Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick

My hands, shaking from hunger, dropped my favorite dessert plate. I should’ve taken that as an omen. Instead, I bit back my tears, swept up the pieces, and returned to the party with a smile plastered on my face. Bob sat out in the living room, mingling with our guests while I set the table. He truly shined as the center of attention. It was his night, after all. He would be taking his father’s place as CEO of his family’s cosmetics business. Some stockholders were nervous about the exchange, but everyone in the know knew that there was nothing to worry about. Bob’s mother was the real brains behind the operation. I kept these thoughts to myself, of course. Bob deserved nothing but my unwavering support. And he always got it. I set the last plate of chicken marsala on the table and smiled. Perfect. It was worth the pain clawing at my stomach. “Dinner!” I called out to the living room. Soon, everyone had gathered around the table

I smirked as the incoming nurse let out a chuckle.Bob’s face turned red. He grumbled something under his breath, but I couldn’t make out what it was. He slunk towards the door, but just before leaving, he regained his composure and turned to face me.“Make sure you come get your shit once they let you out of here, or I’ll leave it on the lawn,” he said with a finger in my direction.Bob left before I could respond.“That your husband?” the nurse asked.“Ex. Soon to be.” I hadn’t expected the first time I said that to feel so freeing.“Honey, I don’t know the whole situation, but from what I just saw, you are much better off without him.”I grinned, but my heart still ached a little. “Thank you.”“Don’t tell me you started the party without me?” a familiar musical voice called out from the door.I had to laugh, even though it hurt my stomach.“Never without you. You’re the life of the party!”I turned to greet my beautiful best friend, Lily. The thin, robust Tik Tok travel influencer

My eyes widened, but I forced myself to stay calm. It had been so long since I had last seen Barnett. His blonde waves were even more breath-taking than I had remembered, his toned muscles more captivating than I had dreamed.I swallowed several times before speaking.“Nice to meet you, Barnett—”“Cogsworth. Barnett Cogsworth.”His deep voice sent shockwaves down to my groin, but I remained composed. There was no use in losing myself to my hormones like some love-struck teenager. What I felt back then didn’t matter now.“That’s right, Barnett Cogsworth. Nice to meet you,” I said, as though meeting him for the first time. I hoped that my voice did not betray the fire burning in my stomach and below.Barnett turned to Lily, who shrugged helplessly. I could tell that this had not been the reaction that Lily had been hoping for, but hopefully she wasn’t about to push it. Barnett returned his attention to me and took off his sunglasses.I struggled to repress my reaction to seeing his full

“I don’t know,” I said as I turned the card around in my hands. “I’m going to have to think about it.”Barnett merely stared at me, so I kept rambling.“I’m not as confident about sharing and social media as Lily is. Besides, I’m just some newly divorced fat girl. Who’s going to want to watch me work out?”“First of all, you are not fat. Second of all, you never know about the whole social media thing. I bet there are all sorts of people who will want to watch you.”I cringed, thinking for a second about the kinds of perverts Barnett might be thinking about. Peter immediately came to mind. I almost gagged at the thought of him watching my ass while I stretched.Barnett rolled his eyes and chuckled.“I don’t mean that kind of person,” he said. “I mean people like you—divorced, looking to get healthy, a little more down on themselves than they should be.”He tried to meet my eyes, but I refused to return his gaze.“You know,” he continued, “the ones with the hot girls inside just waitin

I should have seen this coming. Of course one of the hottest—one of the handsomest—internet celebrities would want one of the hottest stylists. Not just by reputation, but physically as well. I wouldn’t have even come here if Lily hadn’t gone through all this trouble to get me an interview. She was my friend, after all. I couldn’t let her effort go to waste. But there had to be a reason why Lily had gone through all that effort. It couldn’t just be because she was my best friend. That certainly wasn’t the reason why she had me style her hair and makeup every time she went to a party. Then it hit me. “You’re friends with Lily, right?” I asked. Arthur rolled his eyes. “Yes, that’s why I agreed to this charade in the first place.” “You’ve been to parties with her, then?” “Of course.” “And what do you think of her hair and makeup?” His Cupid’s bow lips quirked into a little smile. “They’re always utter perfect