Fake Dating the Defenseman Next Door (Soltero Beach Scorpions Hockey #1)

7. Angela

seven

Angela

“ Y ou made a deal for a date?” Tiffany blanches, pausing in the act of bringing a freshly baked morning bun to her lips. “With the off-campus dude you were silently crushing on since junior year?”

“Wasn’t he, like, the son of a pro hockey player and some supermodel?” Solymar adds, tearing off a piece of French toast and popping it into her mouth.

The girls came over for a taste test of the newly revamped menu I’m planning. Outside of my grandma, these are the only people I trust to tell me the truth about my baking.

Watching them swoon over the food I’d made sent a ripple of deep satisfaction rolling through me.

“You know you don’t need to bring a date, right?” Nina says as she continues swiping this way and that on some app on her phone. “It’s just going to be the bunch of us getting to hang out together again for the first time in years. There’s no need to bring someone to impress us. We already know you’re awesome.”

Solymar rolls her eyes. “She says, while also scouring every available bachelor in Bachelor Beach for a date.”

“I’m just keeping my options open,” Nina says. “In case the charity date auction doesn’t work out the way I’d hope and I wind up with some octogenarian geezer wheezing at my tits.”

“I still can’t believe you’re doing that.” Tiffany snorts.

“It’s for charity ,” Nina stresses. “Plus, Tiff says it’s good publicity for my lingerie boutique. Save the tatas.”

“I know I don’t need to bring a date, but I want to rewrite the script so they can’t say that they were right about me.”

Solymar licks the powdered sugar rimming her lips. “I get it. Revenge of the nerds and all.”

I push away from the table and look at them all. Together, we’d been invisible in high school. Socially awkward, smart band geeks, book nerds, more striking than beautiful in any traditional sense. But now, we were hard to ignore. Entrepreneurs, sexy, independent, self-made successful career women in our own right.

“Look around you, sugar,” Tiffany gestures around us, at the newly renovated space that marries the old school charm of my grandma’s shop with a fresh, modern take. “You’re the fucking shit. And with my PR company, I’ll help make sure the world knows.”

I do look around, my eyes taking in the display case situated in an L-shape and the tables I’ve upgraded from kitschy retro Formica to warmly inviting rustic wooden ones with swivel-out black metal stools. The simple, plain white walls have been given a fresh lick of paint in a bright, candy-coated pink shade. The original black letter board menu will be rehung, but with neon light accents under the artfully repurposed surfboard with the new logo splashed on it.

“Yeah,” I say, my voice tightening with emotion. “I think I’ve done pretty good.”

“You’ve done great ,” Nina says, slicing into a pumpkin spice cinnamon roll and taking a big bite. Her immediate eye roll and silent ohmygod make me think that’s a definite keeper for the fall menu. “I don’t know why you insist on flipping restaurants. This is what you should be doing. Baking. Creating. You have the gift for giving food-gasms. You ought to share it with the world.”

I flush with pleasure at her praise. The thought has crossed my mind. It’d keep the shop in the family and solve the issue of halmeoni having to hire on help. The only problem is that it means staying here in Soltero Beach and I wasn’t sure I could see myself actually settling here.

Suddenly, Solymar sits up straight and stares at something over my shoulder.

“Uh, Ang? You said your man played hockey, right?”

“Yeah. Why?”

She points. “Because a bunch of six-foot-plus giants are lining up outside the shop. And some of them are holding hockey sticks.”

I spin around, my mouth falling open as a breathy “Oh,” falls from my lips. The second my gaze lands on Diego, a wide, warm smile spreads over his face as he waves, unleashing a wave of butterflies in my belly.

He said he’d enlist his teammates to help me get the shop ready for the re-opening, but I hadn’t really believed him. Some people, I’d learned, would say anything to get what they wanted with no intention of following through.

But as Diego and members of his hockey team crowd into my grandmother’s donut shop, a giddy, happy feeling bubbles up inside me. Not unlike all those times I’d felt overheated and flustered when he strolled or skated into the shop when we were teens.

Only this time, I’m flustered because he makes a beeline right for me. My heart thuds in my chest, pulse racing as a huge, warm smile spreads across his face.

“Hey, sweets,” he says, voice easy and eyes trailing up and down my body with open interest. “Looking good. You and the shop, I mean. I wasn’t too sure about all the changes Grandma Grace said you were making, but it’s great. Maybe change can be a good thing.”

“I—thanks.” I blush, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear while my friends exchange large-eyed, eyebrow-raised looks with one another. “Um. What are you doing here?”

“Now is that any way to greet your man after I rounded up all these strong, strapping young men to come help today?” He grins and throws an arm around my shoulders. “We came to work. Just like I promised. Guys, this is Angie and she’s all mine, so don’t even think about it, yeah?”

He winks at me, and I wonder if this is all for show. All practicing the part of being my boyfriend.

“These are some of my friends from high school, Nina, Tiffany and Solymar.”

“Ah, in town for the reunion?” Diego asks.

My friends exchange a quick glance.

“We’re local,” Nina says, eyes sliding over the hulking hockey player standing across from her. “But we’ll be there.”

“Great, looking forward to it.” Then Diego catches sight of the array of food laid across the countertop and points. “Are these for everyone?”

“Taste test,” I answer. “Please help yourself. You’re all welcome to try it and let me or Tiffany know what you think before we get started.”

In a blink, the hockey giants descend on the trays while my friends scoot out of the way. Diego pops one of the new donut samples into his mouth and slams his eyes shut in ecstasy.

I watch, dry-mouthed, as his jaw moves up and down. The muscles tensing and releasing and that scar on his cheek capturing my attention when he lets out a low groan of approval that has my thighs pressing tight.

Then his eyes open and he beams at me.

“This is your take on choco pie, huh? You nailed it, baby. It’s perfect. Good enough to make it into my top ten.” Then he plants a soft, sweet, innocent kiss on my mouth. “Time to put us to work, sweets. Where do you want me?”

Here. Now.

— No.

“I need a team on inventory,” I choke out hoarsely, waving a hand toward the kitchen while Tiffany pounds the flat of her hand against my back. “And another helping to get these boards hung up. Let me show you.”

I pull up the plans on my tablet and hand them over to Diego who quickly takes charge of the situation.

“Well, I do love a man who knows how to work with his tools,” Nina murmurs in my ear, causing me to nearly fumble the trays I’ve started to clear away.

“Nina!”

“What? I wasn’t talking about him. I meant him. ” She says, whirling away and pointing with her lips towards the big guy measuring the width of the window that I think Diego called Leo.

My eyes slide to Diego as he sidles up to Leo wielding a drill as he works to complete the tasks I’d set out for them.

“A man of his word,” Tiffany murmurs, leaning into my side. “Not a bad fake boyfriend to have.”

“You sure it’s all fake?” Solymar asks. “Feels like there’s something real brewing here.”

“Just for show,” I answer, unable to tear my eyes off Diego as he flashes me a reassuring grin.

I found it so hard to take anyone at their word, but here was a man who followed through without being asked or reminded. Who made a promise and kept it. Who loudly, unabashedly, and easily laid claim to me… publicly.

If I wasn’t careful, my schoolgirl crush would become a full blown infatuation in no time at all.

At seven o’clock on the dot, Diego knocks on my door.

“Hi,” I smile, tugging at the swing skirt of my dress, hoping it was classy enough for whatever he has planned.

“Happy anniversary, Trouble.” He grins while I laugh. Then he extends a snack bouquet made up of choco pies, Peper, and Hi-Chews to me. “Got you a little something.”

“You shouldn’t have. After all the work you guys put in today, I feel like I should be presenting you with something.” I push the door open in invitation as I carry the treats into the open plan kitchen. “Are you trying to spoil me?”

“That’s what a good boyfriend does, right?”

“I wouldn’t really know,” I say, softly. “Never actually had one before.”

“Me neither.” He tucks his hands into his pockets and rocks back on his heels while he scans the sparsely furnished place. “A girlfriend, that is.”

“Oh?” I glance up in surprise. “You’ve never had a serious relationship?”

“Nope. The life I live isn’t for everyone,” he says, shrugging. “There’s a lot of pressure, both public and private. I could be traded at the drop of a hat and need to move somewhere totally different within a matter of days. And bringing a partner in to deal with all that stress? Until recently, it’s always felt risky.”

My heart thuds in my chest as I reach for my coat. Diego takes it from my hand, our hands brush against each other and electricity ripples through my body as he helps me into it.

I remind myself that this isn’t a real date. This is more like a strategic planning session or a practice run. Topic’s shouldn’t venture into anything too heavy, too serious. Nothing too real .

“It sounds pretty lonely to live that way, shutting everyone else out.”

“It wasn’t at first. I had the guys, and for a long time, that was enough.”

“But now?”

He shrugs. “Maybe you’re right. It’s gotten lonely.”

“I know I’m right.” Pushing my hair back over my shoulder, I lift my chin and brace myself. “I’ve done the exact same thing. Shied away from relationships because I don’t want to be let down or hurt in the ways I’ve already endured.”

Diego steps up, takes my hand in his and presses a soft kiss to each of my knuckles.

“Tell me who hurt you, Trouble. And if I need to cross check anybody into the boards at this reunion.”

There are butterflies in my belly, shockwaves of awareness dancing up my arm as I stare into his clear, honeyed gaze.

“I don’t need you to fight my battles.” I inform him, tongue pressing against my cheek to hide my smile as he tucks my hand into the crook of his elbow. “I’m a big girl now, Diego. All grown up.”

“Oh, believe me, sweets. I noticed.” His heated gaze blatantly takes in my curves as he leads me to my front door and out into the hall. “But it doesn’t hurt to have people in your corner, watching your back.”

“I’ve got my friends. And halmeoni— my grandma,” I say, locking my door as he pushes the call button for the elevator. “Though she’s obviously not going to the reunion.”

He glances over, threads his fingers through mine and gives my hand a squeeze. “And me. You’ve got me.”

I laugh. “Only because you need me for the donuts.”

“What can I say? Sugar’s addicting.” His eyes glint in the light, mouth tilting, as he leads me into the elevator and I wonder…

Does he mean the donuts? Or does he mean me?