Page 26 of Hooking Up with the Hockey Player

Groaning, he covers his face with his hands. “Oh god. This is going to be a disaster, isn’t it?”

“Hey! You just sat there convincing me everything would be fine? Don’t you dare act like this is a terrible idea now!”

He’s laughing, starting to protest, but I get a text alert—finally.

Holding my breath, I pick up my phone.

“Well?” Nick presses. “Is it her? What’d she say?”

But I ignore him in favor of reading her response.

Anna

That sounds like fun! What time should I be there and what’s the address?

Immediately, I find the address in the mapping program on my phone and text her the link and tell her to get here as soon as she can.

“It was her,” I tell Nick, putting my phone down, taking deep breaths to clear the remaining adrenaline from my system. “She’s coming.”

He goggles at me. “And now you’re calm?”

I shrug. “I think you’re right. It’ll be fine. We’ll have a nice time. And if nothing else, I can win points by rescuing her from your crazy family.”

Laughing, he lets his head rest on the back of his chair. “It’ll be your second opportunity to be her knight in shining armor. Careful, or she’ll expect it all the time.”

I laugh lightly at his comment too, but honestly? The idea of being her knight in shining armor all the time doesn’t sound so bad to me.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Anna

I park in front of a big two-story house covered in weathered cedar siding, the setting sun glinting off the large windows on the side. A wraparound porch starts at the front door, posts holding it up as it makes its way around the house and the land falls away. Native plants fill the flower beds leading to the steps, and whoever built this place left the trees in the yard, giving the entire house a secluded feel, even though it’s not that far off the road. It’s about ten minutes out of town, so it is a little out of the way, but it feels more like it’s in the middle of nowhere.

And given that it’s right on the lake? I can see why it’s appealing as a vacation rental.

It’s a lot more grand than I expected, especially since Troy called it a cabin. Cabin is not the word I’d pick for this place.

After turning off my car, I sit and stare at it, taking a few deep breaths before getting out and slowly approaching the door. My stomach is whirling, a combination of nerves and excitement. I’m not sure what to expect tonight, but like Brit said, I want this. This is good. I think it’ll be fun. And if it’s not, I can leave.

With that little mental pep talk, I raise my hand and knock on the door.

It opens right away, but I have to adjust my gaze downward to the little girl who’s answered, her dirty blond hair in a French braid with baby hairs flying everywhere. “Hi. Who are you?”

I blink at the perfunctory greeting. “Uh, hi. I’m Anna. Troy invited me?” I don’t know why I make the last statement a question, but it’s out of my mouth before I can change it.

She screws up her face, studying me. “Mom!” she yells, startling me. “There’s a strange lady here that says Uncle Troy invited her!”

A woman with a sleek, highlighted bob in shorts and a tank top approaches the door, a curious expression on her face and a little boy on her hip. When she sees me, she breaks out in a smile. “Oh, hi! I didn’t realize Troy had invited anyone. Nice to see you again. And I’m so sorry. Remind me your name again? I know we were introduced last night, but I’m terrible with names.”

I step through the door as she waves me inside, the little boy on her hip staring at me, one finger shoved up his nose. “Anna,” I say, unable to tear my eyes away from the child with his nostril nearly swallowing his finger.

“Tina,” says the woman, then she follows my gaze to her son and lets out a disgusted noise. “Gross, Noah. Get your finger out of your nose.”

“Mom says it’s not polite to pick your nose in front of comp’ny,” says the little girl who answered the door.

I nod solemnly. “You have a smart mom,” I tell her, and she beams at me.

“The boys are down making sure the fire’s burning. Hang on. I’m sure Troy’ll want to greet you himself.”

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