Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
And like the songs all say, everything changed.
The next couple of weeks, I fell fully and overwhelmingly in love with Audrina.
My best friend.
The girl who lived next door.
The girl everyone thought was my sister since we spent so much time together.
Because I never told her I loved her.
Or anyone, for that matter.
I sigh deeply as I finally pull into my destination. I drove above the speed limit, fully pissed off that we were lied to as kids. My parents made me watch The Jetsons. “It’s a classic, Thatcher.” Sure, Mom, but it’s all lies because I’m not flying in a space car. Instead, I drove like a normal person for six hours to see if I am right about the photo in my inbox. My skin is tingling, my heart is pounding, and my head is floating with the knowledge that I could be seeing her in mere minutes.
Finally.
The Red Ruby Diner is sleek for a highway diner. I’m used to seeing diners like this a bit broken-down, but this one is refurbished with bright reds and glittery silvers. It’s a rather sizeable establishment for the middle of nowhere, and it’s packed to the brim. The menu is expertly lit on a stand outside, making it easy for me to see everything they offer. The windows are large and clear, everything inside so clean and put together. It’s plain to see the place is taken care of. I just hope she’s been taken care of. If anything has happened to her, I may lose my fucking mind.
I just want to see her.
“Red Ruby? Should be called the IceCats with these colors,” Owen Adler says with a grin. I hadn’t expected him to join us, but apparently his very pregnant wife is very pissed off that one of her plants died. Owen needed an escape and was in my car almost before I pulled up to their house.
“But we are in Virginia. Do they even have a hockey team here?”
“Not pro,” Owen says as he shuts the door behind him. “I doubt we’ll be getting free food.”
Little does he know, I don’t give a shit about food, only about seeing the girl who, after only a few hours of her being gone, had me realizing that half of my soul was missing.
Telly grumbles. “Fine, but you’re paying, Orlov, since no one here knows who we are.”
I ignore him as I exhale, pulling my cap down lower. They’re used to me hiding my identity since I hate being noticed when we go out. They love it and preen at all the people who want autographs and photos. For me, I just want to play hockey. I don’t want the attention, the sponsorships, and all that hoopla. I want to wake up, hit the ice, score some goals, and bring home the Cup. I have been raised to do just that. Our team, the Carolina IceCats, has been close to that Cup so many years. But even I know this season is different.
I’m not gonna outright say or think it, but things are going well for us.
And I feel a piece of hardware is in our future.
Our new GM has made some big moves and taken the NHL by storm. Not only is she only the second woman to take a position in the higher-ups, but she can make a grown man cry. Olive Vandalia is ruthless and cutthroat. She is a bulldog in a 5’2” package, with whiskey eyes and curves for days. She’s a stunner, for sure, and Telly has such a hard-on for her. She won’t give him the time of day, and really, I don’t blame her. Let’s win the Cup, and then he can dick her down.
If she doesn’t cut his dick off first.
Or trade him for making moves on her.
As I push my dark glasses up my nose, Telly steps up beside me. “We drove six hours for this?”
I didn’t have to give a reason for the road trip at first, but even I know I have to come up with something now. It’s a battle, when all I can think is that she could be anywhere near here. That I’m finally breathing the same air as her once again. Ignoring the tightening in my chest, I clear my throat. “They have Dutch babies here I wanted to try.”
My confession doesn’t come as a surprise to my friends. I am a huge foodie. I love trying all kinds of different dishes, and I’ve been known to make impromptu trips just to try something I’ve read about. I have a list of places I want to eat at when we go on road trips. It used to be fun, but when Audrina vanished, I used it as an excuse to look for her everywhere I went. We share a love of food, she and I, and I had this rosy idea that she’d be in some hole-in-the-wall spot.