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“Well, I think he’s hot as hell,” said Leesa. “Even if he doesn’t like hockey.”
Georgie grumbled and shovelled a fistful of popcorn in her mouth.
“If you ever want to bring him to a game, Michael can sit with me,” said Kaitlin.
Leesa nodded. “Do it! Bring him! We could persuade him to change his mind! He did ask questions, Georgie. Seemed interested.”
Chewing quickly, Georgie peered up at the television again, catching a replay of the Leafs first goal. “He asked”—she swallowed—“because he was being polite.”
“Yup.” Kaitlin nudged Georgie with her elbow several times. “Because he likes you!”
“He likes my help, Kait.” She adjusted the falling strap of her bucket-style Roots purse on her shoulder.
Leesa pressed her lips. “And here I thought denial was just a river in Egypt.”
Kaitlin burst out laughing. “She shoots, she SCORES!”
Leesa’s comment struck a little too close to home. Georgie glanced down from Hockey Night in Canada and found her friends sporting smug grins.
“Am I right or am I right?” Leesa crowed, crossing her arms over her Wendel Clark jersey. “You don’t gaze into someone’s eyes unless you find them attractive.”
“Well, you do if you’re a psychopath,” countered Kaitlin, prising a laugh from Leesa.
Georgie glared and resumed watching the first period’s highlights. “Cheers, guys.”
But ducking out of the conversation did little to dissuade her friends.
Leesa leaned closer to Kaitlin. “Did you see Oliver hanging on to every word? He was completely under Georgie’s spell.”
“And he gave up his Saturday morning to be with her,” said Kaitlin.
Georgie kept her eyes on the television, despite it airing a commercial break. “It wasn’t a date. It was for work.”
Kaitlin ignored her. “It’s like he already knows Georgie’s love language.”
“Ooh, what’s that?” asked Leesa.
Kaitlin plunged her hand into her bulging backpack. “It’s this new book I’m reading. Found it at work.” As she rummaged inside, a hairbrush, a Discman, and a half-eaten bag of Hickory Sticks she’d snuck into the game all made a brief appearance the further she searched. “Must’ve been a press copy someone didn’t want. A note inside said it releases this month.”
Georgie stole a look as Kaitlin finally unearthed a book titled Languages of Love.
“There are five ways in which people give and receive love.” Dropping the backpack to the floor, she flipped to a dog-eared page and ran her finger down a list. “Through physical touch, sharing quality time, providing acts of service, offering words of affirmation, and by gift-giving.”
Leesa’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe I’m greedy, but I’d want all those things.”
“Most people prefer one over all the others,” said Kaitlin. “Like our Georgie here. She’s big on socializing, right? Loves to show people they matter by hanging out with them. That means sharing quality time is her love language.”
“Well, that sounds incredibly one-dimensional and rigid.” Georgie craned her neck, attempting to read the page. “Don’t I get a say in this?”
Kaitlin snapped the book closed. “Not if you’re going to make fun of it.”
“I’m not!”
“Like you didn’t with Men Want Who They Can’t Have?” Kaitlin lifted her bag off the floor. “You were ruthless.”
“’Cause it’s full of stereotypes,” said Georgie. “And this one sounds similar. You can’t pigeonhole people’s behaviour like that. Emotions are complex and so are the ways we express them.”
“I know. I just”—huffing, Kaitlin stashed the book in her backpack—“thought it was an interesting premise.” She lowered the bag to the floor. “Some of us want to find love, okay? It doesn’t make us silly or dense.”
