Page 8 of The Fake Husband Play
I slam on my brakes hard at the red light, completely forgetting what I was doing in the wave of certainty that I have to meet her. Now.
Now?
Is that crazy?
More importantly, is there anywhere around here to park and go after her before she disappears? Parking in this part of town is notoriously?—
Drivers lay on their horns behind me, jolting me back to reality. The light’s green, traffic’s moving, and by the time I look back to get a bead on my mystery girl, she’s gone, vanished into the five o’clock foot traffic streaming out of the surrounding office buildings like she was never there at all.
But she was real, and that sense ofrecognitionand clarity lingers, like waking from a dream and remembering something important I’d nearly forgotten.
I drive the rest of the way home on autopilot, but I can’t put my finger on what exactly I’ve remembered. I only know that things suddenly feel different than before.
Back in my new penthouse, I pour two fingers of good bourbon into a tumbler and do my best to talk some sense into myself.
I don’t believe in love at first sight. Attraction at first sight? Sure. Lust at first sight? Absolutely. But love requires time, understanding, choosing to put in the work with your person even when they’re driving you crazy.
That “work” part is the reason I haven’t had a girlfriend in three years. I’ve been going too hard at hockey to have time for a relationship. It wouldn’t have been fair to a woman back then. Hell, it wouldn’t be fair now. I’m the Voodoo captain, the leader of my new team. They’re depending on me, mycityis depending on me, and I don’t intend to let either of them down.
But two hours later, I’m still thinking about the way the sunlight caught Mystery Girl’s hair…
Just as I’m considering opening a dating app just to see if she might be single and looking to mingle, my phone buzzes with a text from Parker:Hey, you up for an emergency team meeting at my place tomorrow night? And by emergency, I mean I bought a new PlayStation and need people to come over and shout at the television with me.
I shoot back—I don’t go out on practice nights, man. Sorry.
Oh, come on, it’s not OUT out. It’s in, just in at my place instead of yours. And I’ll buy pizza. Come on, bro, I’m a sad clown. I know I grew up here, too, but all my friends and family moved away, and I’m lonely.
Lonely…
I know that feeling. My teammates in Portland were great, but as a rookie, I was always on the outside looking in. I had to prove myself before I was fully accepted into the cool kids’ clique. By the time that happened, I was already in talks to join the Voodoo.
Fine, I’ll bring beer,I reply.But I have to be home by ten. I need my beauty sleep.
Yeah, that’s fine. But don’t bring gross fancy beer. I’m a simple man, Grammercy. I need a beer that’s going to go down smooth, not some hopped-up I.P.A. looking to put hair on my chest. I already have enough chest hair. My ex-girlfriend complained about it. On the regs.
I laugh out loud.Sorry about that, but yeah, I hear you. I feel the same way. I’ll bring a case of Pabst, how about that?
Sounds perfect. Capo’s bringing tacos, and Nix is doing a veggie tray. He’s watching his figure for some reason. Blue can’t make it, but he’s up for dinner at your mom’s place sometime soon. If that’s a real offer.
Of course it is. Beanie loves to feed people. Growing up, she fed my entire team at least once a month. She’s not the kind to make an idle invitation.
Cool. Your mom is the best. My parents hated it when I invited people over. Hell, I’m pretty sure they could barely stand ME sometimes.
His text makes me frown. Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to have Beanie. No matter how hard things were when I was little, I grew up knowing I was deeply loved, and that at least one wonderful woman thought me and my brother were worth fighting for.
Not everyone gets that.
After confirming with Parker that I’ll get a date set for dinner soon, I set my phone aside and head for the shower. But under the hot water, images of the woman from Magazine Street float through my head all over again.
It’s ridiculous. I saw her for maybe thirty seconds, but I can’t shake the feeling that something has fundamentally shifted. That Fate made me take that drive after practice just so Red Dress and I would cross paths, even if it was only for a moment.
I tell myself I’m reading cosmic significance into something because everything feels heightened right now with my new team, my new life.
Surely, come tomorrow morning, I’ll be back to normal.
But when I close my eyes later that night, I dream of deep brown eyes and magic…
Chapter
