“Can you come over and help with my room decoration soon?”

  This. This was the reason I shouldn’t have asked Faith to stop the damn truck.

  “I’ll see.” I plastered a fake smile on my face. The line was a cop-out, but Chloe didn’t know that.

  “Cool. Bye, Amber.” Chloe’s swarm of skater friends had started to walk away.

  “Bye.” I gave her a wave and wondered if that was the last time I’d ever have a conversation with her.

  “Amber…” she stopped and turned as if she’d forgotten something.

  “Yeah?” My voice wavered and I could feel my bottom lip start to tremble. I tucked my lips over my teeth and bit down to keep from crying.

  “We still don’t have a tree.” The group of skaters had swarmed around one of the skating moms’ cars and Chloe waved as she ran to catch up.

  “Oooof.” Faith popped a chip in her mouth.

  I wiped a tear from my eye. “Yeah.”

  Faith drove out of the parking lot and took my tray of nachos and set it inside her empty one. “You’re not going to eat these, are you?”

  “No,” I whispered.

  I cried silently the rest of the drive home.

  “Aren’t those soggy?” I asked when the crunching beside me ceased.

  “That’s when they’re the best.” She rubbed her hands on a napkin and pulled the truck into the garage. Deer antlers lined the walls above a woodworking bench and I wondered if Faith would ever find out what had happened to her father.

  The light in the truck flicked on and I hoped that it wasn’t obvious that I had been crying. I cleared my throat. “I’ll unload the material in the morning.”

  “Amber.” Faith put her hand on my arm.

  Her tone was serious and I didn’t want to hear any more pep talks. “There better not be cheese on that hand,” I sniveled and swatted at her fingers.

  “Remind me again why you can’t be with Dean? I can see that you love that little girl. Why couldn’t you love his baby the same way?”

  That was a ridiculous question. I opened my mouth to tell her that she couldn’t possibly understand, but the words didn’t come.

  I loved Dean, I loved Chloe too. Could a twenty-something design student have more insight into life than me?

  “Faith.” I shook my head.

  “I know, I know. I don’t know anything.” She held up her hand and then got out of the truck.

  I slid across the bench to the driver’s seat.

  “Can I borrow the truck?”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Why?”

  “There’s something I need to do.”

  The smile came a little slowly but grew into a grin. “Get out of here.” Faith closed the door and banged on it with her hand.

  My house was pitch black.

  A lone light shone through the kitchen window in the house next door. Instead of pulling into my driveway, which, even though it had snowed every day that I’d been staying at Mel D’s house, had a perfectly cleared driveway and walkway, I parked the truck in Dean’s.

  I squeezed my hands tightly, hoping to calm the trembling that had traveled from my fingertips and spread throughout my entire body. Someone pulled the curtain back, I had been spotted, there was no backing out now.

  After one more deep breath, I stepped out of the truck, grabbed a cedar wreath, and headed to the front door, which was already open by the time I reached the steps.

  “Hi.” I stopped a few feet back from the door and raised my hand into a wave.

  “Amber, hi.” Dean looked over my shoulder at the truck. “I wasn’t sure who was here.”

  The trembling had transformed to full-on shaking. I had rehearsed my speech on the drive over, but standing there, looking into Dean’s eyes, I couldn’t remember a word. “I…” My vocal cords were also shaky. “Dean, did you mean what you said about us being together?”

  Dean’s shoulders softened. “I’ve never meant anything more in my life.”

  “So, the offer is still on the table? Even after what I said to you?”

  Dean leaned his elbow on the doorframe and reached out to hold my hand, which was frozen in its waving position.

  “Amber, there’s nothing you could do to change the way I feel about you. You’re my soulmate. You’re part of me.” He tugged at my hand and I let him pull me to him. “What made you change your mind?” He raised my chin so that we were gazing directly into each other’s eyes.

  “I love you. I didn’t think I could love a child that wasn’t my own, but I do, I love Chloe. And the baby. There’s no reason why I couldn’t love him or her too.” My voice was still shaky, but growing in strength. I raised onto my tiptoes to try to kiss him, but he pressed me down by my elbows.

  “I want you to know that after that day, I came home and demanded that Kira get a paternity test as soon as the baby is born.”

  I was glad to hear it, but I wanted him to understand. “Dean, I can’t believe it took me this long to come around. You tried to see me, but I wasn’t ready to listen. If the baby is yours, I’ll still be yours too.”

  In the light of Dean’s porch light, he hugged me as if he’d never let me go and then we kissed like it was our first.

  “What’s that?” I glanced over his shoulder and saw a giant hockey bag in the front hallway.

  He smiled sheepishly. “You’re looking at the newest member of The Laketown Browns Old-timer Hockey league.”

  “What’s that?” He pointed to the wreath I had set down beside the door.

  I picked it up and handed it to him. “It’s for Chloe. She told me your house needed a little Christmas cheer. I have a lot of decorations left over. I was thinking that I could bring them here… for Christmas.”

  “Oh, Florida.” He pulled me inside. “This place wasn’t the same without you here. Don’t go back to your house next door. Live here. With us.” He scooped me up in his arms, honeymoon style. He pressed his cheek to mine

  I didn’t have to think twice. “Yes. I’ll move in here with you.”

  He kissed me hard, his grip on my body tightening as he squeezed my body into his.

  “On one condition,” I whispered into his ear.

  “Anything.” His voice was breathy.

  “I get to redecorate this place.”

  “We can knock down all the fucking walls for all I care,” he growled. He took two steps and then bounded up the stairs. I grabbed onto his neck and squealed. “Wait, where’s Chloe?”

  “At a sleepover.” Then kicked open his, no, our bedroom door.

  Epilogue - Faith

  It was the final game of the playoffs and the Otters were tied with the Wild Cats for third place. I didn’t want to be in McManus Place, but Amber had dragged me to every single game. It helped that she was sleeping with the Coach and had box seat tickets… and the free wine made the games bearable.

  The day my best friend chose his puck bunny girlfriend over our friendship was one of the worst days of my life. The only day that topped it was when I found out my father was missing.

  I needed my friend back then. Leo could’ve helped me get through the searches, the late nights, the constant wondering what had happened to my dad, but when I needed him most, he wasn’t there.

  Of course, the girlfriend du jour didn’t last, but when he came crawling back, I had left Laketown in my rearview mirror. And now that I was back, he expected everything to go back to normal.

  It wasn’t going to happen.

  The crowd lost their collective mind and I looked at the ice surface to see Leo’s mane whipping out from underneath his helmet, his arms raised in the air. The cocky bastard had just fired the game-winning goal into the net.

  Amber clapped and screamed next to me. I shot her a mean side-eye and then joined her with a few obligatory claps. The woman who had never seen a hockey game before was decked out in an Otters’ hat and jersey. She was technically my boss, but Amber had also turned into one of my best friends.

  Big things had happened for my new best friend, she had moved in with Coach Covington and became a step-mom to Chloe. It was no surprise to anyone in town that Kira’s baby was not Dean’s. But if it was, she would been a great stepmom to that kid too.

  Kira’s boy-toy hockey player had left her for a twenty year old European puck bunny. Kira now lived in Minerville, a town thirty minutes away. She was working hard to repair her relationship with Chloe, but Dean was totally done with her and their divorce had just been finalized.

  Amber discovered that she loved ice fishing, so for her birthday, I gave her my dad’s old hut. We spent hours drinking wine out on the lake, some days we didn’t even bait the lines. And of course, our hut was the most stylish one on the entire lake.

  The entire team mobbed Leo. “His head is already big enough,” I groaned.

  Amber finished her glass of Chardonnay. “Then don’t tell him the scouts have been asking Dean about him.”

  “Ugh.” I wanted to be happy for him, getting drafted to the National League had been one of his childhood dreams. I remember all the stupid hockey player posters staring down at me as we built forts in his room when we were kids.

  The pyrotechnics had faded, but the music was still blaring. The players disappeared into the dressing room while Andy, wearing that ridiculous tuxedo, resurfaced the ice for the medal presentation.

  “I can’t believe they did it.” Amber’s hands were over her mouth. She had been worried about Coach’s future with the team, but ever since he brought Dylan Moss’s career back to life, the Otters were the miracle of the Northern Professional League.

  Amber leaned and whispered in my ear. “I shouldn’t say anything.” She was a little slurry, which was understandable, the wine had been flowing all evening.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Someone who is single has been asking about you.”

  “Me?” I pointed to my chest. Coming home, I knew that my dating prospects were going to be slim to none. I liked to say, as a woman in Laketown, your odds are good, but the goods are odd…

  “Yep.” She gave me a wry look.

  I tried to pretend like I didn’t care, but curiosity got the best of me.

  “Who?” Don’t say Leo. Don’t say Leo…

  “I’ll give you three hints and if you guess, I’ll tell you.” She was enjoying this. I wasn’t.

  “I don’t really care, Amber.” I stood up and brushed the popcorn remnants off my lap.

  Either the music was too loud and she didn’t hear me, or she was ignoring me. “He’s cute. Blond. And…”

  “Okay, fine.” I groaned. “What the third hint?”

  “He’s in this arena, right now.”

  It could’ve been anyone. Including Leo.

  I took the glass from her hand. “Come on, let’s go.”

  “You’re not going to guess?” She rushed to catch up with me.

  “No. I already told you, I don’t care.”

  But I did care. Kind of. I only cared that it wasn’t Leo the fucking Lion.

  If you LOVED The Coach Next Door, be sure to check out book 4 in the Laketown Otters Hockey Series: Wingmen are a Girl’s Best Friend!

  Coming Soon

  I. Don't. Date. Hockey. Players.

  Full Stop. No Exceptions.

  I grew up in this town and I know exactly what these Laketown hockey players are all about:

  Puck Bunnies, parties, and hockey.

  They live, breathe, and die for the game.

  Girlfriends are an afterthought.

  How do I know all this?

  My best friend is the Laketown Otters' Star Wingman.

  Or, at least he was my best friend, until he abandoned me when I needed him the most.

  Rumor has it he wants to be back in my life, but this time, that jerk wants more than friendship...

  Wingmen are a Girl's Best friend is a standalone, but can be read as Book 4 of the Laketown Otters Hockey Series.

  Laketown Otters, Book 4

  Coming March 2021

  Click Here to Order Now

  Second Chances - Chance Rapids, Book 1

  Sneak Peek

  Chapter 1

  Second Chances

  Megan’s disappointment had grown familiar, the monthly betrayal of her body. She used to get excited when she was a few days late, rushing out to buy a pregnancy test, holding her breath and adding and deleting baby names from the ongoing list in her head, but nothing had prepared her for this kind of betrayal.

  She felt that something was off with Alex; she had witnessed the rift between them widen from crack to chasm as the years had gone by. She chalked it up to the stress of daily life and the routine that came with a fifteen-year marriage.

  She paced back and forth across the living room, practically wearing a trail in the Berber carpet. 'There has to be a logical explanation,' she thought to herself, the rational side of her brain trying to give Alex some credit, even though in her heart, and her gut, she knew that there was no explaining away the ultrasound baby photo clenched in her hand that she had found tucked away in the pocket of his gym bag.

  The problem?

  It wasn't hers.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by the high-pitched whistle of the tea kettle. She pulled a white tea-stained mug out of the cupboard, her favorite, and plucked a tea bag out of the canister on the counter, but instead of dropping it into the mug, she gripped the dry bag in her fist as she doubled over on the counter into a heaving sob.

  "Pull yourself together," she whispered and angrily wiped away the errant tear that had managed to fall down her cheek. She dropped the tea bag into the mug, topped it with the steaming water, then went back to pacing. When she opened the fridge to pull out the milk, one of her birthday cards that had been magnetized to the door fell to the floor and landed on her wool sock. Megan picked it up, screamed, and ripped it in half, glitter from the lettering sprinkling onto the white floor tiles. She knew that it was supposed to be funny, that her friend Amy had given it to her to make her laugh, not knowing how cruel the "Here's another year closer to Velcro shoes" saying was to her. The only Velcro shoes Megan wanted in her life were those belonging to a baby, or a toddler, not her own. She knew that at forty-three, the chances of conceiving were slim to none, but still held out hope that she would be one of the success stories she read about online.

  She pulled the milk out of the fridge and shakily poured a touch into her Earl Grey tea.

  She wanted to march down to his office, burst in, slam the photo down on his desk, and demand an explanation, but she still hadn't figured out what she would do when she heard the truth – that is, if he even fessed up to it.

  She heard the garage door motor whir and his car pull into the garage. She slipped the photo into the back pocket of her jeans, took a deep breath to steel her nerves, then sat down at the kitchen table.

  "Hi, honey." Alex breezed into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge. "Is it ever getting dark early now," he mused as he pulled a piece of cut celery out of the crisper.

  "Yes. Dark." Megan took a sip of her tea, recoiling as the hot liquid hit her lips. She hadn't even noticed the afternoon turn to evening.

  Alex strode over to Megan and pecked her on the cheek, "Don't worry about making me dinner, I'm going to hit the gym and then head out to meet Robbie Mason.

  Robbie Mason was one of Alex's new consulting clients, and she hadn’t met him - which wasn't out of the ordinary, she rarely saw his clients face to face, they were just names on her bookkeeping spreadsheets. She had noticed that Alex had billed Robbie Mason more than double the number of hours that were typical. It seemed a little strange to her, but like so many other red flags that she saw in retrospect, she had ignored it.

  She stared at her slightly balding husband of fifteen years as he lied directly to her face.

  "Oh, don't worry. I didn't make you anything to eat," she said and attempted another sip of her tea.

  Alex looked past Megan at the cold kitchen. Megan loved getting her crock pot out and usually had something bubbling and steaming on the counter for Alex when he got home from work.

  "Everything okay Meg?"

  "Why do you have to meet Mr. Mason this late?"

  She saw the hesitation in his face, she saw the way his lips contorted right before he spoke, "Oh, you know, the usual contract stuff."

  "You know what Alex? I don't know. Why don't you fill me in?"

  Alex's eyes went dark and he slammed the refrigerator door shut. "I don't have time for this, go check the invoices if you want a play by play of his account."

  Megan had been taking care of the books for Alex's private consulting company for the past ten years, and while she knew who the clients were, they rarely sat down and discussed the details of each individual account.

  Megan grabbed Alex's wrist and glared into his dark brown eyes, "Make time."

  Alex pulled his wrist from Megan's grip and stared back, "What's gotten into you?" He brushed past her into the mudroom and picked up his gym bag. "I'll see you when I get home," he said and grabbed a baseball hat from the rack by the back door.

  Her rage had been simmering, but when Alex dismissed her, it boiled up and over. She gripped her mug and hurled it at the wall by Alex's head. He jumped as the pottery pieces clattered to the floor around his feet and the tea streamed down the wall.

  "What the hell, Megan?"

  "What the hell Megan?" she growled, her voice gravelly and unfamiliar to her own ears. "What the hell Megan?" she repeated and pressed her hands into the table and slid off the chair. "How about what the hell, Alex?" She pulled the photo out of her back pocket and flicked the evidence at him.

  She saw his face fall as the photo flitted through the air and came to rest amongst the broken pottery.