Page 106 of Ruin The Friendship
“It’s not like you can take time off, Fletch,” Calvin says.
“I know that, Miller.” My irritation grows. In all honesty, I’ve been avoiding thinking about this.
Lydia can’t help when she’s due, but it sucks that she’s more than likely going to have the baby during the playoffs. What if I’m out of town when she goes into labor? The thought has my heart pounding and sweat beading on my brow. I don’t want to miss the birth of our daughter.
Because that’s what she is. Blood or not, she is my daughter. And Lydia is my partner.
Trigg cuts off my train of thought, calling over to us to start running a few drills with Dylan.
45
GIRLHOOD
LYDIA
“How long have you been together?” Hattie asks after I explain that Fletcher isn’t technically my baby’s father.
I pause to think. “December second was our first date, but we’ve been friends for years.”
“Wow. He seems like a great guy.” She tucks a piece of her reddish-blonde hair behind her ear.
“He really is. Do you have a partner?” I ask. “Or if that’s too invasive?—”
Hattie cuts me off with a wave of her hand. “Girl, I just asked if Fletcher was your baby’s father. Clearly, I have no boundaries… Oh god, I was so rude asking you about that, wasn’t I? I’m the worst.”
“Stop it,” I laugh, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “You’re fine. I would have told you, anyway. It’s not a secret.”
Hattie sighs. “Okay, good. To answer your question, no. I haven’t had time for dating. Not since I got custody of Dylan.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Four years. He was twelve. I was twenty-four. We’ve done a lot of growing up together, if I’m being honest. It’s been a rough few years, but I think he’s turned into a great kid.” Hattie looks at her nephew fondly. “I work two jobs, and even that’s not enough, but I’ll be damned if he doesn’t get to play hockey. There’s no way I’m taking that away from him, even if it would make my life ten times easier. It helps that he has his driver’s license now and can use my dad’s car.”
“Does your dad help out?” Zoey asks.
Hattie shakes her head. “Yes, and no. He’s in his seventies, and the only thing he cares about is his food truck that’s open for two months a year. I was an ‘oops baby,’ and my mom died when I was young. He has a lot of health problems. The list goes on. He shows up to games for Dyl and lets us live in the apartment above his garage, but that’s about all he can do with his age and health issues.”
“Well, now you have us.” Grace squeezes Hattie. “I can pick him up from practice or whatever you need.”
“Do you know of any places hiring?” Hattie whispers. “The place I’m working at now is… not great. The cooks are all assholes, and my boss is a prick.”
“Actually, yeah. The bar I work at in the summer. But it’s in Wisconsin, on Willow Lake.”
“That’s only like thirty minutes from me. I could make that drive if the pay is good, and you get treated well.”
“We get treated amazingly. The summers are the best because all the rich folks are at their huge mansions, and they tip so well. I’ll put in a good word for you, if you’re interested.”
“Yes, please.” Hattie relaxes. “I need out of that job. It’s my part-time gig, and my full-time one isn’t much better.”
A bell goes off in my mind. “What’syour full-time job?”
“I’m a bank teller. It was all I could find when I needed to land something quick, and I’m scared to try to find something else now. I’ve always loved planning big events like that. I wanted to be an event planner, but well…” She gestures to the ice where Fletcher is taking shots at Dylan, who is surprisingly holding his own against a top professional hockey player.
I can see from here that all three of the men look impressed.
“We have an opening at my job,” I say quickly. “I’m the office admin for a non-profit organization, Frozen Fundamentals. We’re based in the community rink in Lino Lakes, but we host skating and hockey events throughout the Twin Cities. They’ve been considering hiring an event planner, expanding a bit, and doing more high-end fundraisers and galas. My expertise starts and ends with free skate camp days, so they decided to hire someone.”
“Really?” Hattie asks, her eyes brightening.
