Chapter 2
TWO
ALEC
“Thad… I… He… Ugh, I can’t fucking believe…”
I shook my head, unable to make sense of Tally’s mutterings.
Her voice was thick and she was obviously upset.
That asshole boyfriend of hers must have done something.
My fists clenched at my side. There were days when I wanted nothing more than to wipe the shit-eating grin off that smug bastard’s face.
Unfortunately, he seemed to have written the playbook when it came to managing my best friend.
“Hang on a sec, cocobug.” I heaved my gear bag over my shoulder and shoved the changeroom door open. Hearing her was difficult enough without the kerfuffle of my teammates in the background. Once I was in the corridor, I dropped my bag to the floor and leaned against the wall. “Where are you?”
She sniffed. “In the parking garage of Thad’s apartment building.”
Right. As I’d expected. The jerk had fucked up.
“Are you driving?”
“N-no. I’m still parked.”
“Good. Don’t move. I’m coming to get you.”
“Are you sure?” Her voice was small. Hesitant. “I don’t want to be a nuisance.”
My teeth ground together. I hated the sound of her uncertainty. I’d always been there for her in the past and always would be in the future. She should know that—no questions asked. It was his fault she had doubts.
“Yeah,” I replied. “Stay right where you are. I’ll be there soon.”
“Okay,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” I ended the call and exhaled roughly, forcing my fingers to uncurl from around the phone before I crushed it.
“Everything okay?”
I glanced up, surprised to find Seth Dexter, one of my teammates on the Colorado Dragons NHL team, standing in front of me, his brow scrunched with concern.
I sighed. “Something has upset Tally. Do you think you could have some pad thai from Siam Palace delivered to her apartment? I need to go and pick her up before she decides to drive herself home when she’s clearly not in a good headspace to be behind the wheel.”
“Sure.” He withdrew his phone from his pocket, already opening a food delivery app. “Anything for you?”
“Whatever’s easiest. I’m not fussy.” I slapped his shoulder. “Thanks, man.”
“No problem. Go get your girl.”
I grimaced as I hefted my bag back over my shoulder and rushed toward the exit. My teammates were always calling Tally that. “My girl.” Never mind the fact we’d only ever been friends. She was the most important person in my life besides my parents and sister, so to them, that made her mine.
I didn’t hate it, but I always felt uncomfortable when they used that phrase around her. I didn’t want her to think I was lying about our relationship status.
The parking lot of our stadium, The Lair, was nearly empty. My Jeep was right near the door, so I clicked the fob to unlock it, dumped my gear in the back, and jumped into the front within a matter of seconds.
I drove as quickly as I dared to Thad’s apartment building. I couldn’t risk getting pulled over for speeding but I didn’t want to risk Tally getting tired of waiting for me and deciding to just drive home herself either.
Once I’d entered the complex, I circled the lot until I spotted her small, silver hatchback and pulled into a parking spot opposite. By the time I got out of my car, she’d already climbed out of hers. She threw herself into my arms and buried her face in my chest.
I caught a quick glimpse of red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained cheeks before my arms wrapped around her and I held her close.
“Shh, it’s okay.” I rocked her back and forth. “You’re all right.”
The teams we played against would laugh themselves stupid if they ever saw what a softy I was with my best friend. To the rest of the world, I was an NHL legacy with a no-nonsense game face. But I didn’t have to be that guy when I was with Tally.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, repeating my earlier question.
She pulled back and shook her head, her lips pressed tightly together as she tried to gather herself.
“Okay. How about I get you home and then we can talk?” What I’d really like was to march upstairs and hand Thad’s ass to him for whatever he’d done to her, but that wasn’t what she needed just then.
She nodded.
“Do you want anything from your car?”
“Just my bag,” she rasped, her voice rough with emotion.
I opened her driver’s side door, leaned in, and grabbed the bag, then I gently took the keys from her and locked the car. “Come on. I’ll drive.”
“But my car…”
“We can come back for it tomorrow.” No way in hell was I letting her drive in the state she was in. I escorted her to my Jeep, circled to the passenger side, and helped her in. Her chin trembled as I closed the door, but she didn’t break down again.
Neither of us spoke as I drove us to her apartment. We walked to her door, and I let us inside. Warm air wafted out. Tally tolerated enough cold at Coco Luxe that she liked to have the heat pump set to turn on automatically at home, so she never had to worry about returning to an icy apartment.
The lights were off, so I flicked the switch beside the door and lit up the entranceway.
Tally didn’t protest as I guided her to the cozy living room, with its large, cream-colored couch and matching beanbags.
She dropped onto the couch and I turned on the fairy lights hanging from the curtain rail.
They provided enough illumination for me to light the candle in the center of the coffee table, which smelled a little like sugar cookies.
Finally, I made my way to the kitchen, pulled a large bottle of white wine out of the minibar, which she always kept well-stocked, and poured a generous portion into a glass.
I brought it to her, set it on the coffee table, and sat.
She snuggled closer, and I pulled her against my side, my hand resting on the curve of her waist.
“Are you ready to tell me?” I asked quietly.
She looked down at her hands, studying them as though they were the most fascinating things she’d ever seen. “I finished work a little early and went over to surprise Thad. He was surprised all right. He was fucking Coral when I walked in.”
Rage burned through my veins like lava. “He was what?”
Fury rose in the back of my throat, and my hands twitched. I shouldn’t have held back. I should have gone up to Thad’s apartment and crushed the smarmy shit.
She shrugged, as if it was nothing, but I knew her and could tell it was all an act. This had hurt her. Deeply. “He cheated on me.”
“With your cousin.” How goddamned despicable.
I’d never liked Thad. He wasn’t right for Tally.
I mean, come on, the guy disliked chocolate.
There was something fundamentally wrong with him.
But I’d never thought he’d cheat on her.
Who the hell would? Tally was beautiful, talented, and successful.
Any man would have to be an idiot to throw her away.
“Then he’s the dumbest fuck I’ve ever met,” I said bluntly.
As for Coral, she definitely wasn’t the person I’d thought she was either. I’d always known that Tally’s cousin was a bit self-centered—Coral’s sister and mother were too—but this went beyond selfishness. It was downright cruel.
“Stay here.” I disentangled myself from her, went to her bedroom, and collected her favorite pair of cozy pajamas from her bed, along with a fluffy blanket. I grabbed the softest pair of socks from her drawer and carried the bundle out, presenting it to her. “Change into this. You’ll feel better.”
It was one of the things I’d learned about her during our years of friendship. Nothing soothed her like warm, comfortable clothes, food, and wine. Throw in a romantic period drama and her tears would be gone in no time.
Hopefully.
Thad-the-asshole certainly wasn’t worth them.
I backed out of the room and lingered in the hall, giving her plenty of time to change. When I reentered, she was tucked up on the sofa with the blanket wrapped around her and her fluffy feet poking out from beneath her.
The doorbell rang. Her eyes widened.
“That will be the food,” I explained, so she wouldn’t worry about having to face anyone while she was in this state.
I answered the door and accepted the delivery, making sure to keep my chin down in case the delivery guy happened to be an ice hockey fan.
As soon as he was gone, I took the take-out to the kitchen and served the pad thai on one plate and emptied the other container–what looked to be khao man gai chicken rice–onto the other.
Carrying both plates to the coffee table, along with two sets of cutlery, I noticed her watching me, her eyes hooded in the dimly lit space. The light from the candle danced across the silverware as I placed it before her and sat.
She bit her lower lip. “I don’t feel like eating.”
“Just give it a try,” I urged.
Tally was the kind of person who needed regular meals or she got hangry, which wouldn’t help our current situation.
Reluctantly, she straightened, her feet dropping to the floor as she leaned forward and grabbed the cutlery.
She pierced a piece of mushroom and popped it into her mouth, chewing slowly, then twirled noodles around her fork.
Relieved to see she was eating, I dug into my own meal.
I’d probably need something else later, but this would tide me over for now.
“He’s going to regret losing you,” I promised when I’d made it halfway through the khao man gai. “You’re way too good for him, and he knows it.”
At least, if he had more than two brain cells, he would.
She didn’t look convinced.
“It’s true,” I insisted. “You have so much going for you. You’re pretty, you own a business, you’re smart and ambitious and a magician in the kitchen. He’s an overgrown man child who was too stupid to see how good he had it.”
Her lips twisted and she glanced away.
“What is it?” I asked, my gut clenching. I didn’t like her expression. It made me want to drive back to Thad’s apartment and kick him in the balls while wearing my skates.
“Nothing,” she muttered. “Just something he said. I know better than to take it seriously.”
“What did he say?” And how badly did I need to make him regret it?
She twisted her hands on her lap. “He implied that I work too much, and that I need to lose weight.”
“Fuck that noise.” I set my fork down, so disgusted I wasn’t sure I could finish the chicken. “You should live your goddamn best life, and if that means focusing on the kickass business that you’ve created all by yourself, then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.”
“I know.” She picked some more at her pad thai. “But it’s hard to remember sometimes.”
“Then consider this your reminder. And,” I added, meeting her eyes and holding her gaze until I knew she was listening properly, “you are gorgeous.”
Her cheeks colored and she dipped her chin, unable to hold my gaze for any longer. “You’re biased.”
“But my teammates aren’t. Several of them have said how hot they think you are.” If I hadn’t warned them off, at least a couple would have hit on her. But they weren’t long-term relationship guys, and she deserved more than a one-night stand, so I’d made sure they knew not to lay a finger on her.
She shrugged, obviously dubious. I decided to try a different tactic.
“Want me to put on Pride and Prejudice?” I asked.
The slightest grin hooked the corner of her mouth. “The BBC version?”
“As if you have to ask.” I knew that the BBC version was her favorite.
I started streaming the show and kept an eye on her as I finished my meal. She ate enough pad thai for me not to worry, but her appetite wasn’t what it usually was. I’d have to check in on her regularly to make sure she was doing all right.
She snuggled up against my side, and I made room for her to rest her head against my shoulder as she watched people in historical dresses dance on TV.
A while later, she dozed off. I stayed where I was despite the rumbling of my gut demanding more food. I’d have to move at some point, but for now, I didn’t want to disturb her.
Her phone rang, and I snatched it up before it woke her and checked the Caller ID. Then, scowling, I rejected the call and blocked Coral’s number. She should know better than to bother Tally after what she’d put her through.
For good measure, I went into the contacts and blocked Thad’s number too. Tally wouldn’t approve, but what she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her.