Page 9 of It's Mother-Pucking Christmas!

The Icebreakers started practice early.

I did not start anything early.

Gracie did, however.

“Why are you up already? It’s practically Christmas. Relax.”

“It’s several weeks away,” Gracie said as she slid a perfectly golden triangle of French toast onto my plate.

Christmas carols blared from the speakers, and the pugs bounced around at her feet. I scooped strawberries onto my plate and added nutmeg whipped cream.

“Thanks for bringing the pugs back home,” my cousin said, adding dark chocolate shavings to my breakfast. “But you should have stayed and snagged a hockey player. Kidding!” she added before I could protest. “You’re a hardcore Arctic Avengers fan, I know. Maybe you could go after one of their players?”

“I just need a basic man in finance.”

“Maybe Santa will bring you one for Christmas.” She tested the vanilla bean custard sauce. “Yum!” She licked the rest off the spoon and tossed it in the sink. “I’m surprised you stayed the whole game.”

“I—”

Gracie and I told each other everything. But our family was enmeshed. If I told her the truth about Timmy, she’d have to tell Hudson, and Hudson was hired to protect Ryder. He’d tackle me or something, and my mom would find out, and Timmy and I wouldn’t get a Christmas this year.

“You’re right. He does have those blue eyes.”

“I knew you thought he was hot.” Gracie beamed.

“I mean, I don’t think. I know. I just have a problem that he’s on the rival team.”

“Hate sex can be great sex!”

I threw a strawberry at her. “I thought about it last night, and I’m going to try and see if I can convince Ryder to hook up.”

“Ooh!” Gracie grinned. “Go, girl! What’s your plan?”

“Um, I don’t know. I guess just show up at his practice and ask him if he wants to bang?”

It was a bad plan.

Contrary to popular belief, I can admit when I’m wrong.

I was not the only girl who wanted the handsome hockey captain’s attention. Half of the eligible and not-so-eligible women in Maplewood Falls had turned out. And they were dressed way better than me.

“You can’t go in there. The team’s practicing,” one of the security guards barked when I tried to open the rink door by the locker rooms.

“I left my purse in there last night,” I lied.

“Get it after practice.”

Dammit. The things I do for my brother.

Maybe I should go home and change though.

The other girls were wearing skimpy outfits with platform stilettoes like it wasn’t a million degrees below zero outside. Their hair and makeup were Instagram-model perfect. Meanwhile I was bundled in multiple sweaters and snow pants and was wearing yesterday’s mascara. There was no way Ryder was going to compromise his morals or whatever for me.

The puck bunnies all snickered when I turned to leave.

“Hey!” a man yelled.

The puck bunnies went wild.

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