Page 5 of Pucking my Enemy Boss

I force a smile and glance at her. “I know. I’m trying.”

I look out the window again, taking in the unfamiliar scenery as Lauren’s car glides smoothly through the streets. The city is already dressed up for Thanksgiving. Twinkling lights hang from lampposts, and storefronts boast festive displays of turkeys and pumpkins. It’s a stark contrast to L.A.; the buildings here are taller, older, with an air of history and permanence. L.A. is all about the new, the now, the temporary glamour that fades asquickly as it comes. Here, the streets seem to hold an air of resilience and endurance.

Two things that I need more doses of right now.

Seeing the signs of Thanksgiving reminds me of how much of my life is changing. Every year, without fail, I’d spend the holiday at home in L.A, surrounded by uncles, aunts, and cousins, laughter, and the comforting smell of turkey. That life was over when my grandma passed away last year. She was the one who brought the Bennett family together, and without her keeping control, a Bennett family get-together would be a total disaster. Everyone now prefers to stay scattered across the country; even my parents are on a European tour to promote their book this year. I’m alone, and it’s time I got used to it.

I knew the holidays would be different this year, but I thought I’d be spending it with friends and colleagues. Well, the last four months showed me I had no friends in L.A.—they’d all abandoned me after the scandal and I’m here now in a car with the only friend who’d turned up for me, driving through a city I barely know.

How did it all go so fucking wrong?

I close my eyes, trying to block out the memories. But they’re persistent, like an annoying pop-up ad that won’t go away. I can see it clearly: Jake Roland’s face changing from glee to shock to anger. I wonder what fucking look is on his face right now.

It’s been four long, excruciating months since the night at the club. Four months of hell. The video, the scandal, the loss of everything I’d worked so hard for. It’s like I’ve been hit with a wrecking ball over and over until everything left of my life has ended up in pieces.

“Look on the bright side,” Lauren continues, her eyes flicking to me briefly before returning to the road. “You’re going to be pretty busy managing events for the Chicago Blizzards! I think it’s an exciting opportunity.”

“It is,” I agree, trying to sound as enthusiastic as she does. It’s not that I’m not excited about the job. I am. It’s just ... everything else.

I look at Lauren, who has a little, sympathetic smile on her face. “I promise I won’t be such a downer.”

She pats my knee affectionately. “You’ve been through a lot. It’s okay to take your time to adjust.”

More like I need to move the fuck on.

I worked my butt off to become Holly Bennett—rising star in the world of events and interior design, and well-known model. Now, I’m just Holly, a girl with nothing but a suitcase full of regrets.

It all started with my break-up with the Hollywood star—bastard or not, Hollywood takes care of its own so it wasn’t long before agencies started dropping me from modeling gigs, and clients canceled my interior design jobs. Even my event planning gala was taken over by a new planner.

Jake Roland is a spineless, vindictive bastard, and no doubt he’s waiting for me to crawl back.Over my dead, decayed, decomposed body.

That’s never going to happen.

I sold my house, my car, and now here I am, starting over in Chicago. Lauren had recommended me for the job with the Blizzards, and thankfully, they took her word for it. She assures me the position is still mine, and I’m determined to prove myself.

And the first step is a shared house I’ve taken because I’ll have to pay rent in kind—by helping to fix the place. Any penny I can save right now is worth it.

I take a deep breath.Time to focus on the future, Holly.

“So, tell me about this house,” I say, shifting in my seat. “You said I’d be sharing it?”

Lauren nods, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “Yes! It’s a really nice place, and you’re sharing it with one of the hockey stars. He’s hardly ever home because he hates the place and is looking to renovate.”

"So, you're telling me I'm going to be sharing the place with one of the team’s hockey players?" I groan, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Lauren laughs, that infectious sound that always manages to lift my spirits. "Yep."

I roll my eyes. "Great. Just what I need. More men and their egos."

I can already picture it: a muscle-bound, ego-inflated athlete demanding this and that. I had enough of that with Jake. The last thing I need is another round of it.

"Come on, Holly," Lauren says, squeezing my hand. "This guy’s different. He keeps to himself so much that you might not even notice he’s there.

I force a smile. "We'll see about that."

The truth is, I'm scared. Scared of failing, scared of being hurt again. But I'm also determined. I'm not going to let Jake's betrayal define me. I'm going to show him that I can rebuild my life without him.

We pull up to the house, and I’m immediately impressed. It’s a beautiful building with a charming exterior, much more than I expected.

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