Page 67 of That Thing You Brew
Nana got her way, and Monty wheeled her to a nearby table as she bit into her Irish Cream brownie.
I stepped up to the counter, and Penny grinned at me while Marie rang me up. “Guess what?”
“What?” I tapped my card to the payment terminal. “You’re out of birthday doughnuts?”
She laughed. “Nope. Got yours all boxed up and ready.”
I raised my eyebrows as I replaced my card in my wallet and took out a twenty-dollar bill. “You’re coming to the game tonight?”
“I am, but you know that.”
“You’re wearing my jersey?”
“You knew that, too.” Penny handed me the coffee and doughnut box. “The bagpiper canceled.”
“The bagpiper?”
She snorted. “Yes, the bagpiper the Edge hired to play the anthem tonight. He’s got the flu.”
“Sorry for him. So?”
“So Bailey is already at the arena and was there when he called in, so she called me. She asked ifI’dplay the anthem! Me! In front of nineteen thousand people!”
I blinked at her. “You?”
“Me!”
“Wow!” I scooted out of line toward the end of the counter. She ducked behind Marie and met me at the kitchen door, pushing it open just before I got there. I slipped inside behind her, set my coffee and doughnut down and lifted her into a hug. “I’m so happy for you! You’re going to be amazing!”
“I’m so excited! I almost didn’t answer because I was just about to make your coffee, but you were tied up outside, so I figured I had a few extra minutes. She’d asked me about signing, but I haven’t been able to do it with my school and work schedule. But tonight—everything lined up perfectly.”
“Need help getting your harp out of here?”
“Nope. Marcus already carried it through the kitchen to the back door.”
I set her on the ground and pressed my lips to hers for a proper kiss. “Meet you around back in a few minutes?”
“I’ll be there.”
* * *
It was game time.Almost. We were lined up in the tunnel while the crowd got hyped up. On the ice, Trask’s stepdaughter Ryleigh skated our logo flag around the arena with Ridgie the Bear. It was a neat tradition, choosing a kid from a local hockey program to skate in the opening ceremony. Even neater when it was a team kid.
Even cooler was that my girl—mywife—was playing the national anthem.
“Dude, you’re a giddy mess. Don’t make me miss my cue.” Jason tapped my shoulder with his blocker. “You already cost me my stick tonight.”
I laughed. “Please. You’d have given Gordie your pillows if he asked.”
He tilted his head to the side and tapped his pads. “That’s true. I’ve been thinking about getting new pads, anyway. These should fit him after that crazy growth spurt. Thanks for the heads-up he was going to be here. I also slipped him a five-hundred-dollar Visa gift card so he could bid on my lucky leprechaun jersey.”
I shook my head. As usual, our holiday-themed warm-up jerseys were delightfully hideous. Tonight’s featured orange-and-green-striped sleeves and a caricature of a leprechaun diving into a pot of gold with the league’s sports betting sponsor’s logo on it. On the back, our numbers were made of a holographic material that reflected rainbows in the light. Definitely not practical for game play.
“Thirty seconds, boys!” Dean gave us our final warning, tapping his stick to our helmets as he passed us. Another tradition. “Time to hunt foxes! Allaire, Johnson! Get your ugly mugs up here with me!”
Noel grinned at me as he passed by. The guy was practically my family now.
Family.
