Page 147 of Cheap Shot

Krista sighed. “He knows I miss California. The brightness was such a pick-me-up in the midst of all the dreary weather here.”

“It suits you,” he acknowledged, because her brightly colored dress looked stunning on her willowy figure, making her look like a gorgeous tropical flower herself. “And if you’re here for a bouquet, I’d love to put together a custom one for you. Within whatever budget you choose,” he hastily added because he didn’t want his customers to think he was trying to milk them for more money than they’d planned to spend.

Though her husband was a pro hockey player. They probably weren’t hurting for money.

She waved a hand. “No worries on budget. I trust your design skills. I’d love to see what you can do.”

“I’d need about fifteen, twenty minutes,” he said. “Would that be okay?”

“Yes. Could I talk to you while you work?”

“Sure,” he said, a little surprised. “What did you want to discuss?”

“Your niece,” she said.

Sebastian paused, frowning. “Uhh, what about her?”

“Well, forgive me if I’m overstepping, but I have kids about Harper’s age. Catherine mentioned that Harper isn’t in school yet and that childcare can sometimes be difficult for your sister …”

“Yes,” Sebastian agreed.

“I’d like to invite Harper over for a playdate.”

“Well, you’d have to talk to my sister about that,” Sebastian said. “I think she might be open to it, but you’d have to speak to her directly.”

“Of course,” Krista said with a smile. “I understand. How about I give you my number and you can pass that along. She can call or text, whatever she’d prefer.”

She pulled a pen and business card out of her purse and turned it over, writing her name and number in beautiful script. She handed the card to Sebastian and he flipped it over.

Krista Claybourn, Event Planner.

“Oh interesting,” Sebastian said. “You’re an event planner?”

She grimaced. “I was back in California. I’ve thought about setting up a new business here but it’s so hard when the kids are this age. I don’t really feel like I have the time or energy to start from scratch again.”

“I get that,” Sebastian said.

“To be honest, wanting to set up a play date is a little bit of a selfish request on my part,” Krista said. “I love Tom and our life with the kids so much. I’m proud of him and his career and the Harriers are a great group. But it’s not easy being a SAP.”

“A what?” Sebastian asked, then remembered what Catherine had said. “The new term for people dating or married to players, right?”

“Yes, exactly. Like I said, I’m very happy Tom’s with the Harriers now. I’m bi, so it’s nice to see some of the teams being more inclusive.”

“L.A. wasn’t?” Sebastian guessed.

“Mmm,” Krista said. “Not as much as teams like Boston, Toronto, and Evanston.”

He nodded, seeing her point. New York was nowhere near as inclusive as Boston. Or, at least that was what Nicky had told him a few years ago.

“Unfortunately,” she said with a small laugh. “Unlike L.A.,thisteam doesn’t have a lot of families with kids. The ones who do tend to be players who are in and out of the lineup a little more, so a lot of them are based in Concord. My kids have done someplaydates with Connor and Jesse’s kids and I’m getting quite close to Connor’s sisters-in-law, but I’d still like to connect with more young families in the area. For my kids’ sakes, and my own. I could really use some friends.”

Sebastian nodded. “I’ll definitely pass that along. My sister, Brie, can be a little stubborn about accepting help but if I can frame it as being mutually beneficial, she might be more receptive.”

“Perfect,” Krista said with a smile.

“So, tell me about your event planning business,” Sebastian said.

Krista brightened. “Let me pull up my portfolio. I took my website down when I closed the business but I still have the gallery hidden behind a password in case I ever wanted to get it up and running again.”