I lift my mug of chai with a fresh cinnamon stick poking out. “A shame you are missing Thanksgiving this year.” She’s spending it with her family and won’t be home.
Gracie lifts a shoulder. “It’s okay. We still have our annual holiday cookie-making night. That reminds me, I need to find some new Hanukkah cookie cutters.” She’s been my friend since we were kids. Her dad used to be a big-name football coach but now enjoys a quiet life in Lake Spark, plus he’s a huge sponsor for the Spinners hockey team. Most peoplethink she is probably spoiled, but she has the kindest heart and is talented in her own right so will take over her mom’s boutique one day. A lingerie boutique, but Gracie has a talent for dresses.
“I can’t believe that we survived last year’s bake-a-thon.” We bake basically every recipe we have for holiday treats then box them into containers to give to friends and family. Enzo loves it and looks forward to it every year.
Gracie squints her eyes at me and seems to be formulating a thought. “Since I won’t be at Thanksgiving, then there will be an empty seat at your table.” She brings her finger to her chin. “Hmm, who might fill that seat since there’s no hockey game that day.”
I throw her an immediate death stare. “Funny.” Gosh, why am I thinking about the cocky grin and arrogant demeanor that complements his maybe-sexy, darkish hair and piercing eyes? What a jerk for slipping into my thoughts.
She sets her coffee down and rests her elbows on the table to bring her fists up under her chin, clearly wanting to gossip. “Why not? I mean, Tyler pisses off most of the team, but you must be chipping away at his steely little heart.”
“Exactly, steely.”
“Did he not leave tickets for Enzo for the game a few weeks back?”
The tiny lift inside my chest from the reminder of what he did hits me for a millisecond. “I’m sure handing out tickets is as easy as throwing a coat on. Not much effort.” Not exactly, but fine.
She raises her brows at me. “And Halloween?”
Now my chest expands more than I would like. “It… it… was for Enzo.” And I appreciate it. Whatever hostilities may exist between us, he doesn’t take it out on my son.
“Maybe. But it was sweet. Not many men know how to deal with the kids of a hot mom who lives across the hall.”
I sigh at the state of my life. From day one, Enzo’s dad has been long gone. I met Jamie when I was in college studying to be a teacher. He was a very good player on the college hockey team, and we met at a party. We dated for a bit, but two months in, I got pregnant. I gave him a choice, and he took it. Said he had his hockey career to think about. He only plays in the minors now, so his star-player dreams didn’t exactly pan out.
Maybe it’s my experience with Enzo’s father that made me have a natural disdain for hockey players. My brother, Seb, is the exception, and I will always put on a happy face when he drags me along to events, but still, I don’t have a high opinion of most players. They think they own the world and selfishly make their choices around their careers.
Besides, I’m focused on my son. I would like to think that I’m rocking it as a single mom, but I’m scared to admit that in case I’m wrong. I finished my degree just before Enzo arrived, my family has always been supportive, and I have a good job at the preschool in town. Hailey, the owner, is flexible, and I get to have better hours for Enzo. When my brother said I could take over his lease that he’d already paid the year for, I took him up on it. It was a no-brainer. I might be independent, but a safe place for Enzo is a non-negotiable for me, and free is a bonus.
Seb warned me about the neighbor situation but said he and Tyler just stayed out of one another’s way. But something about Tyler just irritated me from day one. My innate instinct for players or maybe my brother’s opinions were already too embedded into my brain. There is just one problem to my current life.
Enzo is crazyabout Tyler.
Dating hasn’t been in my cards for a long time. I always fear that Enzo will get attached and then get hurt when they don’t stick around. I didn’t plan on my neighbor being an attachment for him.
Or for my neighbor to be sinfully hot.
The tapping of nails on the table reminds me that Gracie is waiting for me to say something.
“He’s just trying to stay civil in our hallway,” I justify.
“Sure.” She doesn’t believe me. She wiggles on her chair while I sink into my own. “Lainey, let me be blunt. You should consider just fucking it out. A little hate sex can be fun.”
My eyes bug out. “How the hell did we go from him being a kind neighbor to my son to me fucking my neighbor senseless?”
“See? You have thought about it. You are going for the hard-and-senseless style.”
I try not to laugh, and I rub my temples. “Not happening.” My eyes land on the piece of pumpkin bread on a plate that I forgot I had. I pull a little morsel off to take a bite. “Besides, I have zero time between now and New Year’s. My to-do list is forever long.”
“What about your naughty list? Is that long, too?” Gracie flashes her brows at me.
I throw the piece of food at her. “Stop it. Besides, you still haven’t told me what happened the other night.”
Her face falls, and she crosses her arms to lean back in the chair. “The new coach kind of happened. I’m not going to complain about that one single bit, but it was a one-time thing. I mean, not during the night because that was more than a one-time thing, but you know what I mean.”
My mouth goes slack from her confession, as I had no idea. “Whoa, you say that so casually, but isn’t it a big deal?”Gracie is never shy and always candid, so it doesn’t surprise me, it’s just the unpredictability of what she says out loud sometimes that still causes my brain to have an instant reaction.
“What?” Her eyes grow wide. “Take opportunities when they arise. So, back to you?—”
