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“ H ey, B, what time do we need to leave for the auditorium? Your brother is coming, right?” Tess is helping one of our kids tie his tiny shoes.

“In about a couple of minutes. As far as I know, yes. I think he is supposed to bring Dean, too.” I am trying to clean up the manipulatives off the tables and back into the bins. My Apple Watch has been going off a bunch of times this morning. When I glance at who is trying to call me or text me, I see that it’s Bradley, but I am a little busy wrangling five- and six-year-olds.

“Miss Beckett?” Our little red-headed cutie, Hudson, tugs on my skirt.

I open the classroom door and prop it open with the door stopper. “Yes, Hudson, what is it sweetie?”

Hudson points to something behind me. I turn.

No. This cannot be happening .

What the hell is Tristan doing here?

Before he can advance any further, I press against his chest and keep him out in the hallway while Tess leads our class toward the auditorium for the career day presentation.

“What are you doing here?” I say through my teeth.

“Nice to see you too, Cupcake. Bradley called me and said that he’s in a bind. Jen needed something done for the wedding. Some tasting or other. He said he would let you know.”

I wasn’t about to admit that I never got a chance to answer my brother’s phone calls or even the several text messages I left unread. “Well he didn’t.” I grab my coffee tumbler and start walking toward the auditorium. “Thanks for coming, I guess.”

I try so hard not to notice how hot Tristan looks today. Ever since my stupid sex dream and seeing him in a towel, I can’t stop thinking about his washboard abs. And his perfect V leading down to… Nope! Stop that thinking, Brooke . But still, he looked extra hot today. He is wearing a backwards Storm hat and a black Storm t-shirt that barely fits his torso and his arms are bulging out of his short sleeves. His legs are like tree trunks in his basketball shorts. How can someone’s legs be that muscular?

He puts his hands in his pockets and clears his throat. “Also, I wanted to talk to you about the other night. I wasn’t exp…”

“It’s fine. No need to explain. It was a mistake to come by anyway. You’re a big boy. You could’ve taken care of yourself.” We reach the auditorium. I swing open the door and gesture for him to walk in. “Just don’t start a fight in front of the kids. Can you handle that, Hot Shot?”

Tristan walks over to the last empty seat next to Dean on the stage. There are about a dozen people who have shown up for the Career Day panel. Excitement fills the room as kids and adults alike fawn over the two pro athletes who decided to grace us with their presence. I see my principal walk some press into the auditorium. This is probably good for Tristan and Dean’s public relations, considering the fight they got into the other night. Maybe that’s also why Bradley was so eager for Tristan to take his place. Other than the wedding stuff, Tristan needs to make nice with Dean.

Tess saved me a spot next to our little kiddos and I huff as I sit down. I’m annoyed, both at the fact that my brother bailed, and also at the fact that I am ridiculously turned on by one of the men sitting on that damn stage.

“This is going to be interesting,” Tess leans over and whispers.

“Yup,” I say curtly.

“I really don’t understand why you even have that rule. Do you want my opinion?”

“If I say no, are you going to give it to me anyway?” I pretend that I am writing something on my clipboard, even though I am just making the same small line over and over again. I’m going to make a hole through this paper.

“Of course. And only because you need to hear it. I think you need to get rid of this super outdated, and dare I say it, stupid rule. I think it would be fun to have a little rebound,” she lowers her voice even more, “S-E-X. And since you loathe Tristan, I think that Dean would be the perfect person for that. I am sure he is going to be way more exciting in bed than Nick. He was so boring.”

Everything that Tess is saying is unfortunately true. I was with Nick for two years and I really thought that he was the person for me. He was stable with his job at an accounting firm. I thought stability was what I wanted, but I also realized that he was okay with putting our relationship on auto-pilot. I was just there. Yeah, he made me laugh with his silly dad jokes and the sex with him was fine. That was just it–it was fine. I convinced myself that it would get more explosive and exciting over time, but it didn’t. The worst thing was that I thought he was going to propose to me at a fancy dinner a couple of months ago, but he just wanted to take me out because of a big account that he acquired.

Why settle for someone who doesn’t make your heart burst out of your chest?

That’s why I walked out of that restaurant and never looked back. And now I am sitting here, single, while my best friend tells me that I need to go out with one of the hottest hockey players in the NHL.

Our principal opens up the floor to questions. One of our students raises their hands and our assistant principal comes over with the other microphone. We hand the mic down to him.

“Um, hi, my name is Hudson and my question is for Tristan Lawson and Dean Hastings.”

The principal excitedly runs over to where Tristan and Dean are sitting and hands the microphone over to Tristan. I stare at his massive, veiny hand holding onto the base of the microphone. I hate that I am noticing the little things about Tristan’s body now. It’s like going over to his home the other night opened a portal into an alternate universe where I don’t hate his guts.

Tristan says, “What’s up, little man?” Shivers run up my spine. It’s like I have been replaced by the old me from ten years ago, the girl who was enamored by Tristan rather than repulsed by him. To distract myself, I look over at Hudson and try to keep my focus there.

“What’s your favorite dessert?”

Aww, that’s such an innocent question. I totally thought he was going to ask something about what it is like being a hockey player. This is why I love teaching young kids. They bring back the innocence that life inevitably forces out of you. Experience and knowledge takes its place.

“That’s a great question, Hudson. Well, my favorite dessert would have to be…” Tristan’s voice trails off as he purses his lips together, seemingly thinking about his response. “Cupcakes.”

I lock eyes with Tristan. He has my attention now, and he knows it. He smirks and continues, “Chocolate cupcakes, to be specific.” He peeps his tongue out slightly as he breaks into a full-on smile. Those are the exact cupcakes he tasted the night we met. I don’t know if he is being serious or just fucking with my head. I don’t know what’s worse. Either way, my heart begins to beat really fast and it seems that the heater suddenly turned on in the auditorium.

Tristan hands the microphone over to Dean, while still maintaining eye contact with me. All sound is drowned out because of my focus on Tristan. I don’t even register what Dean’s response is.

Tess must notice the intensity of our stare because she nudges me out of my trance and says, “What is going on? You are super red right now, is everything okay? And why is Tristan staring at you like you are a piece of meat?”

I scowl. “He is not!” Even though he totally is. I’ve known Tristan long enough to know how he looks at women he wants to go home with. The real question is: why is he staring at me like that? Maybe I’m confusing a lust stare with a killer stare. That’s it! He wants to kill me. That’s the narrative and I’m sticking to it. “And I can’t stop looking at Dean. That’s why I am red,” I lie.

“Like I told you before, girl. Your rule is outdated and just plain dumb.”

I hate that she might be right.

After about an hour of Q&A, the career day presentation is over and it’s time for lunch. I am lining up the students when I hear, “Thanks for all the great questions, you guys.” Tristan is right behind me. A little too close for my liking. I can smell his masculine cologne and a wisp of mint that I recognize from the other night. I hate that I am super aware of small things about Tristan. I straighten up my stance, cross my arms, and look behind me into his hazel eyes. Tristan kneels down on one knee and high-fives Hudson. “I especially liked your question, little man.”

“Thanks! I like cupcakes, too!”

Tristan smirks. “The best, right?” He playfully messes with Hudson’s hair and I nod to Tess to start leading the kids down to the cafeteria.

I shake my head a little as Tristan stands back up with a large smirk on his face. “I just talked to your principal and she said how excited she is that your class is taking a field trip to our practice rink so the kids can learn how to ice skate.”

Shit . I kind of forgot that I talked with Bradley about setting that up. My principal, who is an avid hockey fan, was over the moon about it. I cross my arms against my chest. “Yeah, so?”

“So, why didn’t you tell me that your class is coming for the lessons?”

“Why would I tell you?” I inquire. Bradley already knows. Why would Tristan need to know?

He crosses his arms in turn, matching my energy, except his energy feels more playful. “I figured since I am the one who usually runs those types of lessons, you would let me know. I like to be prepared for who I am dealing with.”

“Well…” I say. He steps closer to me and my body jolts slightly from the close proximity. The same feelings I began to have the other night at his house are rushing through my body. I am realizing I do not mind Tristan Lawson being this close to me. I swallow hard and continue, “Now you know.”

Suddenly, I feel Tristan’s vibe change from playful to confrontational as Dean approaches. Almost protective. I hate when he acts like he’s my brother. One is enough.

“Hey, Brooke. You look extra cute today.” I look down at my outfit which consists of a bright pink maxi skirt and a white t-shirt. And of course I am wearing my signature bubblegum pink knotted headband. My bright green lanyard is hanging from my neck. Oh yeah, super cute.

“Thanks!”

“So, that Casino Night is coming up.” Dean inches closer to me.

“Yeah?”

“What about it, Hastings?” Tristan chimes in. His tone is anything but friendly. He must really despise this guy. Now I want to mess with his head even more.

Dean glares at Tristan and then looks back at me. “I was just wondering if you were going.”

Tristan raises his hand to his scruff and laughs, “There is no way she is going. Brooke doesn’t go to team events like that. Never has.”

I squint at him. Game time, Lawson .

“As a matter of fact, I am planning on going.” Tess is finally back from dropping the kids off at the cafeteria. I yank her to my side. “With Tess.” I plead with my eyes and we have known each other long enough to understand nonverbal communication. “But I will look for you there,” I say in my best flirtatious voice I can muster.

“Uh, that’s right,” Tess plays along. Thank God for her. I’ll debrief with her later.

Tristan’s mouth is agape out of pure disbelief. “You cannot be serious.” I don’t blame him. He’s right. I would usually never go to these types of things.

“I am serious.”

“Sounds great. I’ll be looking for you, too.” Dean says, then pats his hand on Tristan’s shoulder. Tristan flinches and looks back at Dean like he wants to throw him into the wall and make a Dean-shaped hole in the drywall. “Ready to go, Lawson? We have practice in an hour. See you soon, Brooke.” Dean takes my hand and kisses the top of it.

I sheepishly smile while Tristan’s jawline is clenched. He’s really pissed off.

Good. I’m winning at this game.