Page 1 of Pucking Amazing

CHAPTER 1

SYDNEY

How do you survive a first day at a nerve-wracking new job?

Start it with sugar and caffeine. A crapload of it.

The tantalizing aroma of caramel and espresso swirls around my twin sister Selena and me as we settle into a cozy corner booth at Dark Matter, our favorite coffee shop from college. Two frappuccinos topped with whipped cream and drizzled chocolate tower between us.

“To your first day,” Selena declares, raising her plastic cup in a toast. Her cat-eye liner is on point, even at this ungodly early hour. It’s still surreal, being back near my sister after so many years apart.

I clink my cup against hers. “To new beginnings,” I say, meaning the words in more ways than one.

I take a long sip, savoring the icy sweetness. It’s already working its magic, taking my mind off of my first day jitters.

Today, I start as the new addiction counselor for the Chicago Blizzards. It’s an enormous responsibility. There is a wild amount of media scrutiny on the team right now.

I need to prove to the world that I can handle it.

And prove to myself that I’m not the insecure, broken shell of a person Paul left behind.

Selena reaches across the table to squeeze my hand, maybe reading some of that in my eyes.

“You’ll be great,” she says. “Remember when we’d come here to cram for exams? You always had those ridiculous color-coded notes.” She takes a long drag of her sugary drink.

“Hey, those notes were a work of art,” I protest.

“Exactly my point. You turn chaos into order. You’re going to do the same for those Blizzards boys,” Selena says with a smile.

“From your lips to God’s ears,” I murmur as I raise my cup, the icy coffee concoction soothing more than just my dry throat. It’s as if with each sip, the edges of my old self, the one not dulled by Paul’s shadow, come back into focus.

“You’re brilliant and compassionate and just what those hockey hunks need right now. And can I just say, I’m mad jealous you get to ogle all that eye candy at work.” Selena waggles her eyebrows.

I snort. “Yes, I’m sure ogling will be my number one priority in between crisis management and therapy sessions.”

But I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it.

The Chicago Blizzards aren’t just talented athletes—they’re ridiculously attractive talented athletes. The kind with chiseled jaws and abs you could grate cheese on. The kind that grace magazine covers and star in commercials for overpriced cologne.

Not that it matters.

I’ll be there to do a job, not get distracted by a bunch of muscled jocks, no matter how tempting the fantasy.

Besides, the last thing I need is another man in my life. I’m still figuring out how to be Sydney 2.0 after wasting years as one half of Sydney-and-Paul.

Selena must sense the direction of my thoughts because she leans forward with a wicked grin.

“All I’m saying is, if one of those hotties makes a pass at you, you better climb him like a tree. When’s the last time you had some good D?”

“Selena!” I glance around to make sure no one overheard. But I’m laughing.

It’s nice, this effortless teasing. Like no time has passed since we used to gossip over frappuccinos between college classes.

Before Paul isolated me from everyone and everything I loved.

Well, I’m taking it all back now. My life, my career, my relationship with my sister.

I hold up my cup. “To ogling hot hockey players. I can’t do more than that—” I glare at my sister in mock severity. “—not while I’m working as a counselor for members of the team. But hey, appreciating the view can’t hurt, right?”

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