Page 66 of A Match Made In Fall

Abby nods, letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. Nick was beside himself after that last home game. I was not looking forward to dealing with another loss."

I frown. "I know. I felt so bad for all of them. I've had performances where everything went wrong, and it's heartbreaking. You spend weeks preparing, put everything you have into it, and then it just falls apart in front of everyone. It's hard not to internalize that as failure."

"Exactly," Abby says. "Nick was miserable for days."

"The pressure those guys deal with is unreal," Eloise calls. "People see them on the ice for a couple of hours and forget they are human."

"Yes, they don't see the practices, the travel, the injuries, or the constant criticism," I add.

"Or the mood swings after losses," Abby adds.

We all laugh. "Or those."

Eloise sets a cup on the counter before turning back toward me with a knowing smile.

"So…you and Austin? I’m guessing things between you two are moving very quickly.”

A rush of excitement washes over me. Hearing other people say it out loud makes my heart flutter. "Yes," I admit, unable to stop smiling.

The two of them exchange a look.

"Have you two talked about the future?" Eloise asks.

Abby nudges her arm. "Don't be so nosy."

"I’m not being nosy," Eloise says innocently. "And you brought Austin up first.”

I laugh. "It's okay. We've talked about it a little. Right now we're just enjoying these next few months together and we’ll see where things go after that."

"That’s a good plan," Abby says.

"It sounds very mature," Eloise adds.

"We're still figuring things out,” I pause. “But it’s going really well.”

"Well, I tried asking Nick if Austin had said anything," Abby tells me, "but as usual, he’s completely oblivious. Even if Austin has mentioned you, Nick isn't sharing a single detail."

"I can appreciate him keeping his friend’s confidence,” I say.

"It might be hockey player code," Abby says. "They can discuss plays and strategies for hours but ask one question about emotional things, and suddenly they go silent."

Eloise snorts. "That sounds about right, but I don’t think it’s only hockey player code.”

We all laugh, but underneath the jokes, a calm feeling settles in my chest.

Right now I don't feel rushed or uncertain about what's next. Austin and I are building something one day at a time, and for now, that's enough.

I grin. “It’s okay. Thanks for trying, though.”

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Eloise suddenly exclaims. “We got the party invitation from Sammy. I’ve already picked out our costumes. Brad isn’t exactly thrilled about it, but being newlyweds has its advantages.”

“It’s going to be so much fun,” I say with a laugh. “What costumes did you choose?”

“Jessie and Woody from Toy Story, obviously.”

Abby snorts. “Brad would go along with whatever you wanted, he knows better. Otherwise, he'd be sleeping on the couch for a week.”

Eloise flashes a smug grin. “Actually, eight days.”