Page 3 of Netting the Goalie

“So I told him,he needed to pick one pattern or the other.Honestly, how hard is it?I mean, it’s not like I’m the only one getting married.It’s his wedding, too.Shouldn’t he at least be a little interested in the china we’re going to be using for the rest of our lives?”

I sat on a loveseat in a corner of Lori Lenville’s comfortable living room, sipping champagne and nodding sympathetically at the two women sitting across from me on the couch.

They seemed like nice women and, when they’d discovered I worked at With This Ring Bridal Boutique… Well, you would’ve thought they’d found a long-lost soulmate.

At any other time, I would’ve been thrilled to talk weddings.I actually enjoyed them, even when I had to handle the occasional bridezilla, momzilla, bitchy sister-in-law-to-be, drunken sorority-sister bridesmaid and snotty five-year-old flower girl.I knew how to deal with them all.

My boss, Aunt Rosie, called me a godsend.I actually thought my aunt was the godsend for giving me a career when I’d had no idea what the hell I was going to do with a degree in business.

And even after my own wedding had fallen apart two years ago, I still got teary when I helped a bride-to-be find that perfect dress for her walk down the aisle to the man she’d decided to spend her life with, even if I had no time or inclination for a life partner.

But a one-night stand?That would be just fine.And, oh please, could he be good in bed?Hell, I wouldn’t even wish for great.Just good enough with his hands to get me off at least once.

I’d had no such luck lately.

And it didn’t look like tonight would be any better.Not one of the guys here tonight made me want to go to the trouble of giving up a few hours of sleep.

Jeez, what’s wrong with you?You’re only twenty-six, not eighty.

But between working with my aunt, whose business was steadily growing, and the fact that my friends were either married or hooked up with Mr.Right Now… Well, I didn’t get out much.

And when I did, I had to wonder if there were any decent guys left in the world.Most were dicks with attitude problems or nerdy man-children who lived in their parents’ basements, played video games until three in the morning and spent their weekends drinking with their buddies who were lucky or mature enough to have an apartment.

And…Oh my god.Was I really this much of bitch?No wonder I couldn’t find anyone to screw.Honestly, I wouldn’t want me either.

“Lori’s beenamazing.”One of the women gushed, drawing me back into the conversation.“She helped us smooth over the problem with the zoning and made sure we had all the right permits.She’d been our guardian angel…”

I nodded, completely in agreement with my new friends on this.

I’d met Lori at a local Chamber of Commerce mixer.Aunt Josie hadn’t been able to attend but she’d begged me to go in her place.I couldn’t even remember why my aunt had sent me.I only knew I hadn’t wanted to go.But then I’d met Lori and we’d bonded over a few drinks and a mutual admiration of hockey.

Lori’s husband played for the local professional hockey team and, though I had only been to a few games, I’d gained an appreciation of the sport from my dad.It’d been the one thing the two of us enjoyed watching together.If it hadn’t been for hockey, me and my great, hulking bear of a father might never have held a conversation that didn’t begin and end with “How was school?”

My dad loved me and he tried but I’d always been a girly girl and that had been mom’s domain.

“So I told him if he didn’t at least attempt to get along with my cousin, we might as well call off the wedding.I mean, my family is so important to me and…”

Yep, I totally got that.Family was important.I’d seen more than one wedding disintegrate into factions more fierce than anything in the Hunger Games during the planning stages.

And anyone who said words would never hurt you had never dealt with a Bridezilla whose mother-in-law dared to have an opinion on what color napkin should be used on the cake table.

I swallowed a sigh.

What the hell are you doing here anyway?

I should be mingling, flirting, having a good time.It wasn’t like there weren’t any good-looking guys here.A few of them had even made eye contact and two had tried to start conversations.

Until five minutes later and I realized they only wanted to talk about what they did and how much that should impress me.Sure, they had decent jobs and wore decent clothes and were attractive but—

What’s wrong with you?

“And who tells your mother her dress makes her look fat?You know what I mean?I just wanted to punch…”

Yep, I knew exactly how the bride-to-be felt.I wanted to punch someone, too.

Except I didn’t do physical violence.I was no tough cookie.More like a cupcake with fluffy frosting.And who didn’t love cupcakes, right?

Sighing again, I took another sip of my drink and tried to wipe the pissy look off of my face.

---