“I will keep my fingers crossed for you.” I kiss her, and she turns and walks out of the room and shuts the door with a slam. “Crazy kids,” I say, thinking back to how she fought it when they first got together. I’m about to go grab my phone when there is a knock on the door, and I wonder who it could be. I walk to the door and swing it open, and my mouth hangs open.

“We just got this for you,” one of the bellhops says. The huge box covers his face, and he peeks at me around the side. “Do you want me to put it in the living room?”

“Yes, please,” I answer him and move out of the way so he can come in. The huge brown box is so big I don’t know how he’s carrying it. He places it on the dining table and then looks at me.

“It’s not heavy, just big,” he says, nodding and then walking out. What in the world could it be? I think to myself. My name is written on the top of the box, so I pick up the cover and put it aside.

A white envelope sits on the top of the white tissue paper. I turn it over in my hand and pull out the card.

Vivienne,

I went to bed with your scent on my pillow and have thought of nothing else since. Have dinner with me under the sea.

I promise not to bite unless you ask me to.

Markos

I smile and laugh at the same time and put the card to the side. Opening the white tissue paper, I laugh even louder. In the boxes are stuffed animals. A baby octopus in blue, an otter, a whale, a penguin, a sloth, and then at the bottom what looks like a huge shark. I pull it out and see a ribbon tied with a small card attached to it.

I’ll pick you up at eight.

Call me now.

Markos

I sit down in the chair, looking at all of this, and I know it’s a bad idea. Even getting up and walking to the phone, I know I shouldn’t call him because it’s just setting me up for the fall, even if it’s just a little fall. But something stronger is taking over, and it’s that same force that makes me pick up my phone and text him.

Me: I’ll be ready.

Chapter Ten

Mark

“I want to bring the fucking cup back.” Matthew sits at the head of the table during the meeting. I lean back in the chair and take a drink of my protein shake. I woke up this morning before my alarm and took advantage of it by getting to the rink early and working out before our ten a.m. meeting with the coaching staff and the top players on the team.