Chapter 6

I woke up to the sound of rain pounding on the roof. I sighed as I threw off the covers. Bauer followed me into the kitchen where I let him out and grabbed the pot of coffee that had just finished brewing. Oh, the wonders of having a decent coffee maker. I stood in front of the window sipping the coffee and looking at the clouds. The rain didn’t look like it’d be letting up anytime soon.

I let Bauer in and gave him some breakfast before pouring myself a bowl of granola cereal. I sat down on the couch and flicked through the channels on the TV. Not seeing anything interesting on, I turned on some music instead.

I dumped my now empty bowl into the sink as Britney Spears’ “Circus” came on. I began dancing around the living room belting out the lyrics as I went. Dancing was one of my favorite things to do. I was often known to break out in dance every time a song I liked came on, no matter where I was.

Bauer barked and jumped around me as I danced from the living room, down the hall, and into my bedroom. I had a ton of energy and decided to make my way to the gym since the weather wasn’t going to allow for a run outside. After getting changed I got into my car and drove to the gym Sidney had pointed out.

I walked inside and headed straight for the treadmills. I turned on my iPod and began my run. After walking briskly for a few minutes to warm up, I sped up and began my usual pace. A few minutes later I noticed someone stop just to the side of me. I turned my head and saw Sidney standing there with a smile on his face.

“Hey,” I greeted as I took one of the earphones out.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Just running,” I replied.

“How long have you been here?”

“About ten minutes. Did you just get here?” I returned noticing that he didn’t seem to be sweating at all. He nodded.

“What are you listening to?” he asked taking the earphone out of my hand and putting it into his. I narrowed my eyes at him when he began to laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me. ‘Beat It’?” What's wrong with a little Michael Jackson?

“Hey, I like it!” I protested.

He laughed again. To prove it was a good song I began to dance and yell out the lyrics as I continued to run. He looked thoroughly embarrassed. His cheeks even turned red. I noticed people turning to look at me strangely, but I didn’t care. Sidney obviously did as he hastily handed me back my earphone.

“You’re crazy,” he told me. He turned and began to walk away.

“I love you too, Crosby!” I yelled after him. I saw him shake his head, but I could tell by his body language that he was laughing.










Sidney made his way into a back room of the gym to start his workout. He shook his head again as he thought about Misty. He hadn’t met anyone like her. Who in their right mind seriously begins singing Michael Jackson out loud in the middle of the gym? Who also has the coordination to run 7 miles an hour on a treadmill and be able to dance in the process without falling off?

Misty was definitely one of a kind, he decided. He’d only known her for about two weeks now, but he knew there was no way there was anyone like her out there in the world. For starters, she was one of the craziest, most outgoing people he’d ever met. She obviously wasn’t afraid of being embarrassed in front of a crowd, but she didn’t need to be the center of attention either.

More importantly, she never made him feel like he was anything other than normal. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised since her last boyfriend had been in the NHL, but sometimes that didn’t matter. Some girls never got used to the guys they were around while others just saw them as normal people. He had a feeling that no matter what happened, Misty would never use him for his celebrity in any way.

He also liked that she had no agenda with him. All she was looking for was a friend and that was all he could be for anyone right now. Not once in two weeks had she ever done anything to imply she saw him as anything more than that and he was grateful. He didn’t have time for dating or relationships. He did, however, have time to be around genuine, fun people.

The fact that Misty had his friends’ approval meant everything to him. They may not seem like a protective group on the outside, but they were. They had never cared about what Sidney had become, and they didn’t allow people that did care in their circle. They were always good judges of character so the minute they accepted Misty, Sidney knew his instincts about her were right on.

“Is that all you can lift?” Misty’s voice interrupted his thoughts and he looked at the weight he was currently squatting.

“I’d love to see you lift this much,” he challenged. She snorted.

“Yeah right. I totally wouldn’t want to embarrass you for the second time today,” she retorted. He rolled his eyes. “You almost done?”

“I have to finish this, and I have one more lift,” he told her.

“Good. You can buy me a smoothie when you’re done,” she said.

“What makes you think I would do something like that?”

She just smiled at him and walked away. He watched her walk over to the corner, grab a medicine ball and some weights and start doing some ab work. He was impressed by the obvious strength she possessed. No one could ever call her weak, that was for sure. He finished his workout and walked out to where she was still going, stopping at her feet and looking down at her.

“If you want that smoothie, I suggest you come with me now. Otherwise you’re out of luck,” he told her. She jumped up.

“Aye aye captain,” she said with a salute. He shook his head at her for probably the 100th time that day, but couldn’t keep the smile off his face.










“What kind did you get?” Sidney asked me as I sipped on my smoothie.

“Raspberry,” I replied. He looked at me weird.

“And?” I gave him a strange look back.

“Raspberry,” I told him.

“There are dozens of different smoothie combinations and you went with just raspberry?” he asked incredulously.

“Raspberries are quite possibly the greatest thing you could ever put in your mouth. Why would I want to taint that?” I returned. He laughed.

“Do you realize how dirty that sounded?” I scowled at him and gave him a shove.

“You’re a perv. So, Mr. Smoothie Nazi, what kind did you get?” He took a giant sip of his.

“Strawberry, blueberry, and banana,” he responded. I scrunched up my nose.

“Sounds bland,” I retorted. “At least raspberry is a strong, bold flavor.”

“Who’s acting like the Smoothie Nazi now?” he returned. I winked at him and laughed as we walked out of the store and over to our cars.

“Thanks for the smoothie!” I called over to him as I opened my car door.

“How about dinner and a play date for the dogs tonight?” he called back. I smiled.

“You can cook?” I joked. He laughed.

“I can grill.” It was my turn to laugh. Men and their grills.

“Should I bring anything?” He shook his head.

“Just Bauer. Is there anything you don’t like so I don’t make it?”

“I don’t eat fish. It smells bad, tastes bad, and has a creepy texture,” I told him.

“Okay, no seafood.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like seafood. I love shellfish. Shrimp, crab, lobster, mussels, scallops, yum. Except oysters and clams. I don’t eat those. Blech. Oh, and I don’t eat pork unless it’s hot dogs,” I explained.

“There’s always an exception to the rule with you,” he said laughing.

“You’ll learn that with me there's always an exception,” I teased.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’ll see you in an hour!” I yelled, ducking into my car.

I stopped on my way home to pick up a bottle of wine. As I stood looking at the selections I realized I had no idea what we were going to have for dinner or if Sidney even liked wine. I decided to play it safe and get a bottle of Riesling and a bottle of Pinot Noir. One of them would work.

I jumped into the shower when I got home. When I was out I threw on a pair of jeans and a pink loose fitting t-shirt. I put my hair into two braids so when it was dry it’d be wavy. Then I grabbed a container holding brownies I’d made the previous day along with some hot fudge and vanilla ice cream. I put them in a bag with the wine, called Bauer and headed over to Sidney’s.

I got out and could smell something delicious cooking on the grill. I let Bauer out of the car, grabbed the bag of stuff, and made my way around the house into Sidney’s backyard. Bauer saw Sam immediately and ran over to sniff her. It only took a minute for the two of them to decide they liked each other and start playing. Sidney turned when he heard the commotion and smiled at me.

“I thought I told you not to bring anything,” he chastised as he saw the bag I was carrying.

“I was taught you never show up to someone's house empty handed. I have ice cream. Can I put it in your freezer?” I asked. He nodded and led me inside.

“These are amazing!” Sidney exclaimed from behind me as I was putting the ice cream in the freezer. I turned around to see him shoving a brownie into his mouth.

“Hey! Those are for dessert!” I scolded him. He grinned at me, brownie in his teeth and I rolled my eyes at him. “I brought two bottles of wine. I wasn’t sure what we were having for dinner, or if you even drank wine.”

“I drink wine and we’re having a surf and turf. A ribeye and some shrimp with Cajun seasoning. I’m also grilling up some vegetables,” he explained.

“The Noir it is. Got a wine opener?”

He opened a drawer and pulled one out. I opened the wine and poured it into two glasses Sidney pulled out of a cupboard. We made our way back outside to hang out and watch the dogs. The rain had cleared up and it was a pretty nice evening so we ate outside. Sidney had been right. He could definitely grill.

We finished off the bottle of wine and then made our brownie sundaes for dessert. It seemed that Bauer and Sam weren’t quite done playing so we opened the Riesling and made our way back outside to hang out and talk. The sun dropped and it began to cool off. Sidney noticed that I was shivering a bit and went inside to get me a sweatshirt. I walked out onto his dock and lay down, staring up at the stars.

“Do you know anything about constellations?” I heard Sidney ask me.

“Not a thing,” I replied as I sat up, gratefully taking the sweatshirt. It smelled like Sidney, and I found it oddly comforting.

He took a seat beside me and we just sat there in a comfortable silence for a while looking out over the lake. At this point we’d finished the second bottle of wine and I had a nice buzz going. I wasn’t big into silence and jumped up from my spot, startling Sidney.

“Let’s do something. I don’t care what it is, cards, video games, or anything else. I just want to do something,” I told him. He laughed and stood up too.

“Do you like the Wii?” he asked. I let out a whoop and began to jog back towards the house.

“I’m so going to kick your ass!” I called to him as I turned around to look at him following behind me, while I continued to run. Right when I was about to turn around my heel caught on the root of a tree and I went sprawling on my ass onto the muddy ground.

“Are you okay?” he asked running over to me. I just sat there for a minute laughing.

“I don’t know what my problem is. I’m the most coordinated person I know and yet for some reason I get around you and turn into a total klutz,” I said with another laugh as he helped me up.

“I’m just special I guess,” he joked with a grin.

“Or it could be the wine, smart ass.” We called the dogs and walked into the house.

“Speaking of the wine, you should stay here tonight. I don’t like when people drive after drinking. There’s plenty of room.”

“You don’t have to convince me. Here are my keys, officer,” I said as I grabbed them out of my pocket and handed them over to him.

We made our way over to the couch where we played a few games of tennis, bowling, and Mario Kart. We both played well and it was deemed a tie for the night with a promise of a rematch soon. I headed into one of the guest rooms with shorts and a shirt from Sidney to sleep in. Bauer curled up next to me, exhausted from his night with Sam. I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face.

Chapter 5

“What are you doing on Saturday?” Caden asked Sidney when Sid picked up the phone.

“Uh, not sure. Why? What do you have planned?” Sidney returned.

“It’s the cultural fair. What do you think I have planned?” Caden retorted.

Every summer Cole Harbour held a cultural fair in downtown. The streets were closed off and booths were set up from different countries around the world. They displayed artifacts, notes on some history, and traditional food. That’s what his friends went for. They paid the one time cover, ate all the food they could, and drank all the traditional beer/booze at each booth.

“I forgot that was this weekend. Count me in,” Sidney replied.

“Good, that’s what I like to hear. Are you going to invite Misty?” he asked. Sidney thought for a minute.

“Yeah, if you guys don’t mind. She wanted to dive into Cole Harbour culture.”

“We don’t mind. We really liked her,” Caden told him.

“Yeah, she’s a great girl. Not too many girls can fit in and give it right back to you guys when they first meet you.” Caden laughed.

“I think she’s the first. She’s not bad to look at either. Did you see that body when she stripped down to her bikini on the boat?”

“Caden, come on,” Sidney warned.

Of course, he had noticed. He’d have to be blind not to notice how hot Misty was. It helped that she was obviously a natural beauty. Now that he thought about it, he’d only seen her with makeup on once, when they’d gone to dinner. Even then, she hadn’t even come close to going overboard like most girls did. He liked that she was comfortable in public without any on.

Come to think of it, he’d never even seen her with her hair down. It was always pulled back out of her face and didn’t look like she messed with it a whole lot. Most girls he knew spent an hour on their hair alone and it still looked like they’d rolled out of bed.

Her body was something else. He wasn’t surprised when he heard that she played four sports in school and enjoyed working out. It was obvious the minute he saw her standing there in just a bathing suit. He doubted there was an ounce of fat on her. She was muscular without being over the top. It had been hard not to stare at her when she moved, watching the muscles work when she did. Even so, she was still a bit curvy. He’d noticed that too.

The thing about her that he’d noticed first and that he couldn’t help but notice every time he saw her though were her eyes. Everything about her was dark. She had dark, almost black hair and dark skin, but her eyes were far from it. They were the brightest blue eyes he’d ever seen. It was such a change from the rest of her that he doubted anyone would miss them. Even as bright as they were, they got even brighter when she laughed, which she seemed to do all the time.

“Sorry, man, didn’t realize you’d called dibs on her,” Caden apologized, interrupting his thoughts.

“No one’s calling dibs on her. She just got out of a long term relationship,” Sidney told him.

“Guy was a jerk?” Caden asked.

“Sounds like it. Why?”

“Because anyone that would let her go has to be a jerk. Who in their right mind would break up with her?” Sidney rolled his eyes even though Caden couldn’t see him do it. “Anyway, it’s obvious you have a thing for her.” Sidney almost choked on the sip of water he’d just taken.

“Excuse me?” he asked.

“Yeah, I mean Sid the Kid doesn’t bring random girls to dinner and then invite them to see where he lives and hang out with his friends. Actually, you’ve never done that.” He groaned.

“I don’t like her. I was just being nice because she’s new to the area and she’s here by herself,” he said defending himself.

“Yeah, okay, sure. That said by the guy who’s wary of every person he meets because he thinks they’re just trying to cash in on him in some way. Face it man, you like her,” Caden scoffed.

“I do not! I just told you she ended a long term relationship recently and isn’t looking for anyone,” Sidney argued.

“If you don’t like her, why do you care if she’s looking for someone or not? Anyway, haven’t you ever heard of being the rebound guy? Great sex, no strings attached.”

“Alright, I’m hanging up now. I’ll see you Saturday.” He could hear Caden laughing as he hung up the phone. He scrolled through his contacts until he found Misty’s number. Then he hit send and waited for her to pick up.










I heard my phone ringing from inside the house. I threw the tennis ball across the backyard for Bauer to chase before running the other direction and into the kitchen. I made it to my phone just before my voicemail picked up.

“Hello?” I answered breathlessly without looking at the caller ID. I hadn’t had time.

“Is this a bad time?” Sidney’s voice asked through the receiver. I laughed.

“No, I was just outside with Bauer and had left my phone inside. I ran to it to get it in time,” I explained.

“Ah, I see. He’s not traumatized after the other day with my friends, is he?” Sidney asked. I laughed again.

“Nah, he’s good. So what’s up?” I figured Sidney hadn’t called to check on Bauer.

“Well, this Saturday there’s a cultural fair in downtown. They shut down all the roads and set up booths from different countries. It’s a one time cover for all the food and drinks you want along with some pretty cool displays and music. I was just wondering if you wanted to join me and the guys,” he offered.

“That sounds great. What time should I show up?”

Sidney told me what time they usually went. We chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up. I smiled as I hung up, glad to have something to do and a few new friends to do it with. I’d enjoyed hanging out with Sid’s friends. I definitely got along better with guys than girls and being the only girl in a group certainly didn’t bother me. I heard a loud bark and realized I’d left Bauer outside.

“Oh, Bauer! I’m sorry!” I called as I went back over to the door.

He was standing there with the tennis ball in his mouth, wagging his tail. I opened the door to let him in, but instead he turned and bolted the other direction. Obviously he wasn’t done chasing the ball. I followed him outside and obliged.

Two days later I woke up, took Bauer for a walk, and then got ready for the fair. When I was finished I walked downtown enjoying the weather as I did. As I got closer I could hear the buzz and smell the different foods. This was definitely the type of thing I loved to do and I got excited the closer I got.

I was a little earlier than Sidney had said to meet him, so I paid my cover and wandered around a bit, just checking everything out. I grabbed a brat with some sauerkraut as I walked past the German section and ate as I meandered along. Just as I was finishing, I spotted Walker ahead of me.

“Walker!” I called, jogging over to him. He turned around towards me.

“Misty, hey!” he greeted with a smile and a hug.

“So this is pretty cool, huh?” I asked looking around me.

“Yeah, we come every year. The food’s awesome and the alcohol’s flowing,” he said. I laughed along with him.

“I already sampled a brat. It was delicious. I figured I’d pass on the beer until it settled in my stomach though.”

“Walker?” I heard a female voice ask. I turned to see a pretty blonde standing there with her arms crossed over her chest and a glare directed straight at me.

“Zara, this is Misty. Misty, this is my girlfriend Zara,” he introduced hurriedly, probably trying to avoid pissing her off. The minute Zara heard my name, her gaze softened and a smile replaced the frown.

“Oh, Misty! You’re the girl Sid’s been talking about. It’s nice to meet you,” she said extending her hand. He'd been talking about me?

“You too. Walker’s talked a bit about you as well,” I told her as I shook her hand.

“Yeah, I bet,” she said with an eye roll and an elbow to Walker’s side. “Sorry about the bitchy attitude when I first came over. I saw the hug and thought some girl was trying to move in on him.”

“No apologies necessary.” As soon as I’d said that I heard a yell and turned to see Caden and Wesley barreling towards me, Sidney following behind. Before I had a chance to react I found myself flung into the air.

“Would you put her down guys?” I heard Sidney say. I laughed as I felt my feet touch the ground again.

“Was that too much?” Wesley asked.

The group laughed and we made our way through the fair. I had just as much fun at the fair as I did on the boat. I enjoyed being around Sidney’s friends more and more. Zara was also really sweet. I knew that we were going to get along really well this summer. At some point Walker and Zara made their way over to see her parents and Caden and Wesley went to refill their beers, leaving Sidney and I alone.

“Are you having a good time?” he asked.

“An amazing time. This is exactly the kind of thing I like to do.”

Just as I finished my sentence I caught my toe on something. I began to plunge forward, face first towards the ground. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the painful impact when I felt two arms grab me at the waist. I opened my eyes to see that there was only about a foot between my face and the pavement.

“Are you okay?” Sidney asked, pulling me up to face him. I just laughed.

“I think I’ve had enough beer for the day,” I joked. He laughed too. I heard a few people applauding and laughing so I turned and gave a bow. “Thank you! I’ll be here all day!” I called out.

“Why don’t we go sit down?” Sidney asked with a chuckle. I agreed and followed him over to a table.

“So, I feel like the last few times we’ve hung out it’s been all about me. I think it’s time to put the spotlight on you. Tell me about yourself.”

“Wow, put me on the spot,” he said with a laugh. “Where do you want me to start?”

“Let’s start with your family. What are they like?” I asked.

“There’s my mom, Trina, and my dad, Troy. They’re still happily married. I have a younger sister, Taylor. She’s about eight years younger than I am. Then there’s Sam, my dog.”

“You have a dog?” I asked. He nodded. “How the hell haven’t you brought that up or why haven’t I seen it?”

“I guess I just never thought to bring her up. She’s at the vet right now. She had surgery to remove a non-cancerous tumor,” he responded.

“Bauer and Sam will have to have a play date. Bauer loves other dogs.” Sidney nodded.

“Done.”

He continued to tell me about his family. It was clear from the way he was talking that they were a close knit group, which was nice. That’s the same way my family was, and I couldn’t imagine it being any other way.

As it started to get dark the fair began to wind down. We all said our goodbyes and I headed home with a promise from Sidney that we’d set up that play date soon. I got home and collapsed in bed, exhausted from the day. As I drifted off to sleep I thought about how lucky I was that I’d fallen in with a pretty great group of people.

Chapter 4

It had been two days since I’d gone to dinner with Sidney. I hadn’t heard from him, but it hadn’t been too long. If he called, he called. If he didn’t, no big deal. It wasn’t like I was trying to date the guy.

I put on some workout clothes and grabbed my iPod. It was a nice day and I wanted to go for a run. I stepped out onto the driveway and looked in each direction. After thinking for a minute I decided to head to the right. I hit my stride a few minutes in and lost track of everything else. As I was headed back home I saw a familiar Range Rover pull over to the side of the road in front of me.

“How’s the run going?” Sidney asked as he rolled down the window.

“Pretty good. I was just heading home,” I answered.

“Look, I have to drop something off at my parents’ house. It’s a nice day and I have a boat. I’ll come pick you up after and we can go out on the lake.” I smiled and nodded.

“Sounds great. Can Bauer come?” I asked.

“Of course. I’ll be over in about 20 minutes. Is that enough time for you to be ready?”

“What? You think I have to shower, try on 20 outfits, and do my makeup and hair to go out on a boat?” I scoffed. He looked surprised, but smiled.

“Then 20 minutes it is.” He gave a wave and pulled back onto the road. I watched his car disappear around a corner and finished my run home.

I quickly hopped into the shower to rinse off from the run. I threw on a bathing suit, put a sundress on over it and walked into the kitchen. I figured food was probably a good idea since it was close to lunch time. I wasn’t sure what Sidney liked so I made a few different sandwiches. I grabbed a bag of chips, some salsa, and some fruit. Just as I packed everything into a bag I heard his car pull into the driveway.

“Bauer, let’s go!” I called. He jumped up from the couch and followed me to the door. Sidney was just getting out of the car as Bauer and I walked outside. Bauer immediately froze when he saw Sidney and let out a loud bark. “Would you stop?”

“I’m really not a bad guy,” Sidney said to Bauer as he squatted down. Bauer moved close enough to sniff Sidney’s outstretched hand. When he’d smelled what he wanted he moved back towards me. I just rolled my eyes and headed towards the car.

“I packed lunch,” I said as I put my bag into the back.

“Oh yeah? What have we got?” he asked.

“Well, I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I packed a bit. We have two peanut butter and jelly, two peanut butter and banana, and two turkey sandwiches along with some chips and salsa, and some fruit.”

“Two of each sandwich?”

“I didn’t know what I was in the mood for.” He laughed. “Oh, if you want mayonnaise or something you’ll have to get it yourself. I don’t do mayonnaise.”

“Not a fan of mayo, eh?” he asked.

“Not a chance. It’s white, goopy fat. Ick,” I replied. “I don’t eat anything white and goopy.”

“What else is white and goopy?” Sidney asked grinning at me, obviously in amusement.

“Sour cream and fluff. Actually, I eat crème anglaise. I guess that’s not so goopy though.” He laughed again.

“You are too much,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“You hate citrus fruits, but you like kiwis. You hate white goopy food, but you like crème anglaise. There’s always an exception. I just think it’s funny.” I smiled back at him.

“I’m going to find some quirk of yours, and when I do, I’m going to really give it to you.” He laughed and got into the car. I got into the passenger seat after getting Bauer to jump into the back and we pulled out onto the road. Just as we hit the road his phone rang.

“Hey…..Going out on the boat…..With Misty…..Yeah, the girl I went to dinner with…..No way…..Come on, Caden…..Not gonna happen…..You would not…..I don’t believe you…..Just hold on.” He sighed and turned to me. “My friends wanted to go out on the boat. Would you mind?”

“Not at all. The more the merrier.”

“If you’re not there in 10 minutes we’re leaving without you.” He said into the phone and hung up. “I want to apologize ahead of time.”

“For what?”

“You’ll see.” I laughed.

Just as we pulled up to Sidney’s house, another car pulled in behind us. I watched three guys get out armed with towels and beer. Bauer noticed them as well and began to bark as he cowered in Sidney’s car. I rolled my eyes and got out of the car, opening the door for Bauer to get out. He jumped to the ground and kept me between him and Sidney’s friends.

“Guys, this is Misty. Misty this is Walker, Caden, and Wesley,” Sidney introduced us.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you,” I said as I shook their hands.

“Not bad, Siddo,” Wesley said, looking me up and down. I looked over at Sidney and saw his cheeks turning red. I laughed.

“I told you,” Sidney said to me.

“Told her what? You telling lies about us?” Walker asked.

“Never,” he replied with a grin.

We grabbed everything and carried it over to the boat. It took a bit of coaxing to get Bauer on a boat full of people he didn’t know, but eventually the lure of a treat got him to jump on board. We pushed away from the dock and headed out.

“So, Misty, where are you from?” Caden asked.

“New York.” Before I had a chance to elaborate, Wesley cut in.

“What part of the city are-" he started.

“Don’t finish that question,” Sidney warned. I laughed and shook my head.

“I’m from upstate. I’m closer to Canada than the city,” I explained.

The five of us chatted as Sidney drove the boat out to the middle of the lake. I passed out the sandwiches and put out the chips and salsa when the boat stopped. We all cracked open a beer and Caden busted out a deck of cards. We talked as we played Asshole. As the afternoon went on I got hot and decided to jump in the water for a swim.

“Anyone else coming in with me?” I asked as I peeled off the sundress. The sound of splashing water was my answer.

I jumped in alongside them, gritting my teeth as the cold water hit me. The five of us swam and splashed around in the water while Bauer watched from a perch on the boat. I noticed that Sidney seemed to be a target for the other three as he somehow managed to get dunked about a dozen times in just a few minutes.

“I thought you were supposed to be a professional athlete,” I said to him as we were drying off back on the boat.

“What does that mean?” Sidney asked in confusion.

“Well, your friends seem to be stronger than you. You sure got dunked an awful lot,” I joked.

“They ganged up on me!” he yelled sarcastically while laughing. I laughed too and threw my towel at him. I stretched out along the back of the boat after slapping on some sunscreen, and sipped on a beer.

“So, Misty, how’d you get that amazing body?” Walker asked. I heard Sidney groan at the same time a leftover sandwich hit Walker in the face. Everyone laughed.

“I like sports and working out,” I replied, not at all bothered by the comment.

“What sports?” Caden questioned.

“Pretty much everything. I was a four sport athlete in high school and played just about every intramural sport in college.”

“Wait, four sports? How is that possible?” Wesley wondered.

“Volleyball was in the fall, swimming in the winter, and softball and track were in the spring. Track meets were only on Saturdays and softball games were only on weekdays. Of course doing two sports at once took up a lot of time. I’d have two hours of softball practice, then I’d have to go and run a few miles after since I did all the distance events in track.”

“No hockey?” Sidney chimed in.

“I used to figure skate as a kid, but I gave it up when I got to grade seven and started playing the other sports on school teams. I’ve never picked up a hockey stick though.”

“Well, now that you don’t play sports in school anymore, what do you do?” Walker asked. I shrugged.

“I run at least a few miles a day five days a week and go to a gym to lift. Speaking of lifting, where’s there a good gym around here?”

“I’ll show you when I bring you home,” Sidney replied. I smiled and thanked him.

Around six, Sidney started the boat back up and we headed home. I said goodbye to the guys as they got into the car they’d come in and pulled out of the driveway. I helped Sidney carry some things into his house and looked around in awe. His house was perfect. It was definitely a lake house, with lots of windows and simple décor, just how I’d want my place to look.

“Are you hungry? I can order some pizza or Chinese if you want,” Sidney offered.

“That’d be great, but do you think we could do it at my place? Bauer needs to eat too.”

“Not a problem.”

After getting in the car Sidney drove me past one of the gyms in town telling me that’s where he worked out. I took note of its location, deciding to go in the next day and get a membership for the summer. When we reached my house I fed Bauer while Sidney ordered Chinese.

We sat on the couch and watched TV until the food got there. Sidney went towards the kitchen to grab plates and I laughed at him. I grabbed the chopsticks that came with the order, opened a container and started eating out of it as I walked back to the couch and sat down. Sidney followed suit. He only stayed a couple of hours before saying he had an early morning and had to get home.

“Thanks for taking me out on the boat today. I had a lot of fun,” I told him as I walked him to the door, Bauer following closely behind.

“I did too. I’m glad you came.” He squatted down and stuck a hand out to Bauer. “I’ll see you later, big man.”

To my complete shock Bauer walked right up to Sidney and let him pet him. Sidney grinned and began to scratch Bauer’s ears. In pure joy, Bauer flipped over onto his back indicating that he wanted a belly rub. I watched in surprise as Sidney began scratching Bauer’s stomach in such a way that it got Bauer’s leg kicking in ecstasy. I was the only one he ever let do that. It had even taken three months for Bauer to let Mason do more than just pet his back. I started to wonder if maybe Bauer was trying to tell me something by doing that.

“I can’t believe he’s letting you do that. He’s not like that with anyone,” I told Sidney.

“I guess I’ve just got the magic touch.” He stood up, said goodbye and walked out to his car. I shut the door behind him and Bauer let out a small whine.

“I don’t even know what to do with you sometimes,” I told him, giving him a pat on the head.

Chapter 3

Sidney walked back to his car and took a sip of coffee before he got in. He wasn’t sure what had just come over him. Since when did he invite girls he just met to dinner? He shook his head and started the car. He sped out of the parking lot, hardly checking to see if there was any traffic coming.

He had already been running late before Misty ran into him. Now he was big time behind. He’d promised his friend Walker that he’d take him out on the boat all day to get him out of the house. Apparently Walker’s girlfriend Zara was throwing some baby shower at the house for a relative and he needed out. Walker threatened to kill him if he wasn’t there by 10. It was 10:15 and he still had a 10 minute drive ahead of him.

He knew he probably shouldn’t stop for coffee, but he couldn’t help himself. He probably did about 30 over the speed limit getting there. He figured he’d be in and out in less than five minutes and he’d still make it on time. That didn’t work out so well for him.

He’d been pretty pissed when he had coffee dumped on him. He was pissed up until the point when he’d finally looked at the girl who had dumped it on him. He didn’t recognize her, and was sure he’d never seen her before, and yet something about her tugged at him. He forgot about being angry and just concentrated on her.

She had obviously felt terrible about running into him and dumping the coffee on him. The way she scrambled around to help clean him up was kind of cute. It was also cute that she’d offered to buy him his coffee or pay for his dry cleaning. Like he couldn’t afford the five dollars either of those things cost.

By the time that incident had ended he would have been literally right on time or maybe just a couple minutes late at the most. Then he’d walked outside and heard the girl call her dog Bauer. He’d practically stopped in his tracks. It had piqued his curiosity and he had to ask her where she’d gotten the name from. The conversation just kind of took off from there.

Through the whole conversation he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d felt in the coffee shop. He didn’t know what exactly it was, or why she was making him feel it, but he was sufficiently intrigued. That must have been what made him ask her to dinner. It was also what made him late.

“Shit!” he yelled as he slammed on the brakes. He’d just passed the road to Walker’s house. First Misty made him late, now she was making him miss turns he could follow in his sleep. He pulled a three point turn and pulled into Walker’s driveway a minute later.

“You’re late!” Walked yelled as he threw a bag and cooler into the trunk.

“I know, I’m sorry,” Sidney apologized. Walker got into the passenger seat and looked over at him.

“What happened to you?” he asked looking down at the coffee stain.

“Someone spilled coffee on me this morning at the shop. It’s why I’m late,” Sidney explained.

“I’ll let you live this time then. I swear, if I had to look at anything else that was pastel in color I was going to go on a killing spree.” Sidney cracked a smile and pulled out of the driveway. When they reached his house their other friends Caden and Wesley were already there and standing outside their car.

“I thought you said 10:15?” Caden commented. Sidney groaned.

“I did. I’m obviously late.”

“Well hurry up. I’m hung over from last night and need to crack open a beer,” Wesley chimed in. They all laughed and Sidney ran inside to change and grab his stuff.

They hit the water not long after. Sidney turned off the engine in the middle of the lake and they just drifted and hung out. Sidney nursed the beers while his friends got trashed. He didn’t want to be a drunken mess when he went to dinner with Misty later. At five he started up the boat and drove back to the dock.

“Who wants to piss off Zara and order pizza and wings at my place?” Walker asked. Caden and Wes both agreed.

“Sorry guys, but I’m out. I have dinner plans,” Sidney declined.

“What, mommy and daddy are cooking for you again? Blow ‘em off. You see them all the time,” Caden told him.

“It’s not my parents,” Sidney said.

“What?! Who the hell else would you be grabbing dinner with? Is Pat in?” Wes asked, referring to his agent.

“It’s not Pat. It’s a girl I met today. She’s new to the area and I said I’d show her around a bit. And don’t start,” he warned. They didn’t listen. He was subjected to catcalls and whooping as he tied the boat to the dock and carried his stuff up to his house.

“Have fun on your date!” Walker yelled as he got into Caden’s car.

“It’s not a date!” Sidney yelled back. He shook his head as he watched them pull out and drive away. Then he made his way inside and began to get ready.










I was a little nervous as I got ready for dinner that night. What did one wear to their first dinner with Sidney Crosby? It was ridiculous for me to be worried about it, considering I’d dated a guy who’d spent time in the NHL and I knew better than most that hockey players were just normal guys with a strange career. Even so, it was Sidney Crosby.

I had never been one of those girls that really thought he was attractive. Despite being a hockey fan, I hadn’t paid much attention to him at all. Sure I knew all about the hockey stuff, and the guy had some sick moves, but that was about all I knew. In fact, I’d been one of those people slightly annoyed with all the Sidney Crosby advertising the NHL had done, but I understood the business part of it.

Now I was going to dinner with the guy. Honestly I didn’t know he was from Cole Harbour. I knew he was from Nova Scotia, but it was an enormous surprise to me to see him standing there looking down at the coffee stain on his shirt that I had put there. Never in a thousand years did I think I’d meet him like that. What were the odds?

I went light on the makeup and pulled my hair half up, clipping it in the back. I chose a purple summery dress and a white shawl to wear over it. Even though it had been pretty warm during the day I knew it would be cooling down in a hurry. I slipped on a pair of black flats and made sure Bauer had food and water before leaving.

Because it was a nice night, I decided to walk again. When I walked I could see more of the area and what was around than I could if I drove. I left with plenty of time to get there. I smiled at a group of kids playing street hockey as I passed and waved to the same older couple sitting on their porch that I had seen earlier. It was just before 7 when I walked up to our meeting spot. Just as I was about to check my watch I spotted Sidney walking up from the other direction.

“I like that you’re on time,” I said to him while smiling. He looked up and smiled back.

“I do my best.” We walked to the restaurant that was just down the road. He held the door open for me, which was sweet. I thanked him and walked in. He was greeted by name and we were seated immediately.

“Thanks again for inviting me out even though I ruined your shirt, which I’m still terribly sorry about,” I told him. He laughed.

“It’s really no big deal. Stop apologizing.”

“No more apologizing. Got it. So what do you recommend here?” I asked perusing the menu.

“You can’t go wrong with anything. There’s nothing fancy on the menu, but everything’s really good.”

“I don’t like fancy. I always feel out of place, like I’m going to use the wrong fork and get yelled at. I much prefer this kind of atmosphere where people aren’t too haughty to have a good laugh.” Sidney laughed and I smiled across the table at him.

“Can I get you two something to drink?” the waitress asked coming over to the table.

“Can I get a water, no lemon please?” I asked.

“I’ll have the same,” Sidney told her. She nodded and walked away.

“No lemon for you?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow. Most people always wanted lemon in their water.

“I don’t care either way. Why didn’t you want one?” he returned.

“Citrus fruits are like the devil to me. Except for kiwis. Kiwis are unreal,” I explained. He gave me a strange look but laughed.

“So you don’t like lemonade?”

“Oh, I love lemonade. It just better have a load of sugar in it.” He laughed again. The waitress came back with the waters and asked if we were ready to order.

“Are you ready?” he asked. I nodded.

“Can I get the honey barbecue chicken with a baked potato, nothing on it, and a Caesar salad to start? Thank you.” She wrote down the order and turned to Sidney.

“I’ll have the sirloin with mashed potatoes and a garden salad.” She took the menus and walked away to put in the order. “So where are you from?”

“New York. And if you ask me where in the city I’m from, I’ll hit you,” I joked.

“Okay, no city talk. Why not?” he asked.

“I grew up closer to Canada than New York City. Montreal was only two and a half hours away. New York City was four. People just always hear that I’m from New York and they automatically assume the city. It’s annoying. New York is a big state. Okay, now that I have that off my chest, are you from here or just living here now?” I asked returning the question.

“Born and raised here. I’ve gotta ask, what brought you here?” I sighed wondering how much of the story I wanted to get into.

“I’ve basically had a crappy past few months and needed to get away from everything. I randomly picked a spot on a map and it happened to be here,” I explained. Our salads were dropped off, but we continued talking.

“Kind of a random way to pick a place to move to, don’t you think?”

“I know, but I didn’t exactly have any place in mind. It’s not like I’ve moved here permanently. I’m just here for the summer. I head back home at the beginning of September.”

“Okay, one more question and then I’ll stop quizzing you, I promise. I really want to know the story on your dog’s name.” Oh man, I’d known Sidney for about 20 minutes and he was bringing up the tough subjects.

“I told you. After the equipment company. My ex named him,” I responded.

“Well, yeah, but how did he know about the company?”

“It’s not exactly an underground company. Just because it’s not Reebok doesn’t mean people don’t know it exists,” I snapped at him. I felt bad immediately because he didn’t know, and I took a deep breath to calm myself.

“Sorry,” he said and fell quiet. Thankfully the food came.

“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. Trust me, the last thing I want to do is alienate the only person I’ve met here within half an hour of hanging out with them. It’s just kind of a sore subject,” I apologized.

“I didn’t know. I’m sorry. We’ll change the subject,” he suggested. I felt like I owed him a little bit more.

“Ex talk isn’t usually the most fun topic to discuss when you first meet someone anyway, right?” He smiled over at me.

“I guess not. I just couldn’t stop thinking about his name. I’ve heard of a couple people naming their dogs Bauer, but they all played hockey.” I took another deep breath.

“Well, chalk this up as another one. Mason, my ex, plays.” Sidney looked surprised.

“He still plays?” I nodded. “Where?”

“Vancouver,” I told him while avoiding his eyes. I did not want him to think I was some rink rat.

“Mason Raymond?” he questioned. I nodded. He was quiet for a minute.

“Look you’re probably getting the wrong idea right now. I had no idea you lived here or even close to here. I certainly didn’t think you would invite me to dinner, but I wasn’t going to say no. I don’t know anyone here and I would have accepted a dinner request from some hoser who stopped me on the side of the road and asked, okay?” He burst into laughter. “What?”

“Did you seriously just say hoser?” he asked through his laughter.

“Oh, because I’m not Canadian I can’t say hoser?” He just kept laughing and shook his head. I began to laugh too, and I started to feel better.

“Why did you two break up?” he asked when he finished laughing. I took a bite of my chicken before answering.

“We were together for over two years and that’s when he decided to tell me he didn’t want to marry me. Ever.”

“I’m sorry.” I shrugged, trying to blow it off.

“So, what do you do for entertainment around here? Grilling a girl about her ex can’t be it?” I joked trying to lighten the mood. He smiled and laughed again.

The rest of the dinner went well. We stayed off all dating topics and Sidney told me a bit about Cole Harbour after I told him a bit about Saratoga, where I was from. We spent most of the night laughing and talking like we were old friends and not like we’d just met that day. It was nice to have a dinner with a new guy and not have the pressure of it being a date hanging over me.

“Did you walk here?” he asked when we got outside.

“I did.”

“Want a ride home?” he asked. I thought about turning him down, but felt the chill in the air and changed my mind.

“That would be great, thanks,” I accepted. He led me to his car and I froze when I saw it. “This is your car?”

“Yeah. Is something wrong?” I turned to look at him and shook my head.

“You should have your license revoked. You almost ran me over in the crosswalk this morning when I was heading into the coffee shop. Suddenly I don’t feel so bad about dumping coffee all over you,” I said sarcastically.

“I’m sorry. I was running late to meet some friends. I don’t normally drive like that,” he assured me. I gave him a skeptical look.

“Yeah, sure, you say that now that I’m getting in the car with you.” He laughed and I joined in.

He dropped me off and I thanked him before getting out. We exchanged numbers and he said he’d call and show me around Cole Harbour. I walked in the house and saw Bauer peeking his head around the corner from the hallway checking who was walking in the door. When he saw it was me he ran out and jumped up on me. Some guard dog.

Chapter 2

I yawned as I began to wake up. Bauer was curled up at the end of the bed but saw me move and hastily made his way up towards me. He’d obviously had enough of sleeping, and he showed me by nudging my arm so I would pet him. I smiled and did as he asked as he shook his tail so hard his whole butt moved back and forth.

“Good morning, sweet boy,” I said before giving him a kiss on the top of the head. He collapsed down next to me and rolled over so I would scratch his belly. This had become a daily routine. “Okay, let’s go.” With that he took off out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

I followed him in and opened the back door to let him out. I made my way over to the coffee maker and saw that it hadn’t made enough of my coffee for the second morning in a row. I’d had it set to start at 9 every morning for three cups, but it had apparently crapped out after just five days of use and was only making a cup. I guess that’s what I get for buying the cheapest one I could find.

Bauer came running back up to the screen door and let out a small bark. I smiled and let him in before pouring some hard food into his dish for breakfast. He hungrily began to gobble it up and I dumped out yesterday’s water and filled his bowl with some fresh water. I grabbed the cup of coffee and drank it quickly as I stood in the kitchen looking out the window. Then I made my way back into the bedroom and pulled out some clothes to put on.

I got dressed, put in my contacts, brushed my teeth, and threw my hair up into a messy bun. Before I made my way back into the living room I could already hear the squeaking of the toy Bauer had decided to pounce on. I grabbed the toy hedgehog and wrestled with him for it until he let it go. I threw it down the hallway and he gave chase.

“Wanna go for a walk?” I called out to him as he came trotting back into the living room. His tail immediately started wagging and he dropped his toy and ran over to his leash. “Good, because Mama needs coffee.”

I strapped his leash on him and we made our way out the front door. I’d only been in Cole Harbour for a week, but so far I liked it. It was a little strange to be someplace where you didn’t know anybody, but I’d never been afraid of a challenge. It was a beautiful day. Warm but not hot, a light breeze, and hardly a cloud in the sky.

It was about a 10 minute walk from my house into town, but I didn’t mind when the weather was like this. I made a mental note to go for a run later in the day, but first thing was first. I simply didn’t function if I didn’t get some coffee when I woke up.

Bauer started off a little anxious but eventually settled down into my slow pace. I wasn’t in a rush. He walked along the sidewalk sniffing just about everything in sight. We walked past an older couple sitting on their porch. They smiled and waved and I returned the gesture. People were so friendly here.

We got into town and I spotted the coffee shop I’d scoped out my first day here. It was always the first thing I found anywhere I went. Bauer and I reached the crosswalk and I stopped to see if there were any cars. Only a silver SUV of some kind was coming, but was far enough away. I tugged on Bauer’s leash and he followed me out into the road. I took a look at what I could now identify as a Range Rover and saw that it was coming much faster than I had thought. It also didn’t look like it was going to stop for us. I yanked Bauer back to the sidewalk just as the car sped by.

“Jerk,” I mumbled glaring at the car as it took a turn a little faster than necessary, tires squealing. I shook my head and crossed the street. I tied Bauer’s leash to a parking meter and walked inside.

“Hi, can I help you?” the girl behind the counter asked me when I got to the front of the line.

“Yeah, can I please have an egg and cheese croissant and two coffees? Black, please,” I ordered. Okay, so I probably like coffee too much. I guess you can compare me to Loralei Gilmore from Gilmore Girls. Give me coffee and give it to me strong.

“Sure thing.”

I handed her the money and moved to the side to wait for my order. My phone started to vibrate and I pulled it out of my pocket to see I had a text. Just then my coffees and breakfast sandwich came up and I struggled to balance all four objects. Thinking I had it all under control I turned to make my way out of the coffee shop. I kept my eyes on everything so I wouldn’t drop any of it, which was a bad play.

“Oof,” I said as I ran right into the person standing behind me. My phone fell to the floor with a clatter and one of my coffees opened and spilled all over the person. “Oh, God, I am so sorry!” I ran over to the counter and put the rest of the stuff down and grabbed a handful of napkins.

“It’s fine,” the guy huffed taking the napkins from my hand. I looked up at him and wanted to hit my head off of the wall. Great, scald Sidney Crosby. The NHL would love that.

“Really, I am so sorry. Did I burn you?” I asked using the remaining napkins in my hands to help wipe him off.

“No, thankfully.” He didn’t exactly sound thrilled, but hey, I couldn’t blame him.

“I am so embarrassed. I’m usually not that klutzy. I was just trying to do too much at once. Can I give you money for dry cleaning or buy you your coffee or something?” I asked. He looked away from his shirt for the first time and his eyes locked on mine.

“No, it’s fine. Really,” he assured me, his tone softening a bit.

“Okay, well, have a good day. I am so sorry.” I turned to grab my remaining coffee, sandwich, and phone.

“Aren’t you going to get another coffee to replace the one you spilled?” he called after me.

“I obviously don’t need another one. Sorry again,” I told him before walking out of the shop. I put my things down on the ground next to Bauer and began to untie his leash. When he was free I checked the text on my phone.

“How’s Cole Harbour?” Nick had asked. It’s fantastic! I just dumped coffee all over Sidney Crosby. I sighed and started to text him back when Bauer began to pull at his leash.

“Bauer, stop it!” I yelled at him as I struggled to get the text written.

“Is your dog’s name Bauer?” I heard a male voice ask. I snapped my phone shut mid-text when I saw Sidney standing in front of me with his own coffee in his hand.

“Uh, yeah, it is,” I replied glancing down at him.

“What did you name him after?” Was he seriously talking to me after I dumped burning hot coffee on him?

“The equipment company.” He gave me an odd look. Most people thought I’d named him after Jack Bauer from 24, but I’d never even seen an episode of the show.

“Nike Bauer?” he asked, like he didn’t know.

“Well, they’re not affiliated with Nike anymore, but yeah.” He gave me a small smile.

“Do you play?” What was this, 20 questions?

“No, I don’t. My ex named him,” I explained. Sidney nodded and came a few steps closer.

“He’s cute. How old is he?” Okay, was the guy going to say anything that wasn’t in the form of a question?

“A year and 3 months. I know, I sound like he’s my kid when I’m that specific.” He laughed and bent down to pet Bauer. Like he does every time someone he doesn’t know tries to pet him, he backed up and hid behind me. “Sorry, he’s really shy around people he doesn’t know.”

“It’s okay.” He straightened back up and looked at me again. “I’m Sidney.” Really? No shit. He held out his hand to me. I juggled the three objects in my hands to free up one of them.

“Misty.”

“Sorry if this sounds weird, but you seem new here.” Hey, no question, two sentences in a row!

“Is it that obvious?” I asked with a small laugh. He smiled. “I’ve only been here a week.”

“Oh yeah? How do you like it so far?” Well, that no question thing didn’t last long.

“I like it. I don’t exactly know where much is though. I’ve been trying to explore a little bit each day. It’s just kind of hard to know where to go when you’re here by yourself and you don’t know anything about it.” He raised an eyebrow.

“You’re here alone?” I nodded.

“Yeah, just Bauer and me. We thought we needed a vacation someplace new. Do you have any suggestions on anything to do, or any good places to eat?” Ha, my turn with the questions.

“There are a few things to do and places to eat. What are you doing tonight?” I was surprised not only by the fact that he had asked what my plans were, but by the fact that he managed to ask yet another question.

“Well, I was probably going to curl up on the couch, watch some TV, and hang out with Bauer,” I told him truthfully only realizing after I said it how lame it sounded.

“Well, if you’re not too dead set on that, why don’t you let me take you to one of those good places to eat?” Uh, what? This wasn’t really happening. Except for it was.

“Sure, that would be great. Thank you.” I wasn’t opposed to ever making new friends, and certainly not ones named Sidney Crosby. He gave me a time and told me to meet him right where we were now.

“I’ll see you tonight, Misty,” he said as he turned to walk in the opposite direction from me.

“Oh, Sidney!” I called after him. “What should I wear?” He turned back to me.

“It’s really casual. What you’re wearing now would be fine.” I looked down at my jeans, flip flops, and plain purple t-shirt.

“You’re not taking me to Tim Horton's are you?” I joked. He laughed.

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

“Good. I’ll see you at 7.” He gave a small wave and I turned and began my walk back home.

Chapter 1

I counted my tips for the night before reporting them and then got ready to leave. I hated waitressing, but it was something I needed to do to make some money before I found a permanent job or went back to school. Whichever came first. As I walked out of the restaurant and to my car I thought about the job and college search. Just a few months ago I wasn’t concerned about finding a job or going back to school. I didn’t need to be.

I pulled into the driveway and walked through the front door of my parents’ house. I was embarrassed about living there, to say the least. I was almost 22 and living at home. That in itself isn’t terribly embarrassing. The fact that I hadn’t been living with them for three years and now I was back was embarrassing.

I saw headlights sweep across the wall in front of me and turned to see my brother Nick’s car pulling into the driveway. It wasn’t embarrassing for him to be living at home, he was only 18. Lucky bastard.

“Hey, how was work?” I asked him as I made my way into the kitchen.

“I hate people,” he responded.

He was a waiter at a different restaurant. It must be nice to only have to be in that profession for a summer job, unlike me, who was forced to do it because I didn’t have my life figured out anymore. I opened the refrigerator and grabbed a two liter of Ginger Ale. I jerked my head towards my bedroom and he smiled at me. I walked into my room to change while Nick did the same.

A few minutes later he knocked on the door and I let him in. He greeted my dog Bauer, who was curled up on the futon that acted as my current bed as I pulled the bottle of Jim Beam out of my closet. Hiding alcohol when you were of legal age was another embarrassing part of living at home. While my dad was fine with it, my mom was the most anti-alcohol person I knew. It still didn’t stop me from stashing some in my room and sharing it with my underage brother.

“I just don’t understand why people go out to dinner when they’re in such shitty moods,” Nick groaned as he took the first sip of the whiskey ginger I poured him.

“People are assholes. Get used to it,” I told him.

He smiled and laughed. I turned on the television and began to flip through the channels. I stopped when I saw a replay of the Yankees game from earlier in the night. Nick groaned again.

“Are we seriously going to watch this?” Nick was a Mets fan. I don’t know where I went wrong.

"Of course we are, and you're going to like it." He mumbled something about them being an embarrassment to the sport. I didn't pay attention.

We sat and talked while getting drunk and watching TV. I was glad I was so close to my little brother. More often than not our nights drinking after bad days at work lasted until 4 or 5 in the morning, just before my parents woke up for work, when we were just too drunk to stay conscious.

We got talking about how depressing my life had been in the last four months. Three months ago I had a boyfriend and a life. I’d met Mason my freshman year at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Some guy came up to me at the dining hall and invited me to a party. I agreed, eager to make friends and was shocked when I’d shown up to the Bulldogs hockey team’s rookie party. I’d rolled my eyes as soon as I’d figured it out and put down the drink someone had handed me so I could leave. I loved hockey, but I didn’t love being fresh meat for the hockey team.

Just as I reached the door I felt someone’s hand grab my arm. I turned to see an attractive brunette standing in front of me. He begged me not to leave, and something about him made me agree to stay. I spent the rest of the night talking with Mason and he never once made me feel like fresh meat. Probably because he was a freshman as well. A few weeks of hanging out later and Mason and I were official. Things between us were perfect.

At the end of his sophomore year he left school to go pro. I was upset at first, until he asked me to go with him. I was only 19, almost 20, and I knew my parents would kill me if I left school. I also knew Mason was the guy I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and I was afraid if I didn’t go I’d lose him. He promised to take care of me, so at 19 I left school much to the disappointment of my parents. They’d expected more from the daughter who had graduated 11th in her class of 230. I’d only been .003 points from cracking the top 10 but I just couldn’t bring myself to care enough about physics during senior year to get there.

I followed Mason to Manitoba where he spent only part of the season. I was young and in a new country. The lifestyle was one I didn’t know if I’d ever get completely used to. Manitoba might have been the most miserable place on earth. I’d always wanted out of the cold and snow and somehow I ended up someplace worse than upstate NY.

Part of the way into the season Mason was called up to Vancouver. I hopped on a plane for free thanks to the clause in his contract that specified that the team would fly me out. I sat alongside his parents as I grinned at seeing “Raymond” splashed across the back of a Canucks jersey.

I always felt a little out of place sitting at the games with the rest of the wives and girlfriends of the players. Maybe it was because I didn’t like having to dress up to go to a hockey game. Maybe it was because I actually liked to watch the game instead of drink wine and gossip. Maybe it was because I was so much younger than most of them, and even the ones that were my age were engaged or married. No one takes you seriously when you’re just a girlfriend.

I’d gotten a waitressing job under the table in Manitoba that I’d had to quit with no notice because of the call up. I then managed to find another one in Vancouver that would also pay me under the table. Even though I had my own money, Mason never let me pay for anything. I guess he enjoyed spending his money on me.

“I’m in the NHL now. You shouldn’t even be working,” he’d say to me. Yeah, so I can sit on my ass going stir crazy with nothing to do. Fat chance.

While he was the same guy he’d always been with me, he enjoyed throwing his name and money around when it came to others. I always hated that about him. But thanks to him taking care of me and not having to pay taxes, I amassed quite a bit of money in my bank account. I always liked to claim that made me independent, but in the back of my mind I knew I was dependent on Mason for everything.

We’d often talk about our future. Even though I was young I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. We would talk about settling down, getting married, and having kids. Despite the fact that he always said that was what he wanted, he never seemed to get any closer to proposing. I tried not to worry about it, telling myself I was still really young, but I couldn’t help but notice everyone else around us was settling down when we weren’t. This past February I’d had it and asked Mason if he was ever going to buy a ring. He’d looked shocked with how blatantly I’d asked him and it took him a while to answer.

“Misty, I don’t want to marry you.” Well, happy Valentine’s Day to you too.

Just like that it was over. He hadn’t said he wasn’t ready, and he hadn’t said he didn’t want to get married. He had told me that he didn’t want to marry me. I’d wasted two and a half years on a guy who didn’t even want to marry me. Despite his begging I packed up my stuff and moved back home. I wasn’t sure why he tried to keep me there if he was just going to end the relationship at some point down the road, and I never asked him. Mason and I hadn’t spoken since.

“I need to get out of here,” I confessed to Nick. He smiled and nodded.

“Don’t we all.” I shook my head at him.

“You don’t understand. I have plenty of money. I should go somewhere for the summer. Just me and Bauer,” I told him. He laughed at me, thinking it was the alcohol talking.

“And where would you go?” he asked.

I didn’t answer him. I pulled out a map of North America that I had in my room, leftover from high school. I began ripping it into pieces. I made the pieces small enough so that there weren’t too many places on any individual piece. It took a while, but I had a plan. When I was done I threw the pieces into a hat, all while Nick watched me with wide eyes.

I shook the hat, closed my eyes and pulled out a piece. Then I stuck a pencil I’d chosen as a pointer on the piece before opening my eyes. I checked out the piece of map I’d pulled out and tried to figure out where the dot I’d made was located. I grabbed my laptop and brought up a map of the closest city. I scrolled to the east and found where I estimated the dot was.

“This is where I’m going,” I said pointing to the map on the computer screen.

Nick shook his head at me, clearly not believing that I was ever going to do this. I quit work the next day and then broke the news to my parents. They were speechless and clearly disappointed in me for the second time in their lives. Who just packed up and moved to a place with no friends, family, or job? I told them it was just for the summer to get away and find myself, but they didn’t understand.

I found a cute little cottage to rent online and sent in my deposit. On Memorial Day weekend I packed up my car, put Bauer in his bed in the backseat and began my trip. The weather was nice and I had a smile on my face as I drove with the windows down and music playing. I was heading to Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.