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I've spent every spare moment this summer apartment hunting in Toronto, which is somewhat daunting and outrageously expensive. We wanted to keep a reasonable budget, but when we discovered that our combined funds barely afforded us a hole in the wall, we had to rethink our options.
Holly and Luke came with us a few times to look at places and it did not go as expected. One apartment in a so-so neighbourhood, somewhat close to both our jobs, initially looked promising. It wasn't a penthouse with all-new appliances and a jacuzzi tub, but it was livable. Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—when we walked down a few hallways and noticed several pest control notices on tenants' doors, Luke, in no uncertain terms, refused to let me live in a "bedbug-infested shit hole."
I can't say Riley or I were overly enthused about living there, either.
And so, despite my pleas of wanting to make it on my own, Luke decided to "diversify his assets" and purchased another condo one block away from his in a new development. According to Luke and Holly, my brother has an ungodly amount of money just sitting in a bank account, and buying real estate is a great way to see a return on his investment.
Riley and I are still paying rent, even if it's less than half the going rate. I refuse to take handouts from my brother, no matter how much money he makes. And the money I'll be earning with the team isn't anything to sniff at. In fact, every time I look at my contract, salary, and benefits, I get downright giddy.
And I'm not going to lie, it's a pretty awesome place to live. It's a two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo with an open-concept floor plan, and a stunning kitchen with a gas stove and top-notch appliances. Obviously, as a chef, the kitchen was the dealbreaker for me. It doesn't hurt that the building also has other amenities like a rooftop patio, concierge, and a gym.
Everything seems to be falling into place, but I'm totally exhausted. Ever since I was hired, I've spent every waking minute of my day talking to players and team personnel, learning their likes, dislikes, and dietary restrictions.
I've also been spending an inordinate amount of time with Sam. To put it plainly, he's amazing and we get along like two peas in a pod. He's great to work with, listens to my ideas, has a sense of humour, and is really nice to look at. Holly and Avery weren't kidding when they raved about how wonderful he is when they first hired him at the start of summer. They got to know him mostly through email and Zoom calls, which of course, is how they found out how hot he is. Although I don't know how they missed his accent. Maybe I have sensitive ears, but I definitely hear some Scottish influence under his Canadianized brogue.
On day one, I laid down some ground rules about crossing lines and maintaining boundaries with Sam. We're coworkers, so we both agreed that being just friends is the best avenue to venture down. And I may have mentioned that I am interested in someone else.
Speaking of which, I've barely seen Chase since moving, except to get his food preferences. But I'm hoping things will change this weekend because he'll be forced to spend time with me at Luke and Holly's wedding. He's the best man, and I'm a bridesmaid. There's no way he can avoid me.
Luke really went all out for his wedding. Everyone's heading up to Muskoka to a private resort he rented exclusively for the wedding party and guests. It's the last bit of free time the team will have before the season starts.
I glance at the clock as I rush to get ready for work. I'm meeting Sam to finalize some menus for training camp and pre-season. Riley, the lucky bitch, has summers off. But I don't envy the amount of work she does during the school year, planning, marking, and teaching lazy, snot-nosed students. Most days, she's up at the ass-crack of dawn to make it to school on time. The funny thing about this city is that even Toronto is an hour away from Toronto. Traffic is a nightmare.
"Thank god it's Thursday," I say, walking into the kitchen. Riley is sitting at the island in a pair of her infamous princess pyjamas. Most people say she looks like a Disney Princess, so her jammies are her way of embracing it. "I'm so relieved everyone is taking Friday off to head up to the resort early. I don't want to get caught in cottage country traffic and be late for my brother's wedding."
"Right?" Riley nods, sipping coffee, then pouring me a traveller mug. She knows me so well and I love her for it.
"So, what are you up to for the rest of the day?" I ask.
"Getting ready for the wedding, packing, plucking, and shaving every stray hair off my body. My skin will be smooth as a baby's ass, and I plan on looking hot as fuck for the reception. There will be loads of young, hot, single hockey players there, and I don't want to miss out."
"Yes, there definitely will be. Is there anyone you have your eye on?" I grin knowingly. Rumour has it Riley went starry-eyed over Avery's brother Ozzy when she bumped into him at Holly and Avery’s new place of business—Sparks and Avery Sports Specialists or SASS for short. And she all but drooled over him the entire time we were away at Avery’s wedding.
"Maybe," she mumbles and tries to act nonplussed. "I mean, I wouldn't be terribly sad to run into Ozzy or accidentally-on-purpose fall onto his dick."
I laugh. Riley is crushing hard. Some might even say her crush rivals my own for Chase. "What about you? Do you have any clever schemes to get Chase to do the horizontal mambo with you?"
"Boo, no," I sigh, looking for something quick to eat in our fridge. Yogurt it is. "Chase is playing hard to get, and I don't know why. I get the whole 'your bother is my best friend' thing, but he needs to get over it already."
"Hmmm." Riley looks at me funny like she's scheming. Riley has a very distinct scheme face. It's a narrowing of her eyes and an up-tilting of her lips like she's trying to think too hard. "How are things going with Sam at work?"
That was an abrupt subject change.Or was it?
"Fine..." I say, trailing off. "Why?"
"No reason." Silence takes up the space around us, and I know Riley has more to say. "Except that he's extremely good-looking and clearly has the hots for you."
"We've agreed to just be friends." Well, I decided. He didn't seem too keen on the idea.
"That's all well and good, but Chase doesn't need to know that."
"What do you mean?"
"Okay, hear me out," Riley starts, and usually when she begins her explanations with "hear me out," it's followed by an extremely terrible idea. "Sam is a super nice, super good-looking dude. He's clearly interested, and you like him, just not in a let's-get-naked way. He's fun to hang out with, so…” she pauses for effect, "why not ask him to the wedding as your date?"
"That's a terrible idea."
"No, it's a brilliant idea. Chase will lose his shit if he sees you with someone else."
