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“The intrepid traveller returns!” Georgie gave Andrea Matsumoto a tight squeeze, ignoring the stab of pain inflicted by her dangling camera digging into her ribs. “How was your summer? How was Japan?”
“Glorious. Fabulous. Stunning.” A familiar voice jumped in a few steps away.
“Stefanie!” Georgie squealed, recognizing the quote from Working Girl. Two years earlier, the pair had donned massive shoulder pads, garish eye shadow, and hair teased to the heavens to dress up as Tess and Cynthia for Halloween.
“Stef’s annoyed she didn’t crash my trip,” said Andrea. She released Georgie and promptly enveloped Michael in a friendly embrace.
“And be a third wheel?” Dressed in the same usherette uniform as Andrea, Stefanie Spence swept her hand through her thick mane of long, curly red hair then wrapped her arms around Georgie. “No way,” she muttered at the same time as Michael, leaving his hug.
Letting Stef go with a squeeze, Georgie’s gaze swept the excited fans gathering between the rail seats and the glass, waiting for the Leafs pre-game warmup.
“Can’t say I blame her.” Andrea held up her left hand. A marquise cut diamond graced her ring finger and sparkled beneath the rink’s bright lights.
Giddiness swelled inside Georgie. “Whaaat?” She lunged in for a closer look, her smile crinkling her eyes.
“Congrats, bud!” said Michael. “Who’s the lucky guy?”
“His name’s Jeff. He works in finance.” Andrea beamed. “It’s wild! I met him in Tokyo, but he lives here! It all happened so fast. I can hardly believe it.”
“Hey, when you know, you know.” Georgie straightened up. “It’s stunning. I’m SO happy for you!”
“Thanks, Gi.” Lowering her hand, Andrea bit her bottom lip. “I debated whether to tell you…”
Georgie crinkled her nose. “What? Don’t be silly. I’m over it. I’m over him.”
Michael nodded. “Good riddance to bad trash.”
“You would say that, babes.” Stefanie peered over her shoulder.
Georgie followed Stef’s squint. Stood behind the penalty boxes with her jaw clenched, the usherettes’ supervisor tugged on the cuffs of her blue blazer and glared in their direction.
She squeezed Michael’s arm. “I think we should…”
“Sorry.” Stefanie smiled tightly. “Meet up later?”
“Defo,” said Michael as Georgie waved farewell.
They dispersed in silence, weaving single file through the high-spirited obstacle course of oncoming fans. Once out in the concourse, Michael wrapped his arm around Georgie. “Hey, you okay?”
She nodded. “I still feel guilty.”
He rubbed her arm. “You shouldn’t.”
Georgie sighed and Michael let go. “So, where’d we leave off?” he asked.
“Uh…we were talking about Cliff and the Cup?”
“No, before that. On the way out of the subway.” Michael stepped onto one of two side-by-side single-file escalators headed upward, and Georgie followed. The mechanical steel stairs were old and narrow and shuddered like they were possessed. Best to hold on and look straight ahead. There wasn’t much room to turn around and talk.
Reaching the second-level concourse, Michael rounded a half wall and stood aside, waiting for Georgie to catch up. “You said Houdini barely spoke to you today.”
The mere mention of his name tripped Georgie’s pulse into a riotous sprint. “What’s he gonna say?” she asked, walking past the narrow entrances to the east reds as they headed toward the final escalator serving the green and grey sections and private boxes. “‘I suck and you should’ve got Vimy instead of me?’”
Michael scratched a few days’ worth of brown stubble on his chin. “Something like that, yeah.”
“Don’t hold your breath. He wouldn’t recognize remorse if it bit him on the ass.” Stepping onto another claustrophobic single-file escalator, Georgie was glad for a few seconds of silence before having to dissect school politics again.
She hopped off at the top and turned to Michael. “I’m definitely having a chat with Laporte, though.” Georgie wasn’t one to let anything slide, especially questionable decisions at work.
