Page 1 of Pucking Revenge

ONE

SARA

Lennox: You looked hot tonight. Take any of those hockey players for a ride?

Me: LOL. No!

Lennox: Ahhh, this job is such a waste on you. Surrounded by all that testosterone and those thick thighs and you’re probably sitting in your room wearing comfy pajamas watching Sweet Home Alabama again.

Me: Actually, it’s How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days and I’m wearing leggings and a Bolts shirt.

Me: And I’m not by myself. Brooks is with me.

Lennox: Now there’s a hockey player you should get under.

Lennox: Or on top of. Hell, maybe just sit on his face. Goalies are known for being good on their knees.

Lennox: Hellooo. Don’t just ignore me.

Lennox: Fine. I’m sorry. I know you have a boyfriend and you and Brooks are “just friends.”

Me: LOL. Sorry I was too busy laughing my ass off at your text. I showed it to Brooks and he went all quiet on me.

Lennox: Aww, we broke Saint Brooks. Tell him it’s okay, everyone loves a good boy.

Me: He’s not amused. I’m going back to the movie. Call you tomorrow.

Lennox: Night, bitch.

Me: Night, lover.

With a smile on my face, I set my phone face down next to me. I never know what kind of insanity Lennox will grace me with while I’m hanging with Brooks.

Lennox and I met in college, and I have no idea what I did with my life before she became my best friend. She’s the loud to my quiet, the funny to my awkward, and the most loyal person in existence.

She’s also stupid rich. The kind of rich that means she could never work a day in her life and still live in the lap of luxury. Instead, she’s been trying out different career paths almost biannually since graduation. Like leasing a car. She works until she’s sick of the job. Then she quits and moves on to something new. She could never waste her days away not working, and the idea of settling down and getting married is abhorrent to her. But she doesn’t mind sampling every type of man she encounters.

I, on the other hand, would love to settle down and have a family. I’d love to find that person I can come home to at the end of the day and fall into easy conversation with. A person who’s excited to see me. Who wouldn’t force me to hide our relationship.

At least I scored my dream job. As a member of the PR team for the Boston Bolts hockey team, I get to travel across the country, attending games and handling press conferences. And I have Brooks. The best friend a girl could ask for.

As he does after most games, Brooks showed up at my apartment with to-go bags filled with dinner and dessert. Langfield Corp, the organization that owns the Bolts, also owns the building, and the majority of the guys on the team live here, as well as many employees who work behind the scenes. For some, it’s a quiet place free of distraction where they can hunker down and stay focused during the season. For others like me, it’s home.

It’s just one more reason I love my job. Without the generosity of the Langfield family, I could never afford an apartment in Boston.

Sometimes, though, it feels a little like a college dorm. The older players and employees with families tend to live elsewhere, so the building is brimming with the younger guys and a few lucky staff like me.

“Puck bunnies hanging out on your floor again?” I tease.

Brooks’s only response is a roll of his eyes. There is absolutely no reason for the man to live in this building. He could easily afford a penthouse in one of the nicest high-rises in Boston, but he wants to be treated like any other person on the team. Even if his family owns the entire franchise. Because Brooks Langfield is a good guy. Practically a saint. Hence the team nickname: Saint Brooks.

And because he’s such a good guy, Brooks doesn’t spend his nights out at the bar picking up girls like so many of his teammates. The things those boys do in this building, or in their hotel rooms during away stretches––sometimes their shared hotel rooms––are the kinds of things I often have to find creative ways to cover up.

I know far too much about who the guys in this building have slept with. Normally, I’m the one tasked with presenting the NDA a day too late.

I’ve never had to do that with Brooks. It could be that he handles it on his own, or that his family keeps it under wraps. His sister-in-law is my boss, after all. So it’s possible she handles all Langfield transgressions to truly keep it in the family.

But somehow I don’t think that’s true.

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