had the night I’d met him and Dallas. I’d barely closed Richard’s door behind us before Devin turned to me and said in a loud whisper, “Holy crap! This is going to be amazing!”
I smiled as we started down the hall. “Yeah, it is. And if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.”
“Help? Are you kidding?” He was practically bouncing, his huge smile making my heart go all fluttery. “You already did a ton just by getting this whole thing going.”
“Still. I’m happy to do whatever I can.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.” He exhaled, still grinning. “I can’t wait to tell Dallas. She’s going to lose her mind.”
“I bet.” I paused. “Speaking of, when do you need to go pick her up?”
He checked his phone. “I’ve still got time.” His forehead creased. “You have time to grab a drink or something?”
“Of course. In fact, the players club upstairs is open. At least that’ll keep us out of the public eye.”
“Sounds good to me. Lead the way.”
I steered us toward the elevators. All the way up to the private dining room where players and execs usually ate, he looked like a kid on Christmas.
“I can’t believe they’re going to do this!” He shook his head. “I mean, I still can’t believe the team did it for Dallas in the first place, but this…” He exhaled. “This is amazing.”
“It is. I’m thrilled Richard went for it.”
“Me too.”
When we got to the dining room, we decided we were a little hungry too. Since the place was mostly empty except for us, we got some food along with our drinks. After we’d made a buffet pass, we sat at a table by a window overlooking the vacant arena.
“I can see why you guys like eating here.” Devin set down his plate, which had a few vegetables and dip along with some spicy glazed chicken. “This is definitely not the kind of buffet I’m used to.”
I laughed as I put my own plate down and we took our seats. “I still remember when my brother got signed a couple of seasons before I did. He was raving about all the food. At the arenas, on the planes, after practice—they, uh, do not let us go hungry.”
“You don’t say.” He picked up his knife and fork, but he stopped before he’d even started cutting the chicken. “I’m…” He exhaled, putting the utensils back down, and he smiled. “God, I’m still just so excited about this whole thing.”
“Good, I’m glad.”
“You have no idea. I am ridiculously excited.”
I smiled back. “I’m sure Richard loves the enthusiasm.” I cut off a piece of my steak. “So, you have any ideas for these events?”
“Well…” He took a bite of chicken and chewed thoughtfully for a moment. “Everything you did for Dallas that first night, we can definitely use that as a base. It was perfect for her. But other kids—and adults, too—I need to find out what kinds of accommodations they need. If we’re just doing it for a few people at a time, it shouldn’t be too big of a thing, right? To adapt to people’s needs?”
“I wouldn’t think so,” I said. “What kinds of things do you have in mind?”
“Well, I mean, most of Dallas’s triggers are lights or strong smells. And I know other kids have problems with sounds and crowds.” He drummed his fingers beside his plate. “Just getting through the crowd to get to the stands is a big issue for some people. Either because of the crush of people, or because you never know who’s wearing a strong cologne or even some kind of scented deodorant. So just creating an environment where they don’t have to deal with crowds?” He whistled. “Man, that could make a huge difference for some fans.” He frowned. “Do you think we’ll be able to mitigate the costs somehow? With fundraisers and whatnot?”
“Totally, yeah.” I nodded. “My teammates were completely onboard the night we did it for Dallas, and a few have asked about it since then. I’m sure they’d be willing to help out any way they can. Financially and by donating some of their time.”
His eyes lit up again, and my heart went wild. I had never seen Devin so excited before, and it was… God, it was ridiculously sweet.
How do I make you smile like that all the time?
To my surprise, he reached across the table and put his hand on my forearm. “I mean, it Jase. Thank you.” He squeezed