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“It’s cool you’re from Detroit. If the date goes well, maybe you guys can keep seeing each other.”
Bobby had the same thought I did, so maybe it wasn’t so weird after all. Kyle elbowed his sibling and shot him a death glare. Bobby laughed it off.
“Excuse him, he’s got no filter and no sense.” Kyle sounded mortified. “Dude, this guy’s a sponsor. Don’t piss him off.”
Bobby’s laugh continued, and I joined in, if only to let Kyle know I didn’t mind. “It’s all right. I’m already a fan so…”
Crap. I ran out of words.
“Austin, nice to meet you. Please go do something fun together.” His phone buzzed in his hand, and he stole a look at the screen. “I gotta go. Seb just pulled the car up. See you at the game tomorrow, bro.”
The brothers hugged, Bobby said goodbye to me, and then headed out.
“Family. Sometimes, I swear…” He didn’t finish the thought, but his tone proved that Bobby had amused him more than annoyed him. “So, do you want to get a drink and watch all this lunacy or…”
The crowd hadn’t gotten any quieter as the bachelors continued to take the stage. What did I want to do? I hadn’t expected to need a plan to hang out with Kyle until tomorrow or Sunday.
“I wouldn’t mind staying out of the ballroom for a little longer. All this loudness in a small space is more than I’m used to.”
“Works for me.” Kyle looked beyond me. “How about we go back over to the bar? Looks a lot less crowded there.”
“Great.” We crossed the lobby. “Did you have fun with the speed competition? It was super fun to watch, cheering you on.”
“I don’t really have words. Being here is major. I wanted this since I was a kid—to be an All-Star. Now I can check that off along with a Winter Classic. Hopefully, there’s a Stanley Cup in my future. Just being on the ice this afternoon with those guys was epic. I tried to explain to my mom why I wasn’t disappointed that I didn’t win this afternoon. To compete with those guys—the very fastest in the league—was a win.”
In the bar, Kyle guided us to a table that would be out of view of anyone coming or going from the auction.
“And tomorrow is just gonna be a big game of pickup,” he continued. “Sure, there’s competition, but the All-Star Game is unlike anything else. Winter Classics are cool, but those are serious games that affect stats. Tomorrow is a bunch of guys who don’t usually get to play together having a great time. God, I’m babbling.”
Excitement flowed off him—in his voice and the animated way he moved his hands around. It totally charmed me.
“I totally get it. I mean, I always want to win in business, but sometimes it’s just the people you’re around. I imagine it’s like being invited to speak on a panel and the other panelists are people I highly admire, and I’m honored to be in their company.”
“Exactly!”
We paused to give a drink order—same as last night, bourbon for me and ginger ale for him. Then I said, “So, tomorrow. What are you thinking? We could keep it as simple as dinner or something different. How tired will you be after the game?”
“Between the afternoon timing of the game and the postgame adrenaline, I’ll be good into the evening. Plus I’m here on Sunday, and other than brunch with my family mid-morning, I’m free, and I’ll probably spend any free time with Bobby.”
Interesting. I planned to head home Sunday night so I’d be in the office first thing Monday, so something during the day on Sunday. I hadn’t thought of anything particularly creative for our date though—I kept landing back on dinner. I’d had my assistant, Jack, find some good places, so I put forward one of those.
Just as we settled on the place for dinner after the game, Kyle and I both got texts at the same time. Someone decided they needed a picture of all the bachelors and their dates.
At least we had the date scheduled.
Now I could just be nervous about the actual date rather than it’s planning.
SEVEN
KYLE
WHAT A DAY!
My first All-Star Game.
My first All-Star Game with a goal.
My first All-Star Game with my brother and mom in the audience.
