Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
“Do you need to call someone? Just to let them know that you’re okay? They’ll be looking for you.”
“I left a note.”
I nodded and we drove in silence for a couple of minutes. Suddenly, she turned to me, her face still streaked black but dry now.
“He said I’m a practical choice,” she said. “Last night at our rehearsal dinner, I overheard him talking to one of his friends when he didn’t know I was nearby. He said now that he’s in his thirties, he decided to choose someone solid instead of sexy.”
Jesus, what kind of man said that about the woman he was marrying? Jolie was a tall, lithe redhead with a killer smile. She was damn sexy, and I was one of several guys on my team who would have made a play for her if she hadn’t been our coach’s daughter.
“I’m sorry,” I said, unable to come up with anything else.
She exhaled heavily and leaned back into the seat. “I feel like shit about all of this. I should have called it off sooner. Last night wasn’t the first time I had reservations. And my parents spent a ton on the wedding.” She laughed, but it sounded more weary than amused. “Maybe you should take me to a bar instead of home. Checking out of my head for a few hours would be great.”
“Is that what you want?”
“No.” Her tone was defeated. “I want to go home and take off this dress and never see it again.”
“Okay.”
She looked over at me and smiled. “Thanks for this. I’ll tell my dad I jumped into your car and left you no choice.”
I shrugged. “He’s still going to murder me.”
“I won’t let him.”
She didn’t know that Coach had the power to keep me from what I wanted most in the world, and that now, he probably would. I drove in silence, knowing I had to make the best of things while still playing in St. Louis.
CHAPTER TWO
Jolie
I hadn’t been home in several days since I’d been staying at my parents’ house through all the last-minute wedding plans and events. Jarvis had been staying there too, until last night, since the bride and groom weren’t supposed to see each other before the wedding. He’d been more than happy to go to the downtown hotel where his friends and teammates who were coming to the wedding were staying. In retrospect, he’d been far more excited to hang out with my dad than with me the last few weeks, and I wasn’t sure when I’d stopped ignoring all the red flags.
His complete disinterest in my studies.
The way he vacationed with his friends during the off-season, always coming up with a reason why I’d be happier home or in my lab.
His lack of excitement in the wedding planning.
Our lackluster sex life.
I carefully laid my dress on the bed, staring at it sadly.
The one thing I’d been excited about had been this damn dress.
A pink champagne color instead of true white because it looked so much better against my incredibly pale skin, and it fit me perfectly without any alterations. The tight bodice accentuated my small waist and pushed up my breasts, giving the illusion of cleavage. The full, Cinderella-style skirt hid my round hips and made me look tall, busty, and elegant, something I’d always wanted to be.
Too bad Jarvis wouldn’t get to appreciate what he was missing out on.
After I’d undressed, I stepped under the hot shower spray and closed my eyes, letting the water wash away the pain and humiliation of the day. I probably only had a few minutes before someone found me, but I was over it at this point.
Jarvis had never been my choice and I couldn’t understand why I’d allowed myself to be pushed into dating a man that clearly wasn’t into me. Hell, I wasn’t really all that into him.
My father had wanted this match and I’d figured it was a good time to get married.
I’d also been a little starry-eyed in the beginning.
Handsome, rich, hotshot hockey players didn’t usually look twice at a tall redhead who was far more interested in microbiology and the specimens in my lab than men.
Not that I didn’t like men. I did. I just didn’t have a lot of patience for them. And the athletes I’d been around my entire life because of my father had reminded me of Neanderthals. I was probably being a little bitchy by lumping all men together like that, but single young hockey players could be the worst kind of womanizers. I’d seen it firsthand, heard my dad talking about it, and joked about it with my friends.
I wasn’t sure why I’d assumed it would be different with Jarvis.
Because my father had picked him?
Ew.
The more I thought about it, the more annoyed I got.
I’d just pulled on my bathrobe when someone banged on the front door loudly and insistently.