Page 4 of Off Season

“Promise me,” she demands when I don’t respond.

“I promise,” I grumble.

“Good.” She smiles. “On a lighter note, it means I get to see you sooner.” She does a little dance in her seat. The excitement in her voice eases some of the ache in my heart.

My mom’s originally from England. She moved to Toronto for work when she finished university, where she met my dad and fell pregnant with me. Then, when I was seven years old, he left, and we haven’t heard from him since.

She stayed in Toronto until I turned twenty, when I bought her a house in England with my first big paycheck, and she’s been living there ever since.

She gave up everything for me so I could play hockey, so the least I could do was make sure she had everything she could ever need or want in life.

“I’ll look at flights once I’m done with team stuff.”

“I’ve missed you so much. I can’t wait to see you!” She beams at me. “And that means you’ll be here for Samantha’s wedding!”

“Fuck, don’t remind me.” I grimace, downing the rest of my scotch.

It’s not that I’m not happy for my cousin. I’m over the fucking moon for her that she’s finally getting the wedding she’s dreamed about since we were kids, but her groom? Her groom happens to be my ex-fiancé’s brother.

The same ex-fiancé who left me at the airport on the way to our own wedding without even as much as a goodbye.

It was a heartbreak I’ve never fully recovered from. I built my walls up stronger than ever after that, and I’ve made sure nobody has broken through my defenses since.

I can handle difficult questions from the press and even people invading my life from every angle.

But I’m not sure how I’ll handle seeing him again.

Chapter Two

Jacob

“That’s it, we’re all sold out,” Daniel announces, appearing from around the corner sporting a wide grin.

My jaw drops in disbelief. “What? Are you kidding me?! Didn’t we bake twice as much as usual?”

He chuckles, carrying the empty trays to the sink for cleaning. “Time to get your thinking cap on, boss. We clearly need more. The people of Chicago are demanding their sweet treats.”

I shake my head at the “boss” endearment, trying to fight the smile from my lips. It’s still very surreal for me. I don’t think this feeling will ever get old, because never in my wildest dreams would I have expected my small business to boom the way it has. What started as a hobby in my grandparents’ kitchen—baking cakes for aesthetically pleasing social media posts and custom celebration cakes for friendsand their families—ended up with my name above a shop front and selling out at twelve thirty on a Monday.

Yep. AMonday.

Who would have thought? But it’s not always been this way.

The reason behind our recent success is the guy who swept my brother, Alex, off his feet. He started dating Blaine Olsen, a hotshot hockey player for the Chicago Thunder, six months ago. When I got the flu just before Christmas, leaving Alex to take care of the shop on his own, Blaine surprised us both by stepping in and helping out. He didn’t bat an eye at putting on an apron and serving baked goods.

We didn’t realize the impact his showing up would have on the business at the time, but ever since, we’ve had people lining up outside—literally.

This city really does love its hockey team.

But the luck didn’t end there.

Shortly after, the team approached us and asked to use the premises to film a segment for their social media channel, where some of the team decorated and sold their creations to adoring fans. It putJacob’s Delicious Dessertsright on the map for being one of the top bakeries in Chicago and made us the sole dessert caterer for their VIP boxes on game nights.

How is this my life?

It’s safe to say it’s been an overwhelming whirlwind since, but a good one. I’m thankful for the unexpected fortune every day, but there’s still a part of me that worries I’m going to wake up one day in the nightmare that was my life only a few months ago.

Surely no one can be this lucky without a catch.

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