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“Look, I haven’t seen you two togetheryet.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 abouthim 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.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

ZACH

Ice baths are not the one.

I didn’t like them when I was in college, and I hate them even more now.

“Getting older isn’t fun.” I turn to Jon, who looks just as impressed with the “therapy” as I am.

“I’ve got four years on you, rook. Wait until you can’t bend your knee the next morning.”