Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

LUNA

T he following morning, I squeeze into the back of Felicity's green Mini Cooper. She's pulled up along the sidewalk outside Zach's apartment building.

Felicity turns her head and drops her sunglasses down her nose, eyeing me. "Oh my God! You're even more beautiful in the flesh. Isn't she stunning, babe?"

"You're definitely on the upper end of the Smoking Hot scale," Kate replies.

I feel like an animal in a zoo, being gawked at by visitors. "Thanks."

I've not had many friends in my adult life, so being out with two of the most stunning and successful women I have ever laid eyes on is kind of intimidating.

"You could both model." I won't deny I've looked them up online, and they were stunning then, but in real life, Jesus. I can one hundred percent see why Jon pursued Felicity in the way he did. If I were a guy, I'd give my right nut even to talk to her. Her emerald eyes are hypnotic. Kate is straight out of Glamour magazine—her long, silky blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes, and flawless bone structure are like a work of art. These two women must have men, and the rest of the world, wrapped around their fingers.

"At forty, I need to keep up appearances," Felicity says in her pure British accent. I'm obsessed. It's like I've stepped onto the set of Bridgeton.

"Wait, what? You're forty? No way. Not buying it."

"She is. Trust me. I've seen the evidence and felt it ," Kate replies, a slightly pained tone to her voice.

"Ugh, I'm still getting over the hangover now. I'm convinced even one month on, my liver is still pissed at me."

I burst out laughing. "Yeah, I've been there a few times."

"Life begins at forty," Felicity chimes. "Aside from my beautiful son and daughter, I know mine certainly did." Even from the back seat, I can see the smile spread across her face. That's pure happiness right there. Perhaps one day she can teach me her secrets.

"She's ridiculously in love with the guy of every woman's dreams," Kate drawls. "It's kind of nauseating."

I catch sight of the beautiful engagement ring on Felicity's left hand as she turns the wheel to make a right. "Wow, that's some rock. It's probably worth more than my house."

"Right? He's a keeper," Kate sings as she scrolls through the playlist on Felicity's phone.

"Don't get me wrong, this is a cute car. But I'm surprised he hasn't insisted on upgrading it to some huge SUV," I say, looking around the Mini.

Kate selects the next song and sucks in through her teeth. "Oh, she went there."

"Went where?" I ask with confusion.

"The car saga. Jon has now attempted to replace Felicity's car on at least four separate occasions. At one point, he had a Range Rover Evoque delivered to her parking space at their apartment and her Mini taken away. This girl here..." Kate points to her best friend. "...called the dealer and insisted Martha be returned and the ‘ridiculous wagon' be picked up immediately."

Ohmygod, a girl after my own heart. "What did he say?" My voice is barely recognizable as I giggle through my sentence.

"Who, Jon? Ugh, he wasn't surprised. It's this ongoing tussle we have. He's a car man and refuses to get in Martha Mini. Partly because he can't actually fit and partly because he thinks she's far too small and unsafe for me to drive in America where everyone's cars are either huge SUVs or trucks. He's convinced I'll be squished."

"He sounds dreamy." And a lot like Zach. I wonder if all hockey players are like this.

Felicity eyes me through the rearview mirror. "He is. But don't tell him I said that. His head is big enough."

"Oh, park over there, babe. Martha will fit nicely in that space," Kate squeaks.

"Case in point," I say as Felicity throws the manual Mini into reverse. "There's no way you'd get a whopping Range Rover in there."

Kate turns in her seat, her gorgeous blonde hair thrown over her shoulder. "Girl, we love you already."

The first boutique was not only crazy expensive but none of us liked the dresses. I cried with laughter as Kate strutted around in something that made her look like an angel on top of a Christmas tree.

"You also look like one of those knitted women who sit on top of a loo roll." I had no idea what Felicity was talking about, but it seemed accurate.

Now, I find myself standing in a new dressing room, staring at my reflection. Kate picked out a long, black, figure-hugging dress with straps that cross over at the back in multiple places. The front scoops down into a sweetheart neckline. At first, I screwed my face up at the color. I never wear black. But she insisted it would make my fair complexion pop and show off all my best assets, including my round ass and "huge tits." And as I turn from side to side, inspecting it from different angles, I think she might have a point.

Pushing the curtain back, I step out into the dressing room and hold my hands awkwardly at my sides. Multiple heads turn my way, including two staff members who I swear gasp slightly. Being the center of attention is not something I'm used to or ever really welcomed. I might be a little crazy at times, but I'm an introvert at heart.

"Well, fuck me." Kate drags her gaze all the way up my body, her eyebrow arched high.

Felicity faces the other way, inspecting the rack of dresses we picked out to try next, and when she turns, she stumbles back into them. Blinking a couple of times, she waves a hand in front of her. "I think we can return the rest of these because you look like you just stepped out of Buckingham fucking Palace."

"Really?" I say, still a bit unsure. "These shoes are higher than I'm used to." I poke my foot out in front of me. The black strappy sandals must be pushing five inches.

"Really. Zach is going to lose his shit," Kate replies.

Rolling my eyes, I bring my hands to my hips. "I told you—we're just friends."

"That's what they all say, honey," a middle-aged brunette member of the staff pipes up from across the room.

"Anyway, have you seen the price of it?" I whisper. "I can't afford this!"

They both shoot each other a knowing glance.

"What?"

"You don't need to worry about the cost, Luna," Felicity replies.

I check the tag again. "At two thousand dollars, I'm pretty sure I do. And that's not including these shoes by…"

"Gucci," Kate finishes.

Felicity digs through her tote bag and fetches out a black card, and I see the name "Evans" stamped across the front. "It's a drop in the ocean to these men."

Oh no. Not a fucking chance.

They can both clearly tell from the look on my face that I'm unimpressed. "Just let him get it for you."

I turn and head back toward the dressing room. "I can't. He's not my boyfriend, and how did you get that?"

"Semantics," Kate drawls.

I'm about to draw the curtain when Felicity scoots in after me, taking a seat in one of the plush pink chairs. "Close the curtain please, babe."

I take a seat on the bench opposite and begin untying the straps on my heels. "He isn't my boyfriend. And let's just say, for a second, that he was. I can't take his money. I've earned every single penny I've ever spent."

"That's understandable, babe. But I'm here to tell you that with hockey players, they go after what they want. I pushed Jon away for months before he finally wore me down." She laughs sweetly. "I've lost count of the number of times he's bought me extravagant gifts. I like to fend for myself financially too, but it doesn't mean to say you can't accept something occasionally. It makes them happy."

"But Jon was your boyfriend, and now you're marrying him. It's very different."

"Look, I haven't seen you two together yet. But from what Jon tells me, Zach is head over heels for you, like totally gone. I don't know if it's you pushing back on this, but at least let him do this one thing for you. Justify it in any way you like." She pauses. "Repayment for the help you gave him over the summer, whatever. But take it from me, just because a man buys you something does not mean he automatically owns you. Not the right man, anyway."

I stand from the bench and begin unzipping my dress.

She watches me cautiously. "I know this is probably none of my business, and you can tell me to shut up, but I see something in you. You care about him, don't you?"

Don't cry, Luna. Fight it back.

I swallow thickly and focus on the awkward zipper. "Yes."

"What happened over the summer?"

I look up at her, not sure how much to divulge. This is the first time we've met face-to-face, but there's something about Felicity and Kate that tells me my female secrets are safe in their hands. "We got close. Too close maybe."

Giving up on the zipper, I dump myself back down on the bench and twist my hands together in my lap. "I've known him since we were in high school. Back then it was a crush from afar. Yeah, we hung out in the same groups, but he was always the unattainable cool kid. I was the uncool girl with brilliant grades."

She stays quiet, listening intently.

"When we left for college, I split up with my ex. I knew it wasn't right to keep stringing him along, and from there, I've been with a couple of guys but nothing serious. I stayed in loose contact with Zach. I'd text him to say congratulations on his Stanley Cup victory, and he'd message me occasionally to check in. But it really was just once in a while. I never forgot about him though. Never stopped wondering how he was really doing underneath all the glitz and glam of the NHL." Like weights being lifted from a huge bag on my back I've carried around for years, my words make me feel lighter with each second that passes. "Like some sort of weirdo, I'd check his social media. I stopped after a bit though, seeing him with women on each arm. Sometimes they'd capture him making out with one. I know he isn't a playboy but, jeez, the way they throw themselves at him. It was too much to take. So, I closed the lid on that box and buried it deep in my feelings. Then he returned home this summer, and I don't know. It all went from there."

I wipe at a tear trickling down my face, and Felicity hands me a tissue. "Do you have everything in there?" I say pointing to the bag.

"Pretty much."

I feel my shoulders sag. "We slept together a lot. It was the best time of my life. But a couple of weeks ago, I pulled back and put us firmly in the friend zone."

She nods in understanding. "Are you still in the friend zone?"

"I guess? At least, I'm trying to be. We kind of need to be."

"Because of the distance or because you don't want him in that way?"

I push out a disbelieving laugh. "Oh, I want him. But our lives are very different. For starters, we live thousands of miles apart, and he has a stacked schedule, so he'd never see me, and I have my career back home. I'm also not sure I could live in this life—the crazy hockey one. It's too much already, never mind being scrutinized by the public and media. I'm a home bird, and I have my mom in Florida. Then there's the small matter of?—"

"Amie?"

"More like the damage she inflicted on him. I don't think he'll ever trust again."

She shakes her head. "Yeah, Jon's right again, goddammit."

"Sorry, you lost me."

"After everything he's been through and even with all the distance between you both, he's doing everything he can to keep you beside him. He can't let you go."

My stomach twists; I need out of this tight dress so I can breathe.

Her emerald eyes meet mine. "Come on, babe. Let's put that stunning dress on his card and go grab a cocktail or two. I'm the DD, and Lord knows, I think you've earned them."