The Faker: A Marriage of Convenience Hockey Romance (Boston Hawks Hockey) by Gina Azzi (little red riding hood read aloud .TXT) 📕

“I’m not taking my brother to a wedding.”

“He’s hot.”

“You’re making this worse, not better,” I say impatiently.

“Too bad he lives in Texas,” Abbi continues as if I haven’t spoken at all. If she keeps up, I’ll need bleach for my eyes and ears.

A knock at my bedroom door draws my attention as Dad pops his head in. His smile is gentle, his eyes warm and I have the sudden urge to hug my dad tightly and cry into his strong chest the same way I did as a little girl. The same way I did two months ago after chucking my engagement ring at Steve’s head.

“We’re heading to the Merrick’s in an hour,” Dad reminds me.

I nod, pointing to the phone.

He nods and dips out of my room.

“Abbi, I gotta go. We’re heading to a family friend’s house for dinner tonight.”

“Oh, see! You have a social life,” she says way too excitedly.

I snort. Dinner at the Merricks is hardly a social event but considering I’ve barely interacted with the human species in the past two months, I’m not an accurate judge. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Have fun tonight.”

“‘Bye, Abs.”

“‘Bye.”

I disconnect the call and drag myself to my closet. Sliding open the door, I glance at my meager selection of clothing options. I really need to unpack my shit but doing so would mean I’m staying in Boston and my life in Hoboken, everything Steve and I built over the past five years, is really over. Massive sigh.

I flip through some hangers, wondering what to wear. Mary and Joe Merrick were my parents closest friends when we lived in Boston. Drew and their eldest daughter, Savannah, were in the same grade as school just like me and their son Austin. As kids, Austin and his sisters, Savannah and Claire, were more like mine and Drew’s cousins. We pretty much grew up around their kitchen island and in their backyard. Summer nights catching fireflies with Claire and her cousin Indy, winter mornings sledding with Austin and Drew, and a very memorable shopping experience with Savannah, round out some of my favorite childhood memories.

Austin Merrick was once my closest friend but always in the-boy-next-door kind of way. If something was truly wrong, I could count on him for advice. But in our daily interactions, he was often more annoying than Drew. He made fun of me the first time I shaved my legs, cut the colorful, glitter tassels off the handlebars of my bike, and hid my rock collection for an entire weekend.

As we grew older and Austin became a hockey star, we drifted apart. In high school, he ran with the cool kid crowd while I was more of the bookish, geeky set. Even though he was crazy popular, with girls flocking to hang off his shoulders or get a ride home in his souped up Infiniti G35, I still looked at him and saw the boy who pantsed me at a family vacation in Martha’s Vineyard.

Despite the vast difference in our social stratas, Austin was always nice to me at school. It was me who added the final distance to our friendship. Halfway through our freshman year, I stopped getting rides home from him because it drew too much ire from his fan club. After that, I rarely saw Austin close-up unless it was a family gathering and he often missed those due to hockey. By the time my family relocated to New York at the end of my sophomore year, Austin and I were acquaintances at best. Afterwards, we lost touch completely, and my only updates about his life came via my mom or Savannah when our paths crossed in New York.

Now, he’s the captain of the NHL Boston Hawks, something my dad shares with every single hockey fan he encounters. My parents pride for Austin knows no bounds.

Will he be at dinner tonight?

Probably not. He must be way too busy with his career, his team just won the Stanley Cup for crying out loud, to have dinner with me and my parents.

I finger a simple, summer dress.

Does it matter if he’s there?

For a blink, Austin’s piercing blue eyes, the color of the Atlantic in October, when winter’s creeping in, flare in my mind. Even as the girl-next-door, I can objectively admit that he was always devilishly handsome, with quick eyes, and a sly smirk. He was a notorious rule breaker although he was too charismatic to ever face discipline for the trouble he stirred up. He was popular, likable, and infuriatingly immature. Way back when, he used to wear spicy cologne and oversized hoodies. He asked me to dance at the Valentine’s Day dance my freshman year after my date kissed another girl.

I pull the summer dress off the hanger. Where did that thought even come from? This isn’t some trip down memory lane. I’m tagging along with my parents while they visit their friends. I’m not rekindling a friendship with Austin, a guy who is now larger than life. I probably don’t even register on his radar, save for a handful of childhood memories.

Man, Steve did a number on my head if I’m even thinking about Austin at all.

I shimmy into the summer dress. I slip into simple, strappy sandals and find a pair of earrings in my purse.

Austin’s not going to be at dinner tonight. Neither is Savannah, since she lives in New York City. We’d occasionally meet for lunch before my life turned upside down and I was too embarrassed to see friends, save for Abbi.

If anything, I should hope Claire or Indy make an appearance so I can reconnect with girlfriends. At least they may invite me out with them.

My phone buzzes with an incoming message and I swipe it up, assuming it’s Abbi.

Mimi: I hope your heart’s not too broken to notice Austin Merrick.

I snort. I swear, Mimi is more of a troublemaker than Austin. At eighty-four, she’s sharper than a whip and more meddlesome than Mom.

Me: I doubt he’ll even be there.

Mimi: He’s