Chasing Stanley by Deirdre Martin Page A

said.
    â€œOh my God.” Her mother clutched the lip of the table. “Is it serious?”
    Delilah could feel her feet beginning to sweat in her sneakers. “No. Not yet. I mean, it could be. In time. But not yet. I mean, we’ve only just started seeing each other.”
    â€œWhen?”
    â€œTwo weeks ago,” Delilah fibbed.
    Her mother bounced eagerly in her chair. “Name, I want a name.”
    â€œJason Mitchell.”
    â€œIs he—?”
    â€œNo, Mom, he’s not.”
    â€œNot a problem,” her mother trilled. “He can always convert.” The news of Delilah’s relationship seemed to have a profound effect on her mother’s appetite. Delilah watched in fascination as her mother piled more whitefish salad atop her bagel and bit into it lustily.
    â€œWhat does he do?” her mother warbled through the food in her mouth.
    â€œHe’s a hockey player.”
    Her mother looked at her blankly. “A what?”
    â€œA hockey player,” Delilah repeated with annoyance. “For the New York Blades.”
    â€œNever heard of them.” Her mother looked uneasy. “Does he have his own teeth?”
    â€œYes, Mother,” Delilah huffed, though she was embarrassed she’d asked the same thing.
    â€œAnd he makes a decent living hockey-ing?”
    â€œHe’s a professional athlete. What do you think?”
    â€œAs long as he can support my little girl, that’s all that matters.”
    â€œMom!” Delilah was mortified.
    â€œI know, I know, it’s early yet. But the news that you have a boyfriend—” She took a deep breath as her eyes misted over. “Excuse me a minute.” She reached into the pocket of her raincoat and pulled out a tissue, dabbing her eyes. “That’s better.” She put the tissue back in her pocket. “When do I get to meet him?”
    Delilah panicked. “Not for a while. I mean, he plays hockey a lot. A lot. And he has lots of away games. I mean I barely see him myself.”
    â€œI’m sure he can make time for brunch with his future mother-in-law.” Her mother winked.
    Delilah’s hands linked tightly beneath the table. “I wish you wouldn’t say things like that.”
    â€œAfraid I’ll jinx it?”
    Delilah nodded, not knowing what else to do.
    â€œMum’s the word, then. For now.” Beaming, Delilah’s mother rose and came to stand behind her daughter. “I’m so, so happy,” she said as she wrapped her arms around Delilah’s neck and kissed the side of her face. “I have to be honest, I was getting a little worried. That last one you brought home was such a loser. And then you were spending so much time with that feygele dancer, I thought, She’ll never meet a nice boy. But you have, and I’m thrilled. Thrilled. ” Her mother hugged her tighter. “Let me just say one more thing.”
    â€œIf you must.”
    Her mother showered the top of her head with kisses. “I have a feeling about this, Leelee.”
    So do I, Delilah thought. I have a feeling I’ve just painted myself into the tightest corner in the world.

CHAPTER 06
    â€œYou’re skating like shit. Get your ass over here.”
    The disgust in Ty Gallagher’s voice made Jason slink off the ice like a puppy with his tail between his legs. Moronically, Jason had hoped his coach might not notice he was moving at half speed this morning, the result of one of the worst hangovers of his life. Five minutes of practice confirmed everything he’d heard about Ty: the guy didn’t miss a trick.
    Skull pounding, Jason stopped at the bench where Ty sat with a stopwatch and a clipboard, and waited. And waited. His humiliation grew the longer Ty ignored him. By the time Ty deigned to look up at him, Jason longed to sink through the floorboards.
    â€œWhat’s the problem?” Ty demanded.
    Jason swallowed. “I’m