Page 23 of Pucking Your Best Friend

Maddie nodded. Exactly.

“Well, fine. What about another hockey hottie?”

“He’s asking around, so…we’ll see.” She shrugged, stood, and looked through the mail that she had taken out of her apartment earlier and completely forgotten about yesterday, the bills and the heavy white envelope.

She ignored the multiple invoices that would only remind her of her miserable financial situation and picked up the thick envelope. It smelled like it had been scented.

Frowning, she opened it, pulled out the cardstock insert, and froze.

She stared at the gold letters on it with her mouth gaping.

“What is it?” Hailey asked worriedly, placing Eggsy on the floor and jumping up. “Why do you look so weird?”

Maddie swallowed hard and wordlessly handed her the letter.

We are getting married! Clemens Shaw and Becky Glaze invite you to their special day on December 12th!

“He’s not fucking serious,” Hailey exclaimed, angrily dropping the announcement.

Maddie smiled weakly. Her best friend reacted exactly right, but that didn’t dissolve the tight knot in her chest. Of course, he was serious! Clemens still thought they had split up amicably. Or rather, that they hadn’t split up at all and were simply old college friends.

“You haven’t spoken to each other in years! Why would he send you an invitation to his wedding after all that time?” Hailey snapped, waving her arms so energetically that Eggsy cackled in alarm and fled to her shelf.

“I don’t know. I guess we were…just good friends,” she said weakly.

“Good friends who slept together for two years?”

Maddie lowered her gaze. “Yes, apparently.”

Hailey let out a puff of air, making her black curls fly. “That’s nonsense. There’s no way you’re going.”

No, she probably wouldn’t. “It doesn’t matter, Hailey,” she said, trying to downplay the matter. “So he gets married. No big deal.”

But, it was a big deal. He hadn’t even been able to have a decent relationship with her, yet he wanted tomarrythis Becky? Why? Why her and why not Maddie? She had given Clemenseverythingshe had to offer. If that wasn’t enough…how would she ever find anyone?

She inhaled deeply and forcefully shoved the card back into the envelope. “Okay, where were we?”

“We were saying that the guy doesn’t deserve that suffering expression on your face,” Hailey announced, putting her hands on her hips. “You know what, Maddie? I think it’s a good thing he sent you the announcement.”

Maddie snorted. “Excuse me?”

“Well, Clemens pulled a number on you. You haven’t had a real relationship since then and he’s an asshole. You deserve better.”

“He’s not an asshole. We simply didn’t communicate well.”

“I don’t care what he is. This is a sign that you should start dating again. He’s moved on with his life, you should, too. I don’t think you’re trying hard enough. You’re too afraid of being disappointed.”

Maddie looked down and picked at her thumbnail. Hailey sounded like Matt.

You keep saying that you want to get married and have kids, but man, you have a dating agency and you haven’t even used it yourself.

He was right. And so was Hailey. She was scared. She knew her questionnaire was good, if you filled it out honestly and…what if she didn’t find anyone? If there simply was no one out there who liked her for who she was? Or if she believed she had found her Prince Charming, like she had with Clemens, but she wasn’t his princess?

She was incredibly good at recognizing when someone was compatible, unless it was herself. Then, she was blind.

“And, not that I don’t completely accept that you’re waiting for Mr. Right and don’t want any loose ends,” Hailey continued, “but don’t you miss sex?”

Groaning, Maddie threw her head back. Of course, she missed sex! Good heavens. A vibrator was all well and good, but it wasn’t a replacement for a pair of big hands or…other big things. Sex with another person was a lot more exciting than sex alone.

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