Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Lola

Unknown number:

Merry Christmas xoxoxox

Me:

Leave me alone, Graham.

Unknown number:

I’m not giving up on us.

Me:

You should.

Unknown number:

You wouldn’t have dropped the police investigation if you didn’t want to get back with me.

Me:

That’s not why I did it.

Unknown number:

Then why?

Me:

It’s easier this way.

Unknown number:

Because a court case would draw attention to your name and your businesses. Then Wade will find out who you really are, and you don’t want that to happen.

Unknown number:

It would be such a pity if the press were to find out.

Me:

Stop texting me. I’m blocking this number.

Unknown number:

I thought you loved me?

Me:

You hurt me. I hate you for that and I will never find it in my heart to forgive you. Not ever.

Unknown number:

Please, Lola.

Me:

WE. ARE. DONE.

Me:

And stop following me. I saw you at the arena the other night, and at Piper’s, and outside Wade’s compound waiting for me to come home.

Unknown number:

Where are you when you’re not at Wade’s? Sometimes you don’t come back.

Me:

I’ve moved on.

Unknown number:

With another man?

Unknown number:

Please don’t say that.

Me:

I am not your concern anymore. Not that I was in the first place, or you wouldn’t have cheated on me or stolen my money.

Unknown number:

Who is he?

Me:

Merry Christmas, Graham, and good luck with your business. Have a nice life.

Unknown number:

Lola! Don’t block me.

Having stayed over at Piper’s last night so we could wake up on Christmas morning together, I’m lazing in my pajamas on her sofa, surrounded by her cats.

Ignoring their death stares, I smirk to myself, taking great delight in hitting ‘block’ on yet another unknown number. I couldn’t care less if Graham keeps texting me because as soon as the stores open again after the holidays, the first thing I’m going to do is change my number.

I win.

And I’ll recover the money Graham took without my permission. I think it will take less than six months. I’m going to be just fine because my father left me a successful legacy, which I plan on making even more incredible.

I will thrive.

And Graham can rot in hell.

Since I decided to stop the investigation and move on with my life, I feel lighter and less on edge. After speaking with my financial advisor, and Lisa Perez, the lawyer Jordy’s mother recommended, I decided that spending months in a tedious drawn-out court case, where Graham would more than likely get off if he agreed to pay back the money at a dollar a month, wasn’t worth my time, energy, or any more of my money.

Alerting me to yet another text, my phone dings, my dread is replaced with happiness when I see Jordy’s name appear and not another unknown number.

Jordy:

Morning, Teacup… Merry Christmas xoxo

I hesitate, considering if I should add kisses to the text I am writing, like he did. Chewing my bottom lip, I quickly add them, pressing send before I change my mind.

Me:

Merry Christmas, Jordy. xoxox

Jordy:

I wish you were in my bed this morning and you were giving me real Christmas kisses and hugs.

Me:

Missing me?

Jordy:

You’ve practically spent every night in my bed for the last week. Of course I miss you.

Me:

I don’t know how long Wade will believe that I’m staying at Piper’s most nights.

Jordy:

He’s too busy being in love to notice.

That’s true.

Me:

He’s asking Kali to marry him today.

Jordy:

He told me. He deserves to be happy and since he met Kali, he’s almost bearable to be around now. Almost.

Me:

You don’t mean that.

Jordy:

I don’t. He’s my best friend.

That freaks me out.

I’m sleeping with my brother’s best friend.

Maybe I should stop.

But Jordy doesn’t know who I am.

To hell with it, I’m having the best fun of my life.

Jordy:

Enough about Wade. Will I see you before New Year’s Eve?

Me:

Unfortunately not.

That’s a lie. I have a surprise planned for him before I see him again on New Year’s.

Me:

I’m coming to watch your last game of the year on New Year’s Eve.

My mission from Kali is to pack a bag for the surprise trip to Las Vegas she has organized for Wade and drop it off at the arena before the game.

It must be nice having that type of deep and honest love in your life. If Graham ever did something for me, he always expected something in return. Like the time I asked him to help me to clear out my father’s workshop before I sold the house, he asked me to pay him for his time. I thought he was joking, but he asked me again a few days later and I remember laughing it off, but now I know he was being serious. He was playing me from the start.

Wade and Kali do nice things for each other because they love one another.

I’m hopeful I might find that for myself one day.

Jordy:

Do you have any plans for after the game?

Me:

Nope. The plan is to bring in the new year and set my goals and intentions with the present you gave me and have an early night. I love my Christmas present. Thank you, Jordy.

I lift the clear, shimmering bauble he gave me to open on Christmas Day, cradling it in my hand once more. The iridescent ornament gently splits in two, revealing tiny scrolls of paper inside—ready to hold my hopes and dreams for the year ahead. I admire how the fairy lights from the tree dance across its surface, making the silver clasp sparkle like a diamond. It’s beautiful, one of the most meaningful gifts I’ve ever received.

Jordy:

You’re welcome.

Me:

I feel bad because I didn’t get you anything.

Jordy:

I don’t need anything. Spending New Year’s Eve with you would be my wish… more nights with you would be a dream come true. Holding hands with you in public might be another. Kissing you rink side would be one, but that’s a wish that will remain unfulfilled.

Me:

Do you mean that?

Jordy:

Every word, baby. Will you spend New Year’s with me?

Kissing me rink side would be one of his wishes.

A nervous giggle bubbles in my chest, and I twirl a lock of hair around my finger, feeling the heat grow between my thighs, butterflies dancing in my stomach.

A girl can dream.

Me:

I accept your invitation.

I’d spend every day with him if I could.

Jordy:

Really?

Me:

Yes.

Jordy:

I’ll see you at the game, then you can let yourself into my apartment afterward.

Me:

I’ll bring the champagne.

Jordy:

Forget clothes, you won’t need them.

Me:

Merry Christmas, Jordy xoxox

Jordy:

Merry Christmas, Teacup. Enjoy your day xoxox

Me:

You too.

Jordy:

That’s not going to happen. My mother invited Sienna and her parents for Christmas dinner.

I re-read his last text. My grip around the bauble he bought me tightens and then eases off before I place it in its box.

I’m jealous.

So jealous.

And we’re not even dating.

I type back, pressing every letter harder than I mean to.

Me:

Have fun. I hope Sienna chokes on your mother’s turkey.

I delete the last part about Sienna, then press send.

Jordy:

You’re currently wishing you were a fly on the wall. Don’t lie, Lola. I know you like me more than you want to admit.

This man is so observant.

Me:

You don’t know me that well. I’m cool.

Jordy:

You’re not cool.

Jordy:

I know you better than you think I do.

Me:

You do not.

Jordy:

You’re allergic to fish, you love ice cream and fries. When you get annoyed, you do this cute thing with your nose, which causes your top lip to flip up and makes you look like you’re a growling tiger cub. I also know you well enough to know you’re currently chewing your lip.

I stop chewing my lip and watch as the speech bubbles bounce on the screen, waiting for his next text to arrive.

Jordy:

You’re frowning at your phone and clenching the thumb of your left hand into your fist.

I stop frowning, release my tight grip around my thumb, look around, and lift my phone.

Me:

Can you see me?

Jordy:

No, but I know you’ll be annoyed that I’m seeing Sienna today for the first time since we broke up. I’m being fully honest with you by telling you and letting you know that you have nothing to worry about. I don’t want her.

Me:

I don’t care.

Jordy:

I want you.

A broad smile shapes my lips.

He wants me.

I know he’s referring to us purely being friends with benefits.

I want him too. But in more ways than just friend with benefits because, for some unfathomable reason, I crave seeing him, get excited when he texts, and I love every conversation and meal we have together. Plus, our bodies crave one another and between the sheets we are hot enough to make the sun jealous.

Me:

You can have me on New Year’s Eve.

Jordy:

That’s days away. I might forget how to use my dick.

Me:

Use your hand. You’ll be fine.

Jordy:

Great advice. I’ll do it while replaying the memories of you playing with yourself like you did the other night.

I giggle, my body feeling hotter than a second ago.

“Who are you speaking to? You’ve gone redder than a firetruck.” Piper appears with two mugs of coffee, I know she’ll have made it Christmassy with splashes of Baileys Irish Cream I brought for us, and hands me one. “I’m assuming it’s whoever gave you that gorgeous bauble?”

“It is.” I place my phone face down on the arm of the sofa.

“Do I know him?”

“No.” Not personally.

“Is he tall?” She keeps pressing me for answers.

“Yes, and super handsome.” The sexiest man I’ve ever shared a bed with.

“Does he make you have earth-shattering orgasms?”

“Yes,” I confirm. “I’m having the time of my life.”

“Good. Well, that’s all I need to know.” Staring at me, she takes a moment to think. “It’s not Graham?”

I hold my hand to my chest and shudder. “I’d rather eat regurgitated vomit.”

She gags. “That’s not a good visual.”

“Merry Christmas.” Smiling, I cheers her mug with mine, and we both take a sip at the same time. “Wow, that’s good.” The creamy liquor warms my throat. “This is the best Christmas ever.”

“Would be nicer if my parents and grandparents were here. And your dad.” Piper lost her parents in a house fire when she was only five years old and was raised by her grandparents.

“But we have each other, Piper.” I lay my hand on her arm. “And I love you so much that I’m willing to endure The Vampire Diaries marathon you have planned.”

“While wearing your pajamas. You don’t even have to shower today.” She lifts the remote, scrolling through Netflix.

“Can we eat dinner in our laps like truly uncivilized people?”

“You betcha.”

“What are we having for Christmas dinner?”

She selects episode one from series one. “Pizza. Fuck conformity.”

“Fuck turkey.”

“And ham and roast beef,” she adds.

“Christmas is better than I imagined.”

“Better without Graham in your life,” she mutters, rolling her head against the headrest to face me, her features turning serious. “Will you invite me for Christmas with your brother next year?”

“He might reject me.” It’s my biggest fear.

“He won’t.”

“Okay, well, if he doesn’t, we’re all spending Christmas together. You’ll always be a part of my family, Piper.”

“I’m the only woman in your life.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Good, let’s keep it that way. And if you replace me with a supermodel as your best friend, I will cry into my pizza every Christmas.”

I chuckle. “Wade is asking Kali to marry him, so technically, she will become my sister-in-law.”

“Half sister-in-law. Don’t get carried away.”

“Green doesn’t suit you,” I scold, knowing she’s half-joking, but I also know she’s insecure and like me, and is all alone like a wolf without its pack.

“I am jealous though,” she admits. “I can’t compete with those legs. God, have you seen them? And the hair. She makes me question my sexuality.”

“Mine too. She’s hot.”

“She’s not your type,” Piper mutters against the rim of her mug.

“Kali’s not my type? How the hell would you know?” I ask curiously.

She grins devilishly. “Because your type sends you Christmas baubles, is tall and handsome, gives you earth-shattering orgasms, and makes you blush redder than a tomato.”

“He does.” I take the plunge, clear my throat, and confess, “It’s Jordan Miller.”

“Jordan Miller?” Her mouth drops open when I nod, giving her the confirmation she needs. “Since when?” she exclaims before her lips shape into a grin.

“The night Graham and I broke up.” My shoulders tense. “I jumped straight into another man’s bed.”

She puts her mug down on the vintage pop art coffee table and clutches her hands to her chest. “This makes me so happy.”

“Does it not make me a puck slut?”

“Hell no. This is the best news.” She throws her hands up excitedly, punching the air, then puts her palms together prayer-style. “Please tell me you’ve spent every night with him since that night.”

“Most nights.”

“Yes.” She bounces up and down and does a sort of celebratory sitting down dance.

“You’re dancing because I had sex?”

“I’m dancing because you had sex with Jordan Miller. The hottest fucking hockey player in the NHL. No offense to your brother.” She begins fanning her face with her hands. “And he gives you earth-shattering orgasms and bought you that.” She points to my gift. “I want to hear everything, all the details.”

“But we have The Vampire Diaries to watch.” I point to the episode that’s already started to play.

“Forget Elena and Stefan.” She picks up the remote and pauses her favorite show, which shocks me. “Spill the tea. I need to know everything.”

Over the next hour, I tell her all about the night it all started.

“Wow, Lola. You are a lucky girl.”

“He is super swoony.”

“Lola.” She shouts my name really loud. “I asked you to bring me his face to sit on the other day.”

“Yes you did.”

“You were already sitting on it.”

“I was indeed.”

She goes all starry-eyed. “You’re one lucky, lucky lady.”

“I am.” Am I though? Because what we do together is secret, and I hate that for us. “You can’t tell anyone.”

“Who the hell will I tell?” She throws her hands out to the side. “I work all the time. You are my only friend.”

“You have the girls from the gallery. They love you.”

“They put up with me and I pay their salary. That’s not the same.”

“True.”

Looking up, I can tell she’s daydreaming as she asks, “Can you help me find a hot hockey player to fuck my brains out?”

“What happened to Logan?”

“He’s a tax consultant and the most boring man I’ve ever met. He can fuck, sure, but everything else about him is beige. I need excitement in and out of the sack.”

“I’m going to the Eagles game on New Year’s Eve. Come with me.”

She tilts her head to the side inquisitively. “Do you get to go into the locker rooms?”

“When I need to speak to Wade, sometimes I do.”

“Great, you need to speak to Wade before the game.” She claps her hands together excitedly. “Oh my God, we’re gonna be hockey wives together.”

Chuckling, I reply, “We are not going to be hockey wives, Piper.” I push myself up from the sofa. “I need to pee.”

“Don’t be long. I have more questions.”

“You don’t.”

“I do.”

“I’m not answering them.”

“You are such a spoilsport.”

“I’m being realistic. We’re just fucking.” I stretch my legs out. “I work for the Eagles. We aren’t allowed to have relationships with the players or any other member of staff.”

“You’re only there for another few months. What then?”

“He’s my brother’s best friend.” I sigh. “And, anyway, it’s a rebound thing. Nothing more.” I’m lying to myself, and she knows it.

I walk out of Piper’s living room into the bathroom.

“You can’t fool me, Gladiola-Grace Ramsay,” she shouts.

I can’t.

I’m as transparent as a windowpane.