Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 124494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
“Oh! Sorry!” Dred yanks her hand back and grips both ends of her scarf.
Connor raises both hands. “My fault. I think we ordered the same thing.”
We all peer at the receipts. The order is exactly the same, down to the sticky rice and mango salad sides.
“Huh.” Dred picks up her bag and returns her attention to me. “I thought Hammer was in Niagara for Christmas Eve.”
“She is.” I grab my bag.
“So you’re on your own?” Dred presses.
“Yup.”
She looks to Connor. “And you?”
“Same.”
“Me too. We’re quite the trio of misfits, aren’t we?”
“Why aren’t you with your family?” Connor asks.
For a moment I feel bad. He doesn’t know Dred or her history.
“I don’t have any.” She says this like she’s giving a weather report.
“Shit. I’m sorry.” He adjusts the brim of his hat.
“My parents were drug addicts, so I doubt Christmas would be all that enjoyable if they were still alive.” She makes a face. “Oh my God. Sorry. Neither of you needed to know that.”
“It’s legit though,” Connor replies.
“Mmm… And why are you solo on Christmas Eve?” Dred quickly shifts the focus away from her.
“My parents took my sisters and grandmother on vacation for the holidays and didn’t tell me until last night, when they were already in Cabo,” Connor says. “Not that it’s the same, but still unfortunate.”
If I didn’t know he was the heir to a hotel chain, I might have assumed his family were long gone like Dred’s too. Whenever they ask about his dad in interviews, he pivots or walks out.
“Yikes. That’s rough.” Dred and Connor look to me.
“My dad’s been gone for a long time, and my mom and her cousin are on a cruise so the holidays hurt less for her.” Apparently I feel like sharing today, too. “You can both come back to my place, if you want.”
“You allowed to be in the same room as me?” Connor asks Dred.
She laughs. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”
“I like my teeth where they are, so your secret is safe with me.”
“Come on, kids. It’s misfits’ Christmas Eve at my place.”
We grab our food and pile into Connor’s sports car, with poor Dred crammed in the tiny back seat eating her knees. I offered her the front, but she just laughed and said no. A handful of minutes later, we’re back at my place, gathered at my dining room table.
“We should have invited Lexi and the girls,” Dred says as she uses chopsticks to move half the mango salad to her plate.
“Callie has a hockey party tonight,” I say without thinking.
Dred lifts an eyebrow, like she’s surprised I know this. “Of course she does. That girl lives and breathes hockey.”
“She is so fucking adorable,” Connor says. “And she has great taste in hockey players.”
“Of course you’d say that,” I tease. “But she is adorable.”
“She has the chops for the Hockey Academy, if she keeps it up,” Connor adds.
“She’s an excellent goalie, from what I’ve seen,” Dred agrees.
I set my fork down. It’s an opportunity I can’t pass up. “I have a question about the Hockey Academy.”
Connor pokes at his mango salad, a flush working its way up his neck. “They have a great program, and it got me out of my parents’ hair for the summer. It worked out well for all of us. Especially them.”
“You were there at the same time as Madden, Bright, and Stiles, right?”
“Yup.” He pops a bite of mango salad into his mouth.
“What’s the deal with you and Madden’s sandwich?”
Dred nearly spit-sprays her wine across the table. As it is, Connor chokes on his food. Dred is out of her chair between one blink and the next, ready to take action.
Connor holds up his hand. “I’m fine.” He coughs twice more. “Did Madden say something to you?”
I shake my head.
Connor rolls his eyes to the ceiling, the tips of his ears bright red. “Why can’t I escape my past?”
“You have to deal with it to get past it,” Dred replies.
For someone in her early twenties, she sure is self-aware.
Connor sighs. “Everyone loved Madden at the Hockey Academy. Everyone always loves Madden. Even when he does questionable shit. I was an asshole with a chip on my shoulder, and he was the golden boy. No one was ever going to be on my side.”
“Have you tried to have a conversation?” Dred asks.
“What’s the point? He’ll believe what he wants. Doesn’t matter if it’s the truth or a lie.” He pushes his chair back from the table. “I’m going to go.”
“Please don’t,” Dred says softly. “Roman isn’t trying to corner you. We just want to understand. But we can drop it, can’t we?” She gives me an imploring look.
“Yeah. Absolutely. Sorry I brought it up.”
“It’s just… The Hockey Academy is what got me here, but the road wasn’t easy. If it means I’m forever the villain, then that’s what I’ll be.” He picks up his chopsticks.