Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Alina
I can’t stop staring at him. He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
How many times have I opened this picture and stared at him, dreaming of the day I can cuddle him on the bed and hold him in my arms? Too many to count…
He’s all I can think about lately. My mind is consumed with thoughts of stroking his body and kissing his head. I’d be the happiest girl in the world if he was mine.
“That picture again ?” my coworker Eddie says with a shake of his head as he walks into our shared office with a coffee. “Why don’t you just buy one already?”
I sigh as I shut down the picture.
“My landlord will kick me out if I get a dog.”
“Don’t tell him,” Eddie says with a shrug as he sits at his desk. He spills some of his coffee when he puts it down. “Shit.”
“I’m going to have to bring him in and out for walks,” I say as I image search ‘pug puppies’ one more time. Our desks are attached and facing each other, so I can gaze at the puppies without Eddie’s prying eyes. “And my landlord lives downstairs.”
“That’s easy,” Eddie says as he pulls out his empty pocket and wipes the spilled coffee with it. “Hide him in your jacket.”
“What about in summer?”
“Under your dress?” he says with a shrug.
I sigh as I turn back to the puppies. It’s hopeless. I’ll never get one.
I want one so badly though…
“Heads up,” the bubbly receptionist Jane says as she pops her head into our office. “The Comedian is on the way.”
“Shit,” I whisper as I open a contract, smooth out my hair, sit up straight, and switch my music from Taylor Swift to something old and classical, all at the same time.
The Comedian is our boss, Mr. Seinfeld. We call him The Comedian because of his name obviously, and ironically because he’s the most unfunny person in the world. He’s mean and would crack a skull before he’d ever crack a joke.
“Miss Hoover,” his deep voice bellows from behind me.
My heart starts pounding as I turn around with a forced smile. “Hi, Mr. Seinfeld. I love that tie.”
He frowns as he looks at it. “My wife bought it at Costco. Orange juice spilled on it while it was in the trunk.”
“Well, you can’t even hardly notice!” I say with a weird high-pitched laugh.
An image of him sitting at his breakfast table scowling at the orange juice carton while eating his cereal pops into my mind.
“I took a look at your proposals,” he says with a stern glare.
Oh god. This is it!
I’ve been working here for six years and I’ve been desperate to get ahead. This is my shot. I can feel it.
We make high-end luxurious custom closets and Mr. Seinfeld has been looking to expand his very profitable business into some new locations.
I jumped at the opportunity and wrote up proposals for five new cities.
It took forever to research, but I think I did a good job.
At least, I hope I did. And I’m really hoping he’s going to consider me to be the one to run the new branch once it gets the green light.
“Not good,” he says bluntly. My stomach drops. My head spins. I might puke all over The Comedian’s Costco shoes.
“Wha—?” I gasp, not able to finish the word I’m so shocked.
He tosses the files onto my desk and they land with a slap . “All saturated markets and we have no edge to help start us off with a bang.”
“Can I… try again?”
He looks like a big Muppet as he frowns at me with those bushy eyebrows and large forehead. “Bring me one more city. And Miss Hoover, it better be the one.”
I feel nauseous as he walks away.
Now, I really want a puppy to cuddle.
“Crashed and burned,” Eddie says from the other side of the computer. “Can we turn off the Mozart crap now?”
I sigh as I turn Taylor Swift back on, not knowing what to do.
My mind blanks as I lazily check my phone. Mr. Seinfeld makes us keep them locked away, but right now, I don’t care that I’m breaking protocol.
“What the hell?” I whisper when I see that my phone has blown up. Thirty-six texts? Did someone die?
“What. The. Fuck,” Eddie says way too loud for an office. His shocked head pops up over my computer screen. “Sebastian Kemp?! You’re engaged to Sebastian fucking Kemp?!”
“ What? ”
“I’ve listened to you ramble on for hours about fucking puppies yet you don’t mention the one interesting thing about your life?! You’re engaged to The Sniper?! I didn’t even know you knew Sebastian Kemp!”
“I knew him in high school…”
“Does he have the Stoney Cup at his house?”
“He was my best friend’s older brother, but I haven’t?—”
“Holy shit, it’s your house! You have the Stoney Cup at your house?! Can I come over for dinner?”
“Wait,” I say when my mind stops glitching. “Did you say engaged ?”
He grabs his monitor and yanks it around, spilling his coffee, but this time, he doesn’t even attempt to clean it.
“Look!”
My mouth drops when I see what he’s talking about. It’s a tabloid site with my name on it.
Hockey Superstar Sebastian Kemp Engaged to Hometown Honey, Alina Hoover.
It’s not just my name. My picture is up there too. The one from my Facebook profile.
My muddled brain tries to piece it all together, but nothing is clicking into place. All I can do is stare at the screen with my mouth hanging open like a drowning fish.
“It doesn’t make any sense…” I whisper as I stare at the letters that are no longer forming words. The entire article is filtering through my muddled brain and coming out a mess.
“Wait,” I say, narrowing my eyes on Eddie. “Is this one of those mean YouTube pranks that are supposed to be funny, but are just cruel?”
“Can you get me tickets to a game?” Eddie says, staring at me in awe. “Front row or in an exclusive box?”
My phone vibrates on my desk and I nearly jump out of my skin. It’s my best friend (and Sebastian’s younger sister) Marie.
Now I know this is no prank. Marie would never call unless it was an emergency. If she’s calling over texting, it’s life and death.
“ Alina! ” she screeches when I pick up. “ What is happening?! You’re engaged to my brother?! ”
“I… I…” I don’t know what the hell is going on. It’s like someone took my life and shook it up like a snow globe. I’m still trying to catch up.
“We’re not engaged,” I say, trying to keep my shaky voice all calm. “It’s a mistake.”
“ It’s on every news channel ,” Marie shouts. “ How did this happen? Are you two dating behind my back? ”
“No! I haven’t seen your bother in eight years.”
The last time I saw Sebastian was at my high school graduation. He had just signed with the Eels and was about to move to Miami. He barely looked at me the entire night.
The receptionist Jane pops back in with red cheeks. She’s looking a little out of breath. “Alina!” she says with a big smile. “Sebastian Kemp is here to see you.”
“He’s here?!” me, Marie, and Eddie all say at the same time.
“Congratulations by the way,” Jane says. “He’s so hot.”
Jane rushes back out to get him.
“I gotta go,” I say to Marie. I’m feeling very flustered. Sebastian Kemp is here? The biggest crush of my life is here ? At my office? Wanting to talk to me ?
I need a second to breathe.
“ Don’t you dare hang up with me, ” Marie barks. “ Put me on speakerphone. ”
“Marie, I don’t think?—”
“ He’s my brother! Put me on speakerphone. I know he’s got his dirty hands all over this! ”
“Alright, alright,” I say as I push the button.
“ I’m so sorry about this, Alina ,” Marie says, her loud voice filling my whole office. “ I’m going to kill my brother .”
I stand up with my hands trembling and turn to Eddie. “Can you give us a minute of privacy?”
“Not a chance,” he says as he fixes his tie.
“Oh fuck,” I whisper as I fix myself up—my hair, my shirt, and—I swear I’ve never done this before—my boobs.
I stare at the door with my heart pounding as the unrequited love of my life makes his way down the hall.