Page 8 of Fake Out Forever

“My sister was married to a hockey player,” she blurts.

“She was?” I’m shocked.

“Yes. And it did not go well. He left her with three children, a broken heart, and a lifetime of pain.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too.” Tears shimmer in her eyes. “I really loved him, you know. In fact, I wanted to find a man just like him. He was such a great guy. Super smart, funny, and a die-hard family man.” She pauses to take a sip of beer. “But it was a lie.”

“Duchess, you don’t have to tell me this.”

“No…” She chews her lip nervously. “I want to.”

I pull out a stool and sit down across from her. “Then I will listen.”

“He never missed a holiday, a birthday, a family function…nothing. He was there for all of it. Smiling as his picture was taken. Dancing with my sister for videos. And you want to know what?”

“What?”

“Andre had been cheating on Sabrina since their very first date. Can you believe that? He’d never been faithful to her. Not for one minute.” She grips the bottle so tight her knuckles turn white.

“Do you want to know how she found out? Puck bunny videos.”

“That’s horrible.” I shake my head. Puck bunnies came in two forms: enthusiastic hockey fans and dangerous ones who wanted to sleep with as many hockey players as possible.

“It nearly killed her.” Maya lifts her head and looks me dead in the eye. “I vowed that it would never be me.”

“I see.”

“Do you?” One of her elegant eyebrows arches high.

“I do.” I climb off the stool to flip the steaks.

My heart goes out to her. What she went through with her sister had to be hell. Thanks to her sharing her story, all my feelings of inadequacy have evaporated. She didn’t deny it because I’m less than her. She denied me to protect herself. I put the steaks back under the broiler and look out the kitchen window. There will definitely be three feet of snow by morning, if not more. Which means that Mother Nature is giving me an early Christmas present. Time with Maya Prescott. And I’m not going to waste one minute of it.

I pick up my beer, take a swig, then rest my forearms on the counter and lean in close to her. “You need to know something.”

“Enlighten me.” She quips.

I chuckle as she tosses my own words back at me. The girl has sass. “Duchess, we’re not all like your foolish brother-in-law.” I give her my best blinding smile. “And I’m going to prove it to you.”

6

MAYA

I rub the sleep from my eyes, roll over, and stare at the magnificent view through the large, arched window. The boughs of tall pines dip gracefully under the weight of the falling snow. As far as the eye can see, the world is covered in a thick blanket of white. A lone cardinal sits on the edge of a birdfeeder, creating a splash of color in the middle of the white wonderland. This is why I want to buy land in Thunder Ridge.

I want the serenity, the peace.

Where else can you wake up and feel like you’re living inside of a snow globe?

I reach over to grab my phone to see if AAA sent another message.

Great. There’s no service…which means I’m trapped, and any hope of leaving with my sanity intact is gone.

For the life of me, I still can’t understand why I told Cade about my sister.

Oh, who am I kidding? Of course, I know why.

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