Page 6 of Sleepless Nights and Hockey Fights

I throw the paper back down on the table, managing humor like usual even though I feel like my world is imploding. “Daily vegetables? That’s where I draw the line, woman.”

It’s actually the least offensive thing on the list. Despite my constant teasing and acting up, I eat plenty of healthy food. It’s just everything else that sounds like a boring midlife for other people, not me. Might as well start driving a minivan and wearing sandals with socks. And not even fun socks. Stupid big boy socks to go with my big boy underwear.

Kaitlyn must hear the defiance in my tone because she finally wipes off her fingers on the cloth napkin and ignores the food. “Listen, I know it sounds crazy, but it worked for Banks. It’ll work for you too. I promise.” She motions to her bag again, and following directions, I snag a business card out of the outsidepocket. “Start by calling my friend Coco. She helped Banks and me buy our house. She’s an older woman, you’ll love her.”

I give her a flat look, not appreciating my agent giving me shit for my proclivity for older women.

The server interrupts with two steaming bowls of veggies in a broth of some sort before Kaitlyn can keep going on everything I have to do on top of playing incredible hockey. “Jungle curry, extra spicy.” The woman grimaces and then bows her head before leaving, like she just said a prayer we’ll survive the meal.

Kaitlyn wears a maniacal look as she dips a spoon in her bowl. “Eat up, Bobby. Hope you don’t mind spicy.”

She slurps up the veggies and immediately pants like a dog. I tentatively let a trickle of the broth enter my mouth and instantly regret it. Fire so hot it feels cold floods my mouth. I grab for my water and drain it in one gulp, looking around wildly for a refill. I wag my tongue outside my mouth, hoping to catch a cool draft of air somewhere. Kaitlyn’s full-on sweating. Or maybe she’s crying, I can’t really tell. What the fuck is this jungle curry? I push my bowl away, scared straight. My sinuses are so clear I can smell Richie’s stinky socks he left at my apartment the other night all the way from here. I’ll do whatever’s on that list, but I’m not eating any more of that shit.

“Oh god,” Kaitlyn moans.

I have to wipe a bead of sweat off my brow before it drips into my eyes. “Yeah, no shit. That’s ridiculously hot.”

“No, I mean, oh god, I think my water just broke.”

I shove away from the table and leap to my feet. She’s not wrong. It looks like she just peed herself.

“Oh, fuck me. Benny’s gonna kill me.”

Kaitlyn looks up at me with wide eyes. “Forget Banks! I’m gonna kill you if you don’t get me to the hospital!”

Chapter Four

Molly

“There’s a panic room. I feel like I’m in a Jodi Foster movie.”

Not looking the least bit surprised by my news, Coco turns to face me from across the massive coastal-inspired kitchen. She’s wearing a blue Chanel suit and matching Louboutins with a heel that could easily puncture some cheating boyfriend’s tire.

“Everybody has a panic room these days, darling,” she dismisses my comment. “It’s the new home gym.”

Maybe Coco’s listings do, but mine? Yeah…no. Although one of them does have a tiny pool, so that’s something at least. Of course, I don’t mention the lack of panic rooms in my listings. I wouldn’t want her to think me ungrateful.

“So, what else do we need to do before the official start time?” I ask instead.

I’m helping Coco with an open house at one of her properties today—her idea. She thought I might be able to schmooze a little and maybe pick up a new client. The house we’re showing is a gorgeous Key West style home in Sunset Park with a list price that has more zeros than I care to think about.

My boss consults her phone. “Just the flowers.”

“Already done,” I say. “One small arrangement in each bedroom and a large one in the entry. The place smells like hydrangeas and money.”

“Perfect.” Coco does a quick check of her lipstick in a compact mirror before snapping it shut. I don’t know why she bothers. Her makeup is always impeccable. With no compact of my own, I quickly check my reflection in the glass of the oven door, immediately noticing the bags under my eyes. Do cucumber slices actually shrink those suckers? I should probably try that sometime.

I glance around the sprawling kitchen and dining area for something to straighten, but the place is immaculate from the Spanish tile floor to the crown moldings bordering the twelve-foot ceilings.

“I guess I should go over the listing sheet in case there’s a hidden passageway or something I should know about.” I take one from the stack on the kitchen island and begin leafing through it.

Coco rounds the island to sidle up next to me. “Since you’re clearly not going to bring it up yourself, I have to ask. Have you gotten any matches on the app?”

“What app?” I ask distractedly, following it immediately with, “Is the pool saltwater or chlorine?”

“Saltwater.” Coco snatches the listing from my hand. “What do you meanwhat app?”

I look at my boss and blink a couple times before it all comes back to me. I’d forgotten all about the ridiculous dating app the minute I picked Matty up for hockey practice the other day. After his detention, he was grounded from video games and electronics, but I came home to find he had snuck his Nintendo Switch from its hiding place in my bedroom. Looks like I needto be a little craftier in the future. We argued, of course, and he gave me the silent treatment all the way to practice.

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