Page 1 of My Merry Mistake
Chapter One
Raya
Halloween—two years ago
Morticia Addams is staring at me.
I’m standing in front of the full-length mirror in my bedroom, in my costume for a Halloween party.
Long, straight, dark hair. Dark, thick eyeliner. Black dress. Other than my less low-cut dress, I’m a dead ringer.
What this says about me, I’m not sure.
One thing I do know is that this whole get-up has me feeling like I’m about to make a huge, giant, colossal mistake.
And I don’t make mistakes.
Why did I say I would go? A Halloween party? With a bunch of hockey players? Also, what brain injury did I sustain right before I picked this costume?
In my defense, it was Morticia or “Sexy Ninja.”
I pick up my phone, ready to text Poppy and tell her I’ve changed my mind, but when I open our Hart sisters’ group chat, I see her last text.
Poppy
I’m SO GLAD you guys are coming with me tonight! We’re going to have so much fun!!
Leave it to Poppy to turn an off-the-cuff white lie about dating a man she met in a coffee shop into a full-fledged relationship with a professional hockey player.
I can admit I’m a little jealous.
Poppy is known for believing the best about everyone, which means she gets her heart broken very easily. Andhashad her heart broken very easily. But Dallas Burke seems to be exactly who she needed in her life.
But he’s the exception, not the rule.Especiallywhen it comes to men. Double-especially with hockey players. When she started dating Dallas, I did my homework. Seventy percent of NHL marriages end in divorce.
Unlike my youngest sister, Eloise, I have no interest in opening my heart for a thirty percent success rate.
“You’re doing this for Poppy,” I say to my made-up reflection. “So suck it up, Raya.”
I transfer a few key items—a credit card, my driver’s license, and some cash—from my work bag to a small black purse, then glance down at my laptop as a work email comes in, when Poppy’sBe there in fifteen!text pops up on my phone.
A candidate for a CFO position at a Fortune 500 company isthis closeto accepting a very good deal, and I need to stay in the know. I type out a quick reply to the email, then let my assistant know she needs to contact me immediately if she hears anything tonight. She instantly texts back:
Suze—Assistant
But it’s Halloween . . .
Raya
And? . . .
Suze—Assistant
. . .
I’ll keep my phone on me
Raya
