Page 7 of Hooking

Pulling her closer to my body, I stop our swaying altogether, her body instantly relaxing from my warmth. “I’m sorry. We don’t have to talk about it.”

“It’s okay,” she says, staring up at me. “I got a lot of things to do and think about, I guess. But most importantly, I should cancel the surprise honeymoon I booked for a week from now. No sense in going alone.”

“Fuck that. You deserve a break,” I say, swaying again. “Take Hayley with you.”

She lets out a small chuckle as she looks at Brooks and Hayley, who are making out like a couple of teenagers. “And ruin that? I don’t think so. I’d be better off going alone,” she says, as she gazes up at me, the alcohol finally settling into her system. “Maybe, you could go with me?”

A week with Cassidy in an unknown paradise sounds like pure bliss, yet a recipe for disaster. There would be no way I could keep my hands off her and leading her on would be a huge no-no. No matter how bad I want her, I know I can’t be the man for her.

“A week before training camp, and you want me to go on a trip with you.” I look down at her with a slight smirk on my face as she stumbles a little. “I don’t know. That’s asking a lot of me. You know I’m all about the game, and this season is no different.”

“Think about it,” she says, pulling away from me and almost tripping over her own two feet.

I reach out to grab her, stopping her from hitting the floor before giving her a serious look. “I think you should think about it. Then if you’re so convinced that you want to go with me, then we’ll talk.” And by that, I mean forget about it all completely.

Chapter 3

Cassidy

One week later…

Ugh, why did I agree to do this today? I ask myself as I attempt to get the last clip-in extension into my hair. The hair I decided to chop off after the disaster of a wedding that was supposed to happen a week ago. Most women chop their hair after their wedding to symbolize a fresh start to their new chapter. Yeah, well, my new chapter drove me straight to the salon to completely chop off every blond strand thanks to the mental breakdown I was having.

Scratch that, still having the mental breakdown as we speak.

I take one more glance in the mirror before releasing a deep breath. “Well, here goes nothing,” I say, as I walk down the stairs to meet Hayley and Brooks.

“Are you sure you’re going to be up for this?” she asks as I slip on a pair of Jimmy Chous. “Honestly, Marcia won’t mind if you cancel.”

She’s right. Marcia wouldn’t mind if I cancelled. She knows what went down over a week ago. Yet, I feel like I have to do this. Plus, I would be letting Vince win if I sat home and sulked like he’s probably thinking I am right now.

“No, I’m fine. I have to read one book and thanks to your book-worthy boyfriend over here and his sidekick, I won’t have to stay the whole time.”

The Book Nook has been my go-to bookstore since I was a little girl. It’s a staple here in Seattle. I remember sitting in the storytime corner, listening intently to some rags-to-riches tale thinking, wishing, daydreaming that one day, my life might actually be like one of the stories.

Yet now I know it was exactly how I thought it would be.

A daydream.

A wish.

“Thank you so much for being a guest reader today, Cassidy. And for bringing along some special guests with you as well,” Marcia says as we prepare the storytime corner for the day.

“It’s an honor to be here,” I say, plastering a fake smile on my face.

If you’d asked me a week ago, I’d be happy to be here, reading some sort of fairytale to a bunch of toddlers. Now, I just want to get it over with so I can go home, crawl into my bed, and pull the covers over my head so I can cry without judgement.

It’s not every day that you find yourself standing at the altar of a church, thinking you’re going to pledge your love for one another. Only to turn around when it’s your turn to read your vows and expose your cheating fiancé’s affair. An affair that had been going on for way longer than I thought. In fact, I’m sure I was the other woman in this situation.

Hayley comes to my side, pulling me close to her. “Are you sure you’re up for this? Brooks and Halloway can do it without an introduction.”

Sandbox love. That’s how far back my friendship with Hayley goes. Mrs. Piazza’s pre-kindergarten class. My family was nowhere near rich, but they clawed and fought their way to get me a scholarship to the best private school in Seattle. The moment Hayley and I met, we clicked. And from that moment on, we were inseparable.

So, she knows me. And though I think I’m keeping it together, I know she sees the truth. I’m broken.

I could get over the breakup. An almost wedding to a guy I’ve known since elementary school. A guy who I was so on and off again for years, I should have expected something like this to happen. I don’t even think I’m upset that it happened. I think I’m more embarrassed I let it get this far.

“All right, littles. Please join me in welcoming our guest reader, Ms. Cassidy,” Marcia says, standing in front of the storytime chair. “Ms. Cassidy works for the Skipjacks. Who here likes hockey?”

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