Page 4 of Blind Date with a #HOCKEYBOY (Love Canyon: Blind Date with a #BOOKBOYFRIEND #2)

MIKAYLA: Give Mere a hug!! I can’t believe she moved to Love Canyon.

NOAH: Aw, MERE. Do I get a hug from her to give to you?

MIKAYLA: Aw, crushy boy. Maybe. Have fun!

Mikayla had been my non-serious crush as long as I could remember, but Meredith, Mikayla and Oliver’s cousin, and I had only met once. Meredith was...intense. Mikayla, on the other hand, was a free spirit and gorgeous.

What could I say? My besties were all amazing.

OLIVER: Dude. See you in a few days.

NOAH: Have fun with the kiddos! Food porn pics and hugs. To do list solidified.

With a quick glance around before I pocketed my phone at the couples laughing, hugging, and grabbing bags off the carousel, I slung my bag over my shoulder and wheeled my carry-on towards the exit to arrivals.

And tried to ignore the little voice that wished I had that but…

also being fine with being alone because halfway was not in my vocabulary.

“Noah!” Oliver’s dad’s voice boomed over the traffic and cars picking up passengers lugging suitcases.

“Mr. Sutton!”

Truth be told, the Sutton’s were like a second family to me growing up. All my brothers played hockey, but when Oliver and I met in Juniors, staying with him and his dad, then when his dad married Mikayla’s mom meant my parents could divide and conquer with the rest of my siblings.

He engulfed me in a huge hug, patting me on the back heartily before he took my carry-on and put it in the back of the silver SUV parked at the curb.

Tall and an older version of Oliver, the man I considered a second father, looked a little older, but happier and maybe a little less stressed since they decided to move to Love Canyon permanently.

As we headed away from the airport, and toward the small town of Love Canyon, I grinned at Ollie’s dad singing along to T. Swift with me. “Love Canyon looks good on you.”

Mr. Sutton shrugged, but then he grinned, tilted his head, and responded in a conspiratorial tone, “Marie’s been going to book club.”

“Book club? In Love Canyon?” A laugh escaped before I could stop myself. “Mikayla texted Oliver that book club was not fun last time she was here?”

“Well, Mikayla had other fun while she was here,” he added dryly. “And it’s her fault book club is…different now.”

My eyes widened. “Did Mikayla drop a book on Nana?”

“More like Nana stole Mikayla’s book out of her bag while she was here.”

“No!”

The light we had stopped at changed, and he nodded as he made a right onto a street with modest size houses lining either side of the street. “You’ve met her once or twice. Not a surprise. Nan’s been eccentric ever since I met Marie. And she was married then.”

I didn’t want to even think about the way her husband probably died.

But if the rumors were true, he died with a smile on his face.

So, yeah, not a surprise. “And now they’re reading romance ?

” A grin broke out on my face. Now this I could get behind, considering Indie insisted I read Delena Bennett’s newest hockey romance along with Theo, and review it together when I got back.

Stalker hockey…slightly appropriate considering I still thought about the girl in the rhinestone Ghost Face mask and had tried everything in my and Lanie’s power to figure out who my mystery kiss was to avail.

“...and Meredith’s best friend from college is visiting for the week. Maybe you and Oliver can rescue them from Nan and Marie. They mean well, but I don’t trust the two of them together after the way they kept trying to set up Mikayla and Ryan.”

“In all fairness, and as much as I hate to not be your future son-in-law any longer, but I think that worked out pretty well, considering.” He killed the engine, pausing a second, then turned to me.

“Noah, I don’t know if Marie and I ever told you this, but having you live with us, even for a short time, was one of the best things we ever did.

For you and Oliver. And we are so damn proud of you.

Even if the two of you got into almost as much trouble as Mikayla. ”

“In all fairness,” I repeated, “Mikayla was really good at getting into trouble and just led the way for Ollie and I to be just as mischievous.”

“A blind date?”

“When you say it in that tone it sounds worse than it is,” Meredith said as she pointed a salsa ladened chip in my direction. “And your date happens to be my best friend, plus Nan would shut up about Blind Date Book Club.”

I stared at Meredith in disbelief. At least the damn tacos were unfuckingbelievable. “Blind Date Book Club? Mr. Sutton wasn’t lying when he said the Love Canyon book club was getting crazy.”

She snorted. “I can’t believe you still call him that.”

“My mom would kick my ass if I called him anything else. Besides, what should I call him? Paul? Dad?”

“I call him Uncle Paul.” Meredith said matter of factly. “And Ollie and Mikayla call him dad, so why not?”

Not one to miss out on a chance to explain away the inner workings of my logic, I scratched my chin, the scruff scruffier more than usual before answering.

“He is like a second dad, but there’s two reasons I don’t call him that.

First, I respect and appreciate the fact he took me in when he easily could’ve said no.

And second, I never wanted my dad to feel like he let me down because he had to shuttle around Mason or Brett.

” I winked. “And I had a crush on Mikayla growing up. Avoiding any and all things that made her feel sisterly was paramount.”

Meredith threw a chip at me. “Ew.”

I ducked, and tossed one back at her. “She’s more of a kissing cousin now.”

“Stop,” she groaned. “That’s almost worse. But back to the blind date.”

“Hold on, promised E and Z food porn pics.” I tilted my head to the side, because eating tacos required side tiltage. I held up my phone, and Meredith joined me for a second shot, slamming her margarita. “Nicely done, little Meredith.”

She glared at me. “Small but mighty, hockey boy. And the flower is pretty.” As if there wasn’t one sitting in front of me, she raised hers. “Tell Mikayla hi. Only slightly jealous that I don’t get to be in on your group chats.”

I moaned over the bite as my thumbs flew across my screen.

NOAH: FOOD PORN AS PROMISED.

MIKAYLA: Is that Mere? Please don’t tell me you’re on a date.

“You’d better tell her, NOAH!” Meredith screeched over my shoulder.

I batted her away, laughing and ducking when she swatted at me. “Serves you right for creeping over my shoulder.”

NOAH: Tacos. She’s trying to set me up on a blind date.

“NO!! Not me, liar!! Tell them it’s Nan!” She nailed me in the forearm.

“Ouch! Geez warn a guy!”

Meredith rolled her eyes. “Please. It was a love tap.”

I glared at her as my phone pinged and rubbed the spot.

EDEN: OOOHHH!!

ZOE: SPILL.

NOAH: I haven’t agreed yet. It’s some book club thing.

MIKAYLA: NOT BOOK CLUB. Oh, Noah!!! Nan!!!

ROMEO: Who the FUCK changed my name.

EDEN: Baby. I think it’s cute that Noah has a nickname for you.

ROMEO: LECAV. Just remember payback’s a bitch.

Fuck, it was good to see Cole and Eden happy. Even if he was possessive and maybe a bit over the top. Then again, one of our former teammates had been stalking her…unbeknownst to me or Zoe even. Girls were too good at keeping secrets sometimes.

MIKAYLA: You must be #HOCKEYBOY

“Oh my God, Noah,” Meredith laughed. “You didn’t tell me you are actually #HOCKEYBOY! Mr. February, huh? Oh, this is too good.” The way she gleefully tapped away on her phone meant Mikayla was texting her, too.

NOAH: MIKAYLA! Do you want to be removed from the chat??? No side pieces. Even if she is your cousin.

“I’m in touch with my masculinity and yep, that’s me.” The Triumph/Book Boyfriends & Lattes charity calendar featured a different book boyfriend every month.

She chuckled. “Well, at least I know how Nan really got the book boyfriend idea from. She has that calendar hanging in her kitchen, but I only saw January. I think she has a thing for the #alphamale guy. She hasn’t flipped it yet.

That one is really nice to look at, so no complaints here.

” Her eyes narrowed at something behind me, and I twisted to see what had bothered her so suddenly.

A tall man exited the door next to the patio where we sat, and as they made eye contact, he paused, returned her glare, spun on his heel and continued down the opposite side of the street.

“Friend of yours?”

“More like my enemy.” Meredith’s ire continued as her eyes trailed the man’s retreating form until he turned the corner. “I work for his dad, Mr. Carter.”

“At the antique place? My mom loved that place when she visited Marie a few months ago. You work there now?”

She nodded. “And Dickhead Declan doesn’t exactly share my enthusiasm for bringing on more modern methods of growing the business. Probably because he can’t figure out how to use the internet properly other than to check his stocks.”

At the tone in her voice, my eyes widened. “Enemies to lovers, Meredith? Looks like I’m not the only one-”

“Shut up. You’re not getting out of this, Noah.

Come on, do this for me. Please? Or Mikayla, since I swear this is all her fault, in a way.

You’d love Quinn, and it’s not like either of you are looking for anything serious.

She just got out of a relationship, so no feelings.

One date/ Ollie isn’t here, so it’s not like you have things to do. ”

I feigned indignation. “Please, I don’t need Cyclone to have a good time. Mr. Sutton and I are going golfing, and then I plan on taking in the sights-”

“NOAH!”

I had to admit, the idea of going on a blind date with someone whose favorite book boyfriend was a hockey boy sounded like…

fun? And maybe I could work in a few posts for Lanie, the Triumph head of PR, for the calendar, too.

Wiping my hands on the napkin from my lap, cause manners, and sighed, as if the idea and the act was just too much.

She growled and let out a chuckle. “I’ll do it.

But, I have one condition.” Taco number three in hand I continued, “One post for Lanie to promote the calendar and the foundation.”

Meredith chewed, contemplating and narrowing her eyes. “Fine. But only you. Leave Quinn’s face and name out of it. She’s been through enough in her life.”

With a chuckle, I waved down the waiter. “The fiancé.”

“Among other things. Suffice it to say, she’s probably regretting the way I bribed her to come to book club with wine.

So, deal?” The waiter came over, and she wasted no time.

With a finger flung in my direction, said, “He’d like the check.

” She turned her attention back to me. “Thanks for lunch, Noah. And I’ll let you know the details.

In a chat. Maybe with Mikayla.” Purse in hand, she stood and walked away.

Somehow, I wondered just how much I was about to pay and if I’d walked into a trap of some kind. Because catching feelings? Not gonna happen.

But, having a little fun while in Love Canyon and do good?

Win win.