Chapter 3

Oliver

Last night’s game was a total shit show and I’ve been bitter about it since I left the arena. Not only did the Gators play a rough game, but I also played like shit and that’s not like me. My mind wandered a little too much and my focus got away from the puck. My teammates have every right to be pissed at me, but some of them didn’t play very well either. Harrison had five or six turnovers throughout the night, August was checked into the wall and got a bloody nose when a fight ensued, and Bear let three pucks into the net.

Like I said, shit show.

But it’s over now and the best thing we can do is let the loss roll off our backs and move forward, vowing to never let those same mistakes happen again. The team left last night to fly back home before our games in Chicago, so that leaves me here to have a fun couple of days off. Once I figure out where I need to park at the airport, I head inside to wait for Scarlett to arrive.

“Eleven-seventeen. Sunshine Airlines Gate B.” I read the message on my Apple watch one more time so I’m sure to get it right. I texted Scarlett earlier today to let her know what I’m wearing, black pants and a green Henley top, so she can find me. I’m able to watch the plane pull in so I know she made it, but what I’m not ready for is the sight before my eyes a little over ten minutes later when she’s walking toward me down the terminal. Her satiny red hair in ringlets clipped behind her head, she has the face of an angel. She doesn’t wear a ton of makeup, which I like. It leaves room for those freckles I noticed before, which look even cuter in real life, and her goofy grin as she practically skips to me makes me beam right back at the beautiful stranger.

“You must be Oliver.”

“And you must be Scarlett.”

“What gave me away?” She twirls in front of me and I’m not sure if I should laugh or tell her how goddamn sexy she looks right now.

“That’s uh…quite the airplane wardrobe you chose, huh?”

“Do you like it?”

“Of course. I mean, you look…” My eyes dart up and down her curvy body as she stands before me in a rather expensive-looking wedding dress made up of tiers of gathered ruffles on the bottom and a sleeveless deep V-neck adorned with sparkling beads and pearls on top. “Pardon me for saying, but you look sexy as hell in this dress.”

Her eyes light up at my compliment. “You really think so?”

I nearly scoff because fuck, I have to focus on not drooling just looking at her. Swiping my hand down my face, I linger at my chin as I nod. “Uh, yeah. I do. This was to be your wedding dress?”

“Yep,” she says with a pop to the P. “And now it’s nothing but trash.”

My brows peak. “What?”

“Yeah. The dress is shit to me now. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and when I put it on, I felt like I was legit royalty,” she sighs in a huff and then shrugs. “But now. Fuck it. His money paid for it and I’ll never get to wear it ever again, so I’m wearing it today and we’re going to trash it together.”

“What? Trash it? Are you insane?”

There’s no way that dress didn’t cost a fortune.

She laughs. “Nope. Not insane. Just ready to have an absolute blast today and if this thing turns into rags because of all the fun we’re having, so be it. And then I’ll be able to say good riddance to bad fucking rubbish. You still in Magallan?”

She pops her hip and waits for my reply, which comes just as naturally as taking her hand in mine. “Hell yeah, I’m in.” I squeeze her hand for good measure. “Let’s get your luggage and go have some fun.”

“Great. I’m starving and ready for some southern barbecue.”

“I know just the place.”

___

“Mmmm! Oh, my God, this is delish! You weren’t lying when you said you knew just the place, huh?”

I lick the sauce from my fingers. “Yeah. Bubba’s is one of my favorite places to eat here. I tell everyone I know to come here when they’re in town.”

She smiles. “Sincere word of mouth from a celebrity. That’s impressive.”

“I don’t know that I would consider myself a celebrity.”

“Uh, I beg to differ,” she scoffs with a hint of humor. “You make millions playing hockey for one of the best teams in the league.”

“You wouldn’t have thought that yesterday. Fuck, that game was brutal.”

“I saw parts of it.” She lifts her shoulder. “When one team wins, that means one team has to lose, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“You’ll get ’em next time. I have no doubt.”

I wipe my mouth with my napkin and sit back in my chair. “So, tell me about you.”

“You mean Ledger didn’t give you my life story?” Her grin makes me smile and sends a bit of a jolt through my stomach at the same time. She seems so down to earth and easy going, which I very much appreciate.

“Nope. All he told me was that you’re an influencer who had an unbelievably dreadful day. He told me why you’re here and that you were looking for a plus one. Not to bring up a sour subject but I’m sorry about the wedding. No matter the circumstances, you didn’t deserve to be disrespected like that.”

She tries to shake it off like it’s no big deal but I have a feeling deep down she’s more bothered than she’s letting on. “You know, sometimes life has a way of pointing you in a different direction. One completely opposite from where you thought you were going and you just have to learn to…be okay with it, I guess.” She takes a sip of her beer before digging into another chicken wing. “He would’ve hated this, by the way.”

“Bubba’s?” I ask with a lift of my brows.

“Mhmm. He would’ve seen this as some trashy dive totally beneath him.” She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “I should’ve been more honest with myself. The stuffy Stepford wife life isn’t me and even though it hurt at the time—I mean, he didn’t even fucking show up—I know it’s all for the best. I don’t hate him.” A small smirk plays across her lips. “But I’ll definitely take advantage of his money since he already paid for this honeymoon.”

“Savage,” I tell her.

“Ha! That’s me. Savage Scarlett.”

“I dig it. So, what makes you happy? What sets your soul on fire?”

Her earthy green eyes meet mine and I swear to God they sparkle. “Living life to the fullest sets my soul on fire.”

I cock my head to the side. “What do you mean by that?”

She leans forward, her gaze still holding mine. “I mean, do you ever have those moments where you’re lying in bed thinking to yourself, ‘I don’t want to spend day after day in the same fucking cubicle or working for the same rich CEO who doesn’t give two shits about your life.’ I mean probably not in your case, since you play hockey and it’s a sport I’m guessing you love it more than anything, but still. You get what I’m saying.”

“Even playing a sport I love every day I totally get what you’re saying, yeah.”

She pulls her arms into her chest and takes a deep breath. “I just want to…live in the moment, you know? My job, although stressful at times, allows me experiences I would never have otherwise and I live for that. I look at every day as a gift. An opportunity to share something about life or the world around me with my followers and that’s what makes me happy. Making people happy makes me happy.”

“I think that’s great. You certainly have the personality for what you do.”

She beams. “Thank you. I appreciate that. I work hard, but I like to play harder. So, with that being said, we need to get you a killer costume for tonight.” She bites into her chicken wing again, leaving sauce in the corner of her mouth and of course, on her fingers. Before I can even point it out to her though, she swipes a finger over the sauce on her lips and then wipes her hands on her dress, much to my shock and amusement.

“I could’ve gotten you more napkins, you know.”

“What good are napkins when you have a perfectly good twenty-thousand-dollar dress to trash?” She laughs and then stands. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”