And to be honest, I’m done.

This one hurt. Not the way that it hurt with Troy. This one burned deep in my heart, slicing through all the layers, down to the very core. Making it seem that what happened with Troy years ago just barely grazed the surface.

August was a liar, and he was heartless.

I’d come here for retribution and instead, I got a sharper knife in the heart by his replica.

22. August

22

“About time you came out with us August,” Simon and Ryan held up their beers from across the high table at the local bar. We were in a closed-off VIP section to avoid the crowd, but there were other players around.

We just won another game, getting us one more closer to first place. We just needed to win Friday’s game.

“You coming back Friday?”

“You bet,” I held up my beer and took a long sip. A good cold one felt good once in a while.

“Dude I can’t believe you tricked me out that night at Finnigan’s. I thought you didn’t know shit about hockey.”

I chuckled. “I bluff for a living, Ryan.”

I had to admit, it had been fun to shoot around a puck with the big boys compared to my college days.

“Well you’re in the wrong business,” he reminded me.

“I happen to love my job.” But the view from my office and the growing bank account didn’t compare to the exhilarating feeling I got from being on the ice again.

“You got a girl?”

I wasn’t as old as some of these guys. Though I felt it most days. They were in their late twenties, some married.

“No.”

“What about that girl you brought to the game? The blond. She’s hot.”

“It’s not going to work out.”

After I dropped her off on Sunday, I spent the rest of the day pacing my apartment feeling guilty for God knows what. She was upset. That much was clear.

What had gotten her so upset?

And why did she cancel on Troy? On me?

I ran a hand across my face. This was all getting out of hand.

I needed to go see her, to tell her the truth once and for all…to tell her I was the one she wanted—not the loser who threw away every good thing he ever had.

But who was I to stand in the way of Harper and Troy being together?

Maybe the fact that you already slept with her?

I’d gone as far as taking her to bed believing she somehow realized. But after accepting Troy’s invitation, I knew I’d made a mistake. I selfishly made the excuse for us and then blamed her for it.