Page 20 of Center Ice

“I’ll meet you guys there,” I told Mikey and changed direction so I could intercept her.

“Where are you going?” I ignored Mikey’s question and watched her.

I was only a few yards away when she finally looked up and saw me. “Oh, hi.”

Her eyes darted behind me, probably looking for an escape. “Hey, do you have a second?”

She hesitated. “Sure, but I have to get back soon.”

I led her to a more secluded area. “I’m really sorry about before. I realize now I was pretty rude.”

She waved me off. “No, I was prying.”

“I just haven’t had to talk about my mom with someone that didn’t already know for a long time.” I was fumbling for the right thing to say. Each word felt wrong.

“No, I get that. I shouldn’t have asked.” Her eyes dropped to the ground.

“I’m really bad at meeting new people, obviously.” I needed to stop talking. Nothing good was coming from opening my mouth.

“Well, usually you don’t have to talk about the worst thing that’s ever happened to you when you first meet someone.” She smiled. “How about we start over?”

I huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

She extended her hand. “I’m Dani, wedding and event coordinator here.”

I shook her hand, “I’m Jake, defense for the Utah Fury.”

Her eyes brightened. “Wow a hockey player. I’ve gone my whole life never knowing one, and just today I’ve met like a dozen.”

“I should apologize on their behalf in advance. Most of them have been trained, but we still have a few rouges.”

“Oh, I wasn’t told that I needed to have a kids’ table ready.” She cringed and leaned forward. “How many are we talking?”

I held up my hand and started counting off. “Lance, Mikey, Derek, and if you sit Erik and Reese next to each other, that might get crazy.”

She giggled. “Thanks for the heads up.”

I loved seeing her smile, especially knowing that I did that.

“How long have you been a wedding and event coordinator?”

“I’ve been full-time here for three years, but I interned every summer with the previous coordinator while I was in college.”

“Wow, that’s a long time living here. Do you like it?”

She nodded, but her smile dimmed. “It was an adventure at first, but it’s lost some of the glamour. I feel like I’m stuck doing the same thing every day. The same wedding over and over again. It’s been an amazing experience, but I’m hoping I can leave soon and start my own wedding planning business.”

I had zero knowledge about the industry, but she seemed to be an expert. “What are you waiting for?”

Her brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“You have all this experience and you know what your next step is, so what’s the thing holding you back?”

She straightened. “Well, it’s not that easy.”

I held up my hands. “Sorry, no.” I rubbed my neck. “See, I’m really terrible at talking to people. I didn’t mean it like that. I genuinely don’t know what needs to be done. Like, do you need to build up a clientele list? Find vendors you trust? I guess you would have to pick a place to be located too. Do you want to move back to the US or move to a different country? Or stay here because you know people?”

She bit her lip and finally released a smile. “I feel like we’re really good at misunderstanding each other.”