Crushed: Gold Hockey #18 by Elise Faber

Author:Elise Faber [Faber, Elise]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Elise Faber

She was jabbing away on her phone screen as she left the practice facility a little while later, ordering some giant, delicious, addicting cookies to Brit’s place, because even though the other woman had said Lil didn’t need to bring anything, Lily wasn’t going to show up empty-handed.

Hell, her mom would probably get some sign from the universe that Lil was committing a horrible manners faux pas and she’d get a phone call and—

Lil ordered cookies to prevent disapproving phone calls.

And maybe also because the cookies were delicious and addicting.

Grinning, she started toward her car, but a shadow had her rocking back on her heels, her heart in her throat. “I—” She clamped a hand to her chest when the shadow materialized into a woman. “Can I help you?”

“Sorry,” the other woman whispered, backing up, her hands extended, palms out. “I wasn’t trying to scare you. I—” She bit her lip, deep brown eyes growing worried. “I just finished watching practice and was putting directions into my phone. I wasn’t trying to start any trouble. I promise.”

Okaaay. Right.

This was pushing her spidey sense well beyond her normal already-heightened status.

She looked closer at the other woman. “Did you need some help?”

Wide brown eyes. A sharp shake of her head. “N-no,” she said quickly. “Don’t let me keep you, I’ll just—oh! Look”—she held up her phone, screen out—“it’s working now and—”

Lil moved a little closer. “Do you need to talk to someone? I’m a good listener.”

“No.” Softer now. “I—” She cleared her throat. “Really, I just came to watch my brother. And then my phone really wasn’t loading directions. I’m not trying to start trouble.” She swallowed and it looked painful, even from a few feet away. “For once, I’m not trying to start trouble. I just…needed to see he was really okay, I guess.”

Lily exhaled softly. “Your brother.”

A nod. “Ben.”

Oh. Oh.

Oh shit.

This was Ben’s sister. The former addict—or, she supposed, current one, since addiction wasn’t something that was just went away, rehab or not. But anyway, this was Ben’s sister who had a boatload of trauma that had bled over into Ben’s life…

Up until just a few months before.

Shit.

“I see you’ve heard of me.”

Yeah. Lily had.

And very little of it was good.

“I’m just heading home,” Ben’s sister said, backing up a step. “I just—”

“I’m Lily,” she blurted, sticking out her hand.

Hesitation before soft fingers wrapped around Lily’s. “Maddy.”

“Nice to meet you, Maddy.” She leaned back against her car. “So how’d your brother do at practice?”

More hesitation, but Lily felt the tension release from Maddy’s body, saw the edges of her lips curve up. “He could move his feet a bit more.”

Lily chuckled. “I’ve heard Calle”—one of the team’s coaches—“say that once or twice.”

“I bet.” Maddy nibbled at her bottom lip. “Well, I should head out. I…um…have a meeting I need to get to.”

A meeting.

That was good.

Or maybe, lip service?

Except, Lily’s bullshit detector was quiet—very quiet—and, well, she wanted it to be true, so she was going to take it at face value.

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