Page 17 of Pucking Your Best Friend

Blinking back tears, she tried to focus on the doorway and the tall, blond man standing there. Matt gaped at the mess she was sitting in.

Right. They were supposed to go out, celebrate the big client she hadn’t landed today.

Shit.

“Everything’s…ruined,” she whispered, wiping her runny nose with her sleeve. “Everything.” She buried her face in her hands. “God, I can’t do anything, Matt. Match Me! is going down the drain. I can’t help my dad. I’m still all alone. Unmarried, childless. And I no longer have a home.” Quiet despair crept through her veins, settling in every pore and burning her eyes. When had she become such a failure? What the hell should she do now? It was just…too much! There were too many messes in her life. Quite literally.

Suddenly, warm arms enveloped her and pulled her out of the water and onto her feet. Her knees were shaking, but Matt held her upright effortlessly. “The pipe burst?” he guessed.

“Yes!”

“I’ve been telling you for months that your pipes are too brittle and old.”

Angrily, she pulled away and glared at him. “You’re not helping, Matt!”

He raised one corner of his mouth. “Oh, being angry at me is better than being sad as hell, right?”

She snorted. “I can be both. Didn’t you hear what I said? I’m alone and my life is a mess…”

“Come on, Maddie,” he interrupted gently. “Of course you’re not alone.” He gripped her shoulders and held her a few inches away so he could look into her face. “Never. You have Lucy and the rest of your family. You have Hailey. You have a chicken. And you have me.”

She sniffed and took a shuddering breath. “I know, but it feels like…”

“…everything is ruined?” he quoted slowly.

“Yes!”

“There are a few things ruined,” he confirmed, glancing at the dirty upholstery and swelling floor. “But, that doesn’t mean you don’t have a home anymore. It’s merely water damage. It can be fixed.”

“But when? And how much will it cost? And…where the hell do I stay in the meantime, Matt?” She sniffed again and glanced up at him. She must have been a terrible sight, but to his credit, he didn’t flinch. “I probably won’t be able to sleep here for a while. They’ll have to tear up the floor or put big fans around and…”

“Don’t worry, you can stay at my place.”

“What?” She blinked at him, confused.

“You can stay at my place,” he repeated and shrugged. “I have a guest room.”

“No. I can’t stay with you,” she stated the obvious. “Not for weeks.”

“Why not?” Perplexed, he frowned. “With away games, I’m not home half the time, anyway. You could water my plants.”

Reluctantly, she laughed, even if it sounded more like a hiccup. “Matt, all your plants are plastic.”

He grinned. “Well, then dust them.”

“That’s what your cleaning lady is there for!”

“Maddie.” He clicked his tongue impatiently. “Stop searching for excuses. You have a problem and I have a guest room. It’s as simple as that. Now, stop making a fuss and help me bail the water before we call your landlady and warn the neighbors below. It’s not that bad.” He nodded encouragingly at her. “Your apartment will dry out again. The business will take off. You’ll come up with something. And you’ll find the man of your dreams and have a bunch of children with him, once you finally start looking properly. But step by step. You’re young, you have time. Now, if I hug you, will you promise to stop crying? Not like last time when the old dog Hailey saved died. That time, you only reallystartedcrying when I had my arms around you.”

She smiled shakily and the weight that had pressed down on her chest like an anvil slowly lessened. He was right. She really wasn’t alone. “I’m trying,” she replied hoarsely. “But it’s a reflex. When I’m feeling bad and someone is nice and caring to me, the floodgates open.”

“We have enough flooding here, Maddie,” Matt said seriously, nodding toward the floor. “Now pull yourself together, damn it! I just picked up this shirt from the cleaners.”

She chuckled, put her arms around him, and took the promised hug. Matt’s hugs were special. They were warm and tight, and when he patted her back awkwardly because he didn’tknow how to hug platonic female friends, it always made her laugh.

“Thanks, Matt,” she whispered, pressing her cheek against his chest.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, uncomfortably, and kissed her head. “Always. By the way, do you want to clean your skirt before I get rid of this water? There’s egg on it.”

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