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Scarlet’s eyes flare in surprise, but she recovers quickly. “We did.” She slides her arm through mine and leans her cheek on my biceps. “But I was young and stupid and didn’t realize what a good thing I had. He’s the one who got away.”
“And now you’re here. In Toronto. And so is he.” Peggy’s voice is almost robotic.
This couldn’t be more awkward.
“I am.” Her smile turns soft and hopeful. “It feels a lot like fates aligned.”
“Yeah. Definitely.” Peggy keeps nodding, her smile tight in a way only I would notice as she adds, “Especially since you’re both single and ready to mingle.”
“I wouldn’t mind taking this guy off the market again.” Scarlet squeezes my arm.
Or maybe it can get more awkward. I’m about to say something to end this moment when I catch Hemi’s eye.
Hemi looks from me, to Scarlet, to Peggy, whose smile is so stiff it could be super-glued to her lips. “I need to use the ladies’ room. Hammer, come with.” Hemi threads her arm through Peggy’s. “If you’ll excuse us for a moment. It was so nice to meet you, Scarlet. I hope we’ll be seeing you at another game soon.”
“Oh definitely. I plan to attend as many as I can.”
“Great.” Hemi does a finger-curl wave and guides Peggy toward the bathroom.
Rix cringes and turns to Scarlet. “She was really excited to meet you. And nervous. You’re totally her unicorn.” She rushes after the girls.
Scarlet gives me a knowing smile. “I think someone might have a bit of a crush on you.”
I laugh, but I feel like I’m going to vomit. “Peggy’s basically family.”
She pats my chest. “To you, maybe. How old is she?”
“Twenty.” Almost twenty-one. Not that her being twenty-one will change how inappropriate it is for me to have dreams about her. Especially the most recent ones.
She bites her lip. “That’s how old I was when we started dating. I was so stupid to let you go.”
“We were young.” That horrible lump in my throat keeps growing. “And you were right, it couldn’t have worked. We live on opposite ends of the country.”
“Hindsight, though.” Her smile turns soft and apologetic. “I regret the way I handled things.”
“It’s water under the bridge.” It’s not really. What happened with Scarlet had a ripple effect that’s framed my relationships. Only once in the past seven years have I been involved with a woman for more than a handful of months. Like all the rest, that one went up in flames, too. It just hurt a little more.
She tips her head. “Is it, though?”
“It was a long time ago, Scarlet.”
“Maybe we could go for coffee. I’d love a chance to apologize. I know I hurt you.”
“I have away games coming up.” I’m all about avoiding painful conversations, especially with my head all over the place and my career feeling unsteady.
“When you get back, then. I’m here for a few months.” She squeezes my arm. “Just think about it, okay?” She kisses me on the cheek, and she and Candice excuse themselves since they have an early morning on set.
Shilpa and Ash stop at the table. “Am I seeing things, or were you just talking to Scarlet Reed and Candice Claymore?” Shilpa asks.
“You’re not seeing things.” I down the rest of my scotch.
“Was she invited or did she just show up?” Shilpa’s a little too good at reading people.
“She showed up.”
She hums but doesn’t comment further.
“We meeting up for morning yoga tomorrow?” Ashish asks.
