Page 3 of A Match Made In Fall

I thought about leaving the chats for a while but not knowing what’s going on would be worse than the FOMO. I, Isabella Martin, have the worst FOMO of anyone I’ve ever met, or at least that’s what I’ve been told. Thankfully, my friend Natalia always keeps me in the loop on what’s happening back in LA.

“Abby is going to stop over in a bit,” Eloise calls from behind the counter. “She says it shouldn’t be a problem for you all to the meet the team after the game.”

“That’s amazing. My husband is going to be thrilled,” Sammy says.

Baby Jude begins stirring, and as soon as he opens his big blue eyes, my mom scoops him out of his seat.

“Why do you get to hold him first?” I ask.

“Because I’m his grandma,” she retorts. “And grandmas have first dibs. I earned it by raising his father.”

Sammy nods in agreement. “She has a valid point.”

I laugh. “Okay fine.”

We all continue to swoon over the baby, who’s in a surprisingly cheerful mood. If only the rest of us could wake up like this.

After a few minutes, a stunning blonde woman in scrubs arrives.

“Hey, Abby,” Eloise calls.

“Hi,” Abby says warmly.

I wonder if Eloise knows every person who comes in here.

“Abby, look who’s here, it’s Isabella from Ballroom Dance America.”

Abby quickly turns around and looks at me.

“Oh, wow.”

I give a nonchalant wave.

“And this is Sammy and Michelle and baby Jude,” Eloise continues. “Some of my favorite new customers.”

“It’s so great to meet you all,” Abby says, waving her hand. I can’t help but notice a massive diamond ring on her left hand. It might be one of the most stunning rings I’ve ever seen.

“How’s your foot?” she asks.

I shrug. “It’s getting better—slowly.”

She gives me a sympathetic look. “Well, I’m sure you’ll be back next season. You’re one of the best on the show.”

I grin. “You’re sweet, thank you.”

Her phone buzzes, and she glances down before holding it up. “Okay, there will be five passes for you all to attend the player meet-up after the game.”

“Wow. Thank you for doing that for us,” my mom says.

She waves her hand. “It’s no big deal at all. The guys love meeting the fans.”

Hmm…if only she knew that none of us are actual fans of the team. I mean I didn’t know until an hour ago that I was going to the game. But maybe that will change after tonight? I’m sure it will be a lot of fun. And it’s more time with my family, which is what truly matters.

CHAPTER TWO

AUSTIN

That was quite a game. Nothing compares to the nights when everything falls into place like clockwork. Every player on our team showed up at their best; we were all in the right place on the ice and prepared. And more importantly we got the win. This season hasn’t started off as good as we hoped. It’s still early, but last season ended with a difficult loss in the playoffs. Making it that far was no easy feat, but somehow, we did. We’re all hoping to be back in the playoffs this season, only with a different outcome this go round.