The sound of my apartment door opening pulled me from the doubts swirling around in my head. “I’m here! I’m here.” My friend and soon-to-be sister-in-law, Lennix, came rushing intomy bedroom, making the space more cramped. “Sorry I’m late. Toby came home with a kitten he found in the barn by the lodge, and you know how that goes.”
“Of course we do,” I answered with a smile. “You’re obsessed with all things furry.” My bestie could never turn a blind eye to an animal in need and had a whole mess of rescue animals she’d saved over the years. I had no doubt that kitten was going to be the newest member of her menagerie. The only thing she was a bigger sucker for than animals was her and my brother Raylan’s new foster son, Toby.
My big brother had started mentoring the boy shortly after he came to live at Hope House, a safe, thriving group home for foster children. Toby had lost his parents in a tragic accident, and my brother had bonded with the kid instantly. When Lennix came into the picture, she fell in love with him too. It was easy to do, seeing as he was one of the greatest kids on the planet. With the help of her parents, Lennix and Raylan made it through the process to become foster parents and didn’t hesitate to move him into their home. It was only a matter of time before they adopted him and made it permanent.
“Nothing so far,” Rae said around the spoonful of ice cream she’d just shoved into her mouth. “We’re still trying to figure out what she should wear.”
Lennix looked me up and down. Her face pinched up and she shook her head at what she saw. “Well, that dress sure as hell isn’t it.”
“What’s wrong with it?” I asked, pinching the sides of the skirt and lifting them outward. I knew she was right, I just couldn’t put my finger onwhy.
“You look like you’re heading for jury duty and desperately want to make a good impression so they’ll pick you.”
Blythe snapped her fingers and pointed in my direction. “That’s it! That’s exactly what she looks like.”
“Really?” Merritt stepped out of my closet to study me, her head canting to the side. “Because I thought she looked like one of those Mormons that go door to door trying to teach you about Jesus.”
Everyone burst into laughter at her dead-on description. Even me.
“Did he say where he was taking you?” Ivy asked. “That would really help us decide what you should wear tonight.”
I raised a shoulder in a helpless shrug. “He didn’t say. And when I asked if I should wear something in particular, all he said was to dress comfortably. But I seriously doubt he meant sweats, or leggings and a baggy T-shirt.” I threw my arms in the air and let myself fall back on my bed beside Rae’s legs. I drew my hands over my face on a groan. “This is going to be a disaster. This guy iswayout of my league. I never should have said yes.” Though, as those words came spilling out, a tiny voice in my head screamed an objection. For as much as I complained, and as nervous as I was, there was also a part of me that was incredibly excited.
Tanner Fine was just that...fine. And the way he’d smiled at me yesterday in my bookstore had lit me up inside. Sure, I’d appreciated his good looks when he’d visited before, especially the way he wore that suit at Rae and Zach’s wedding. I meandayum! But that was from a distance, from the outside looking in. It was nothing compared to the up close and personal. Then when he smiled the way he did? It was game over. I wasn’t sure there was a woman on the planet who would be immune to that.
“Hey, knock that off.” Ivy grabbed my wrists and pulled them away from my face, using her hold to jerk me up to sitting. “First off, you are not out ofanyone’sleague, you hear me?”
“Amen to that!” Lennix declared loudly while everyone else let out sounds of agreement.
“Second,” Ivy continued, using her newly minted mom voice, “you have absolutely nothing to be nervous about. I know Tanner’s this big deal in the hockey world, and the man has more money than God, but he’s just a regular guy. He’s down to earth and really sweet.”
I gave her a flat look. “You say that now, but have you forgotten my track record with men? If he really is a sweet guy like you said, then whatever curse I have will most likely rub off on him and turn him into a prick, just like the rest of them.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Sunny scooted in next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “You aren’t cursed, Holls. You’ve just picked shitty men in the past.”
“Because my dick-head radar is broken.”
She smiled pityingly. “No. Because you want to think the best of everyone. Even people who don’t deserve it. It’s not a bad thing...” She trailed off, squinting her eyes in thought. “Well, it’s notalwaysa bad thing. But you can’t let past experiences jade you, or you’ll miss out on something pretty great. That’s not to say you shouldn’t be cautious. Just don’t say no to new experiences because you’re scared.”
“She’s right, Holly,” Lennix said. “Raylan kind of thought like you do, and because of that, he nearly messed everything up and lost the best thing that could ever happen to him,” she said jokingly and waved a hand down her side to indicate herself, making me smile. She wasn’t being conceited, she was speaking the truth. There was no woman on the face of the earth better for my brother than Lennix. “The fact that you don’t see exactly how amazing you are in every single way makes me sad. You aren’t out of anyone’s league, they’re all out of yours, and it’s long past time you realize it.”
“Did you not see how Tanner was staring at you the whole time he was in your shop yesterday?”
I would have been lying if I said that didn’t perk me up just a little bit. “He was staring?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “Like a starving dog eyeing a T-bone steak. He barely looked my way, even when I was talking directly to him. Couldn’t pull his eyes off you.”
Rae picked up the conversation, rubbing my back comfortingly. “Not all men are like the ones from your past.”
Sunny gave me a jostle. “Not all men are like the sperm donor who had a hand in creating us.”
“Besides, you aren’t looking for something serious, right?” Naomi reminded me. “You said you didn’t want to date anyone, so look at tonight as what it is, the chance to have fun with a sexy hockey god who will hopefully show you afabuloustime.” She waggled her eyebrows to really drive her innuendo home.
“She’s not wrong,” Lennix added. “I mean, a man that size has to be big everywhere, right? Unless he did something to seriously piss the gods off and they decided to punish him.”
I couldn’t imagine that was the case. Naomi’s suggestion had sprouted roots in my brain and was growing like crazy. This didn’t have to be a serious thing, and I was sure every woman in the country would give anything to trade places with me.
“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. This could just be... fun.”
