Page 7 of The Rebound Plan

Her brows knit together. “And?”

And it fucking hurts. “I feel like a damned fifth wheel. I’m the only older guy who’s single, and I’m over that. I bought this place to put down roots and tell the universe I was ready for more. By more, I didn’t mean a dozen overeager young hockey players.”

“Ah.” She nods.

“What,ah?”

“This was supposed to be a house to feel your feelings in, and now your teammates are going to crash that party.”

I grunt. “I wouldn’t say it like that. It’s the first step in a rebound plan.”

“Rebound from what?”

“Never mind.”

She carries on as if I’ve said more than that. “Most people just hook up with a stranger. Real estate is an interesting choice.” She waves across the tent at her brother. “Camden bought a lake house after his first divorce. A word to the wise, though—he slept with the stranger, too,at the lake house,and she became his second wife.”

I remember. It didn’t last long. “Did she get the lake house in the divorce?”

“Oh yeah.” She twirls her finger in the air to refocus the conversation. “Okay, so this retreat is a good idea, yes?”

“Yes.”

“But you don’t want all the happy relationships rubbed in your face in your last week of summer.”

A heavy weight presses down on my shoulders. I hate how easily she got all of that out of me. I need to deal with this shit once and for all so I can focus on hockey properly this upcoming season. “Get to the point, Buzz. And don’t be too wise. I’m not humble enough to take advice from a twenty-one-year-old.”

“I’m twenty-four,” she says blithely. “Is that too young for you to date?”

I jolt upright, too fast, and my chair topples sideways, dumping me onto the floor.

Everyone turns and looks.

Emery waves her hands. “It’s okay, folks! He’s just had too much ginger ale.”

I stare at her sneakers, then at the swish of her satin gown as she stands and leans over to give me a hand up. I avoid making eye contact with her cleavage as the world tilts around me and I heave to my feet, because twenty-four or not, she’s still my buddy’s little sister, and I’m in love with someone else.

“Is the idea of dating me that awful?” She’s teasing.

I glare down at her now that we’re both standing. “You’re teasing, right?”

Because I need to be sure, and I’ve had a lot to drink.

She pats my chest with the confidence of someone who hasn’t been drinking at all. “Relax.”

“Look, Emery, you’re very pretty and smart and?—”

“You don’t need to let me down gently, Rusty. I’m notintoyou. Ew, please be serious. You’re the same age as my thrice-married brother, and you literally just bought your first house. No offence, but my standards are higher than that. I’m offering you my help.” She looks at me like I’m an idiot, which is very possible given that I didn’t consider the obvious fact that of course the youngest Granger would be above datingme, a third-line journeyman player. A nobody.

“Can you take pity on an old man and spell out what exactly this help you’re offering might be?”

She gives me her cutest, most deadly smile. “You don’t like that this was thrust upon you. You don’t want to feel like an outsider at your own housewarming party.”

“I wouldn’t call it a party.”

She rolls her eyes. “Yes, but youshould. And to make it a proper party, you need a hostess.” She flutters her hands down her satin-covered body, and back up to her now-innocent expression. “Me.”

CHAPTER 3

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