“How are you holding up?”

“I’m trying not to think about it,” I admitted and took my first sip of the crisp, white wine. “To be honest, I keep thinking this is good. It gets Lincoln off my back and if Kane’s willing to help me out with getting my trust, then it’s cool. But then I think about what it’s doing to him, and I think who cares about the money.”

“You care about him.”

“He’s my best friend’s brother, and she loves him more than anything, and he’s a great guy. Of course I care about him.”

I slid my eyes off Lizzie and back to the game where the men on the ice were a blur of white and teal jerseys, fighting for the puck, sticks clashing I could hear from up here. And the roar of the crowd in the arena? Eighty percent filled with Vipers gear but enough San Jose’s fans had made the trip the arena hadn’t fallen below a dull roar all game.

“Is that all he is?” Lizzie asked. “Just your best friend’s brother?”

Of course. I wanted to be adamant.

The lie stuck in my throat and Lizzie grinned. “He’s not a bad guy to have a crush on.”

“Having a crush on a guy you’re marrying because he’s helping you out isn’t a smart idea.”

“Anything could happen. I mean, Gabby and Joey barely knew each other and woke up married and they worked it out.”

“Not everyone gets their happily ever after.”

My parents were the perfect example. So was Kane’s first marriage. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in love, or soulmates, but I figured humans were more flawed than most wanted to admit, and therefore, a successful marriage built under the best and most loving terms could still crumble.

“No, that’s true.” She sighed and took a sip of her wine and another whistle was called for a penalty I missed—and probably wouldn’t understand—when she continued. “Kane’s a great guy. He’s loyal with a huge heart and I know Garrett and the guys who are on the team who were around during and after his divorce just want him to be happy again.”

“That’s what Heather wants for him, too. And, yeah, I can’t lie. The guy is hot. I mean, I’ve had to see pictures of him for years. Of course he’s sexy, but I don’t want to get my hopes up, or try anything that could ruin this either. So, maybe for my sake, tell all your friends to stop with the matchmaking?”

It was said as nicely as possible, but it wasn’t the first time I’d heard something like that this week. Everyone wanted Kane happy, and I wondered if he knew how much the team cared about him—not as a player, but as a friend.

Lizzie laughed and glanced back at the group of women scattered around behind us. “Point made, but if you ever need anything, we’re all here for you.”

“Thank you.”