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“Did Dex do this? And he told you?” Absurdly, Ashley did not like that idea at all. Not the limo—she loved the limo (oh my God, a limo!)—but the notion that Dex was texting her sister did not sit well.
Vera was, to put it mildly, a woman of action. Unlike Ashley, who was a mom with clay feet.
“He wanted you to have a beer and enjoy yourself.”
She could have gotten an Uber or a taxi. A limo seemed so over the top.
But that was Dex. He was an OTT kind of guy. She considered her sister. Maybe she and Dex were better suited for each other.
Just thinking it made her ill. What was wrong with her? She had no claim over Dex O’Malley. He was just playing nice with her so he could get a good review for his court case.
Not exactly pleased with her muddled thought process, she checked her purse for her wallet—would she have to tip the driver?—as a knock sounded on the door. Despite knowing she was not supposed to answer, Willa did just that and said, “Hi!” to the man on the other side of the threshold. Heavy-set and gray-haired, he was dressed in a suit and a cap.
“Ms. Willa Adams?”
“That’s me!” Willa looked so pleased at the manner of address that Ashley’s dark thoughts faded away in an instant.
The driver smiled warmly. “Well, young lady, your carriage awaits.”
Ashley couldn’t be annoyed at that. Dex had given her daughter a fairy tale start to the evening.
“Got everything, Willa?” Ashley grabbed her jacket and put it on. She turned to her sisters. “We won’t be out too late.”
“Sure,” Vera said with a wink. “Maybe send our niece home and stay out for a time afterward.”
“That won’t be happening. It’s the game and that’s it.”
“We have to go to the locker room. Dex is expecting us!”
The locker room. Would it be filled with half-naked guys, or more specifically Dex in a towel, answering questions from some floozy sports journo?
She needed to not think of Dex in a towel or the man flirting with reporters. This was her daughter’s night.
“Okay, let’s go.” She caught Maeve’s eye and shriveled a touch at her sister’s somber expression. “It’s just a game.”
“It is to him,” her sister murmured.
“This view is amazing!” Willa stood before her seat in the Rebels arena, about four rows back from the bench, and took it all in. It might be amazing, but as far as Ashley was concerned, the music was loud, the people around them were rambunctious, and the entire experience was just a touch overwhelming.
Starting with the limo ride. The driver had told them to help themselves to the snacks in the car, so they munched on Pringles, Skittles, and ginger ale, even though they’d both had dinner. It just seemed a shame not to take advantage.
Once at the arena, they were met by someone called Mindy, who escorted them to their seats as Mr. O’Malley’s special guests. Ashley wondered if this section was reserved for associates of the players.
Associate. Good word. Excellent description of her relationship with one of the Chicago Rebels star forwards.
Doing her best not to stare at the people seated around her, she tried to gauge who might be related to a player. She didn’t follow the gossip rags or even the sports media, but she was pretty sure that one of them was?—
“Oh my God, that’s Mia Wallace!” Willa waved at the dark-haired hockey star and Olympic gold medalist sitting kitty-corner behind them. “Hi!”
“Hey there,” the woman said. “You excited for the game?”
“Big time. Dex O’Malley invited us,” her daughter said proudly.
Ashley turned around and smiled an apology for her daughter’s effusiveness. “Hello. I’m Ashley and this is Willa.”
“I’m Mia. This is Sadie and Casey.” She gestured at the two women to her left, who nodded and smiled warmly. “Friends of Dex, huh?”
Mia was married to one of the players, Cal Foreman, and was also sister to the captain, Vadim Petrov. While she probably had the inside track, Ashley wasn’t sure how much people knew about Dex’s volunteer gig, so all she could do was murmur, “Yep. Friends.”
