Page 1 of Stick Work

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Taylor

Friends, let me ask you this: What do you do when you walk into your shared Jack and Jill bathroom and come face to face with the hottest NHL player on the planet…and he’s butt ass naked?

Well, if you’re me, you run.

Or at least, that’s what I did. Okay, wait, that’s not entirely true. First, I gasped like a fish out of water. Then I stared. A long, hard stare. Yes hard, and I think you know exactly what I mean by that. Then I rolled my tongue back into my mouth, and sprinted back to my bed, like I was fleeing a crime scene.

Why did I run you ask? Excellent question, because clearly, I want this man. So let me break down the reasons why I absolutely had to bolt.

* * *

He’s my brother’s best friend and roommate, and they’re on the same NHL team.

He’s a lot older than me. I’m still in college and he’s getting established in life.

I would never, ever want to come between my brother Kalen and Elias.

My brother made it clear to his teammates that I’m off limits. Thanks, bro.

Mr. Greek God can have any woman he wants. I’m not the woman he wants.

* * *

So, this my friends, has been my life. But if you think that’s the worst of it, you’d be wrong. Why, you ask again? Oh, because he asked me to take a fast trip home to California with him for Thanksgiving and pretend to be his girlfriend to get his meddling mother, and his father off his back.

Did I agree?

Of course, I did.

Will it be torturous?

Of course it will.

But what’s a girl to do? Elias comes from a powerful political family—his father happens to be the governor of California—and they want him married to the right girl, with the right pedigree.

Am I that girl?

(Insert hysterical laughter here!!!)

Ahem. Sorry about that, and please forgive all the exclamation marks. I don’t usually do that, but I wanted to get the point across with actions not words, but here are my words anyway.

No, I am so not the right girl for him.

I’m younger, looking to have a little fun, and I come from a broken family. My mother passed away when I was eight, and during that time, my dad was having an affair with his best friend Miles. I’ve forgiven him, but none of that will go over with the Ariti family, not when Elias’s father one day wants to run for president of the United States.

Nevertheless, Elias asked me to go, and I want to help the guy out. He’s been a bit mopey lately, keeping his head down, and I haven’t seen him with a woman in a long time. I think something happened, but the guys keep me in the dark, mostly. What I do know is that Elias’s actions reflect on his family, and I feel for the guy. I mean, sure, my brother is ridiculously overbearing, wanting to control my every move. I know it’s because he cares, but sometimes it can be too much. He’s felt responsible for me since my mom died and we moved to Connecticut to live with our grandmother, who sadly passed a little while ago.

It's always been Kalen and me against the world.

I love him for it, I really do, because he has my best interests at heart. I’m not sure Elias’s family has his best interests at heart. They only worry about how what he does affects them. At least, that’s my understanding.

But back to the point of me not having the right pedigree. Elias came up with a plan to ‘sell’ me as his fake girlfriend, as a rising Hollywood star.

I’m not.

I will never be an Oscar-winning actress and I’m okay with that. I am, however, a theater/dance student at Boston College, and my goal is to one day open my own dance studio for children. That won’t happen, though. It’s a pipe dream, considering how many dance studios there currently are in Boston. It’s not feasible to open another and I don’t want to disappoint my brother. He brought me here because I was floundering, not knowing what to do with my life. I’m still floundering a bit despite all the opportunities he’s given me and honestly, I’m embarrassed by that.

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