The Rebound Plan

What do you do when your secret, off-limits crush needs a safe plus-one to a hockey gala? You say yes immediately and hope you don't punch her ex when he flaunts his new relationship…because he's your team captain.

A PR disaster in the making? Not if I nail the play just right.

The easy part will be pretending to fall for the stunning, singular (but not yet truly single) Shannon Tilman like it's brand new information that she's hot and funny and smart and kind.

The harder part will be burying the fact that I've been desperately in love with her for real since the moment we met. But I have a solid year of practice at pretending like she didn't  unknowingly put a permanent pause on my dating life just by simply existing.

She can't find out I've been hiding real feelings. Once her divorce is finalized, she's leaving this town behind and never looking back. And I won't give her up before we get to have a private slice of what could have been in another lifetime.

Now it's a race against the inevitable end, to taste and devour and explore whatever we can, however we can. She's my best girl and my worst desires, and every second of it will be worth it, no matter the cost.