Page 12 of Scoring a Sweet Thing

I slip on my black shoes—also rented—and head out to the kitchen so I can watch for when the car pulls up. Luckily, I don’t have to wait for long, and Lian’s response comes through when I’m almost at the hotel.

Lian:

You look so great! Stop fussing. I still can’t believe you’re going on a date with a hot hockey player!

Bailey:

It’s not a real date.

Lian:

Semantics! It’s a date and you look hot! And he’s hot!

Lian:

Have fun!

Bailey:

That was a lot of exclamation marks.

Lian:

Oh, shut up! I’m excited for you!

Lian:

Oh, and Bailey?

Bailey:

Yeah?

Lian:

I’m proud of you for doing this

I roll my eyes at Lian’s message, fighting the smile off my face before locking down my phone and slipping it into the pocket of my pants.

When the car pulls up outside the hotel, Remi is waiting outside under the canopy. He’s dressed in a teal-colored suit, and the way his entire face lights up with his bright smile the second he sees me has my heart doing the same funny things in my chest it was doing this morning.

How can someone be so fucking warm and good?

And why is my heart kicking like a kangaroo in my chest? What is that all about?

“Bailey! Hi! Ohmigod, you look amazing!” His words rush out a mile a minute, and he engulfs me in a tight embrace when I reach him.

I’m startled briefly by the unexpected hug, taking a few seconds before I wrap my arms around him. His rosewood and cardamom scent fills my nose, and I take a deep inhale.

He steps back and holds his hand out to me. I accept it, biting on the inside of my cheek to stop my face from morphing into a grin when he interlocks our fingers and leads me inside.

This guy is something else.

“Did you have a good day at work? Did you eat lunch today?” he asks, his concern warming my chest.

“Yes, I did have lunch,” I chuckle. “And it was a good day.”

“Did you take any photos of your work?”