She's Got Game Read online

  “Holly, I know Lucas let you down. It’s hard to get back out there after someone betrays your trust. We’ve all been there. But if you go looking for a reason to reject every guy you meet, I promise, you’ll find one. You can’t assume everyone is a cheater because of one bad experience.” Her tone softened. “Look, I’m not saying you have to marry any of these guys. One day, maybe, sure. All I’m saying is, it’s time to get back on the horse. Go on a few dates. Meet some people. Get out of your self-imposed isolation. If love develops down the road, great. But that’s not the goal right now.”

  She was right, of course, but I didn’t want to admit it. “It’s just so hard to tell with guys online.”

  “Right. It’s hard to tell with people online. And cute guys in game stores. And people you meet in bars. Come on, what does a guy have to do to get your attention?”

  At her words, a face swam before my eyes, unbidden. Early forties, dark hair, an easy smile, brown eyes, and completely gorgeous. The one guy who monopolized my attention without even knowing it, who made it impossible for me to pay attention to other guys I met. Who I secretly compared every single online profile to on the one night Gwen and I surfed the dating sites. Also the one guy I could never, ever be with. And the one guy Gwen couldn’t know I had a hopeless crush on. She’d never understand. Besides, it didn’t matter. Nothing was going to happen. He didn’t have the slightest interest in me.

  A knock on the front door saved me from following that train of thought further. I thought about ignoring it. Our fourth and fifth players should be arriving together, since they lived on the same block, and as owner, John had a key. But since I stood in plain view, hiding wouldn’t work unless I froze and pretended to be a cardboard cutout. Of what, I didn’t know.

  “Sorry,” I called without looking up. “We’re closed.”

  The knock sounded again, louder. “Holly? It’s me.”

  Scarves and wind had a way of distorting voices, so I didn’t recognize the speaker immediately. It must be one of the regulars. I loved our regulars, and I couldn’t ignore any of them. But I had a game to get to, and it was after closing. This person needed to come back tomorrow.

  The customer stood with his or her back to the door, a bulky jacket and hat obliterating most of their form. Welcome to Boston in the winter. Everyone looks identical, the stream of people becoming a sea of black coats, hats, and gloves. Except Shannon, who stood out because of her sheer volume of clothing and six foot-frame.

  Then the customer turned around, grinning at me, and I recognized him. A wide smile broke out across my face at the sight of Gwen’s dad, Nathan. My traitorous body reacted this way every time he was around. Not because we were friends and he’d become my landlord, but because he was ridiculously hot—also funny, smart, charming….

  At first, it had been kind of a joke. Whenever Gwen mentioned her dad, I threw in a “Daddy McHotCakes” comment, and she’d shrug it off. Nathan was forty-four years old, with two successful auto shops and a fully-grown child. He wouldn’t have the slightest interest in dating someone my age, making minimum wage in a dead-end job. Especially not his daughter’s friend. But sometimes, I wished I could find a guy with his rugged good looks and a smile reminiscent of McDreamy from Grey’s Anatomy.

  Ah, well. Maybe Gwen was right; it was time to start dating again. My virginity had probably grown back, and I hadn’t even considered dating anyone since my ex, if you didn’t count the completely inappropriate crush on Daddy McHotCakes here.

  Gwen tolerated my comments, but if I ever hit on her dad, she’d be horrified. Not to mention how embarrassing it would be to get turned down flat by the first guy I asked out…in my entire life, actually. My ex and I started dating in high school. He’d made the first move. On me and half the other women in the greater Boston area, it turned out.

  Ordinarily, I’d be happy to chat with Nathan, but not when a shiny new game beckoned and his daughter stood behind me. Unfortunately, he was one of the store’s best customers, my roommate, and my friend. I couldn’t let him in, but I also couldn’t be rude to Nathan, of all people. I cracked the door, leaving my foot wedged behind it. “Hey. Sorry, we just closed.”

  His brow furrowed. “I know. That’s why I’m here.”

  “You’re here because you want to talk to me when the store’s not open?” My traitorous pulse quickened just a smidgen at the idea.

  “No, Gwen invited me to join the game. It’s cold. Let me in.”

  My already-high spirits soared. Oh, goody. Suddenly, the game came with eye candy, the one thing it had been missing.

  About the Author

  Laura Heffernan once broke up with her now-husband during a board game after realizing that he was ahead 96-3. She hasn’t played that particular game since. Her best friend still talks about the Great Uno Card Throwing Incident of 2003. Yet, somehow, Laura insists that she is incredibly gracious whether winning or losing. She lives in the northeast with her husband, new baby, and two furry little beasts.

  Laura loves connecting with readers. Find her on her website, lauraheffernan.com, Facebook, facebook.com/lauraheffernanbooks, or on Twitter at twitter.com/LH_writes, where she spends far too much time tweeting about reality TV and Canadian chocolate.