hadtheyrehearsedthis?
Penny’s eyes locked with mine. “I might,” she spoke clearly and flawlessly into the microphone. “Why don’t you go win this thing and find out?”
I wanted to win before. But now—there wasn’t a snowball’s chance I wouldn’t give it my all. As the crowd cheered me on, I removed the lid and chugged the coffee.
Penny reached out to wipe some whipped cream from under my nose. “Good luck, Xavier.”
“My luck is standing right in front of me.” I handed her the cup, replaced my helmet on my head, and skated back to Karter, collecting my gloves and stick on the way.
“Well if that wasn’t the most wholesome and heartwarming little gesture.” Karter slapped me on the back. “She is pret-ty,” he intoned. “Think she’d like an old guy like me?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t even think about it.”
The crowd laughed. I was growing impatient. I’d already taken twice the air time as the other guys, which was an unfair advantage, even if the time was being used by the ice crew to smooth the surface. And now Karter was trying to get a rise out of me?
Nope. I would not play into that.
Karter sighed. “Fine, fine. Are you ready?”
“KP, you of all people know I was born ready for this.” The crowd cheered, but I saw only Penny. She’d spoken in front of millions of people—perfectly—to support me. That meant more to me than winning this challenge.
But I still wanted to win. Any and all kisses from Penny were prizes.
“I guess I do! Take your mark, then,” Karter instructed. “And good luck.”
As I skated toward the dry ice cloud masking the entrance to the tunnel in the opposite corner from Penny, all I could think about was that I wanted us to start our relationshipnow.
Forget about bad luck during the season. I’d already had enough good luck for a lifetime. Penny was marrying me, and that made me the luckiest guy in the world.
And it had nothing to do with coffee.
I was engaged to the woman I loved. Yes,loved.
And I couldn’t wait to tell her so, in a way that left no doubt that I meant it, unlike the proposal Daniella recorded. Did Penny wonder if that had only been for show or for posterity’s sake? I couldn’t blame her if she did. I needed to convince her I spoke the truth, from my heart.
She hadn’t said “I love you” back to me.
And more than winning this challenge, or the Norris trophy, or even the Cup, I wanted Penny Palmer to tell me she loved me.
More than anything.
I’d earn her love, no matter what it took.
CHAPTER16
Penny
“You did great!” Bailey assured me.
“Th-thanks.” My hands were still shaking. If Xavier won this, he was going to kiss me—reallykiss me—on live television, streaming all over the world.
There would be speculation.
