Crazy for Cole

by Willoughby, Kate

  “All right,” Stephanie said, consulting her clipboard. “Greg Hardaway? You’re up.”

  “Good luck,” someone said.

  Greg waved the colorful bouquet he had brought and strode confidently out of the room in Stephanie’s wake.

  The green room went virtually silent and everyone looked toward the monitor. The MC was a local news station personality, Maria Mendoza. Maria was beautiful and relaxed in front of the camera. She spoke for a few minutes about the battered women’s center and the work it did, and Cole ended up feeling a little better about this whole ordeal. At least he was helping a terrific organization, which in turn helped a lot of courageous women and their kids get back on their feet.

  A burst of loud techno dance music startled him out of his thoughts. Greg was being introduced. As he walked, he pulled the flowers out from behind his back and the women went crazy. They went even crazier when Maria mentioned that he was in the Navy. The guy was a freaking fighter pilot. Jesus. Way to start off with a bang.

  Cole suddenly felt inadequate.

  The next part was a little weird though, the date description.

  “Beforehand, Greg’s lovely date will have her tresses beautified and enjoy a massage at the Visions Salon. Then the two will enjoy two day-passes including equipment for Rock Solid Fitness, San Diego’s premiere rock climbing gym. Dinner afterward will be at the amazing Fernando’s.”

  So, the woman was going to get her hair done to go indoor rock climbing? Cole was suddenly glad he’d planned his own date and hadn’t been saddled with random donations that didn’t make sense. His date had an actual theme.

  As the bass-heavy music blared and the stage lights flashed, the bidding started on Greg and it was decent, in Cole’s opinion. All the bidders had programs, so they knew what was coming up, but apparently plenty of women wanted to go rock climbing with a fighter pilot.

  As Maria welcomed the winner to the stage where she and Greg hugged, Cole’s phone vibrated in his jacket pocket. Hope flared that it was Fedora. For the umpteenth time he wondered if the two of them would weather this. He was terrified she was washing her hands of Hat Trick and him all at once in a “been there, done that, moving on” maneuver. He honestly wouldn’t blame her if she did. He’d fucked things up royally.

  But the text wasn’t from Fedora. It was from his mom. Good luck, honey. I love you and am so proud of you.

  Damn.

  The auction continued. Competitive from birth, Cole evaluated each man, his date plans and his stage presence and decided his hockey date was solid—assuming the woman liked hockey—and he wasn’t cover-model handsome, but he wasn’t a dog either. And the women? From what he’d observed so far, they went gaga over every single man who’d gone out there. As Stephanie called his name to go “on deck,” even though he was as nervous as he’d ever been in his life, he was confident he wasn’t going to make an ass of himself.

  He was wrong.

  19

  On night of the bachelor auction, Fedora was tempted to go to Hat Trick because she knew Cole wouldn’t be there. She’d been avoiding him for a day and a half. She did have a lot to do, what with finding and setting up a meeting with a contract lawyer, like Slater had suggested, and Jenna was excited, eager, and so full of questions, it was easy to put off facing Cole.

  But the more time that passed, the more shitty she felt and tonight was his big night, the one he’d been so freaked out about. There was no way she could bail on him.

  Wanting to look her best, she put on the orange dress that he liked, spent some extra time on her hair and make-up, and spritzed on some perfume as well. She normally didn’t wear any kind of fragrance because colognes had no place in a professional kitchen where one’s sense of smell had to be firing on all cylinders. But tonight was different.

  She arrived at Club Maxx pretty late. She’d been about to leave when Kiefer came home from work, miserable from having caught some kind of fast-acting bug and begging for some of her fortifying chicken soup. The poor guy looked like death warmed over so she hustled around barefoot, throwing together soup from a block of broth she’d had in the freezer, assorted veggies, and some alphabet pasta from the pantry. Kiefer had a soft spot for alphabet soup.

  By the time she had him tucked into bed with the soup, some tea, and reruns of Friends, she was running half an hour late. When she got there, she looked around for Ruth, but the place was a madhouse, so she just sat down at the first open spot she could find, which was off on the side and in the back.

  Luckily she’d gotten there only one bachelor ahead of Cole. Relief flooded her. She had to face him one way or the other, but at least this way, she could say she’d been there to support him.

  When the MC, Maria Mendoza, announced his name, Fedora yelled and clapped wildly and when he actually appeared on stage, he took her breath away. It had been way too long since she’d seen him. Looking at pictures of him on her phone from their trip to Seattle didn’t compare. He looked so stinking handsome in his suit. He had a hockey stick in his hand and had pulled a puck from his pocket. That was sort of cute. He did have a hockey theme to his date, so that made sense.

  “And if you’re wondering why Cole has a hockey stick in his hand, it’s because this particular date is called Fun on the Ice. All you hockey fans out there, get your checkbooks out. This is the bachelor for you.”

  Fedora glanced around the table at the other women and did not like the eager expressions on their faces. She wanted to stake her claim and announce to all of them that Cole was hers, but obviously that would be counterproductive to making money for the charity, so she sat there and fumed.

  “Cole Ripley played on several teams in the National Hockey League during his twelve year career…”

  At that moment, Cole tossed the puck in the air and looked as if he was going to catch it with the blade of his stick, but missed. The puck landed on the floor and rolled about two feet before he could snatch it back up. Maria kept on talking as, clearly embarrassed, Cole tried again. This time he got the puck to bounce three times before it hit the ground again.

  Fedora’s heart went out to him. The music was blasting and the lights were flashing, but the energy in the room had plummeted. Even the polished mistress of ceremonies was faltering.

  With considerably less composure, Cole retrieved the puck for the second time. His face was the color of a habanero pepper. She herself was mortified, but he had to be feeling ten times worse.

  Just as he was poised to try one more time, his face grim but determined, Fedora stood up.

  20

  “OFREZCO MIL DÓLARES POR ESE HOMBRE!”

  Cole froze. So did Maria.

  He knew that voice. He searched the audience for her, but the lights were in his face and he couldn’t see.

  “I BID A THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THAT MAN!” Fedora repeated, louder and in English this time.

  A consummate professional, Maria took the ball and went with it. “I have a bid for a thousand dollars, ladies,” she said smiling. “Who’ll give me eleven hundred for this hot hockey hunk?”

  He gave up trying to juggle the puck and without thinking much about it, swiveled his hips suggestively. The women squealed.

  “Eleven hundred!” shouted a voice.

  “We have a bid for eleven hundred. Do I hear—”

  “Eleven fifty.”

  That was Fedora again, her voice clear and strong and maybe even a little angry.

  His confidence returning, he took a few steps forward, planted his stick in front of him and, knees bent, thrust his hips to the beat of the music. He was satisfied to hear more screaming. And more bids.

  Through it all, Fedora continued bidding. When it got to two thousand, he was running out of dance moves and was beginning to feel ridiculous. Thankfully, the pause after the last bid had grown long enough that Maria said, “Two thousand going once. Two thousand going twice. Sold, for two thousand dollars. Congratulations. Come up on stage so we can meet you.”

>   He still couldn’t see shit because of the spotlights, but he tried to anyway. There was a cacophony of music, applause and catcalls, and Cole barely registered it because, with a look of triumph on her face, Fedora came forward. She emerged from the darkness of the pit and came into view like an avenging angel. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, her color was high, and damned if she wasn’t wearing the orange nipple dress.

  21

  As soon as he could manage it, Cole took Fedora outside so they could talk. He’d had enough of the radio silence between them. It was time to hash things out.

  Outside of the club, the sudden quiet was refreshing. It was chilly and she had no jacket so he was treated to an encore performance of her nipples—a sight he’d never get tired of. Regardless, he did the gentlemanly thing and put his suit jacket over her shoulders.

  “Thanks,” she said. “I was in a hurry when I left and forgot to bring a sweater.”

  “It’s not a big deal.”

  Biting her lip, she raised her chin and said, “Cole, I came to tell you I’m sorry. I really screwed up.”

  He said nothing and she pulled his jacket tighter around her.

  “I should have talked to you,” she said. “I see that now, but when he first approached me, I wasn’t sure I was going to do it, so I figured ignorance is bliss and why upset you unnecessarily? Then, after I’d decided to take him up on his offer, I knew I needed to tell you, but…” She sighed. “I basically chickened out because I knew you wouldn’t like it.”

  “Damn straight I don’t like it.” He was glad he was able to keep his cool. Yesterday, he would probably have lost it.

  “I also was trying to keep my personal life separate. It’s my career, Cole, and I have a right to pursue whatever path I think is right.”

  “I’m not arguing that. Not at all. I would never think I had a right to dictate what you should or shouldn’t be doing with your career, but if we’re going to see where this goes, you and me, you need include me in the conversation, at least, as a sounding board.” Bracing himself against a sudden breeze, he took a deep breath and tackled the big question. “Do you want to see where this goes? Or is it over? Because honestly? I don’t think I can be with someone who doesn’t think I have anything to contribute on an issue this big. You shut me out and made me feel irrelevant.”

  “I made you feel irrelevant? Ha. That’s the pot calling the kettle black. You flat out told me to my face I wasn’t needed.”

  He winced. “I did, didn’t I? Sorry. Sometimes when I’m angry stupid shit comes out of my mouth.”

  “You’re a man,” she said with a shrug. “It’s expected.”

  “Touché.”

  As the music from the club continued to pound along with feminine shrieks and squeals, Fedora stood, wrapped in his jacket, looking so beautiful and vulnerable he wanted so much to pull her into his arms.

  “So, are we good?” she asked, uncertainty shadowing her eyes. “Because, you know, I did just pay two thousand dollars to go on a date with you.”

  He gave a soft laugh and took a step toward her. The next thing he knew, she had her arms around his waist and her face tucked into his neck. God, it felt good to hold her again. He didn’t want to ever let go.

  “Seriously though,” she said, “I promise to talk to you from now on when something important comes up. I do value your opinion.” She tipped her face up to look at him. “Very much.”

  “And I promise to be cordial to Anson the next time I see him, which might be much more often than I’d anticipated. I think he and my mom are dating.”

  Fedora gasped. “What? When did this happen?”

  “I’m not sure. Remember in Seattle when he said he had to stop in San Francisco before going back to San Diego? I think he was visiting my mother. She missed dinner at Jade West, but they had lunch together a couple days later.”

  “Are you upset?” she asked, genuine concern on her face.

  “A little. I don’t know this guy from Adam and all of a sudden, he’s inserted himself into the lives of the two women I care about most.”

  “He’s a good guy. The lawyer I talked to said the contract terms are more than fair. You’ll see.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t want to talk about him right now.”

  “I can understand that,” she said. “You probably want to go practice your puck juggling.”

  “Shit, wasn’t that just a total clusterfuck?” He cupped her face and kissed her. “Thank you for rescuing me. I needed it, but you know, you could have easily stopped after that first bid. Once I started gyrating with these heavenly hips of mine, I had those women in the palm of my hand.”

  She scoffed and grabbed him by the lapels. “Give me a break. You think I want to share you? Ha. There was no way I was going to let one of those crazy women get a crack at you. You’re all mine, mister.”

  She said it flippantly, but he heard he question in her voice. Did he feel the same way? Hell yes.

  “Then it’s mutual,” he said, touching his forehead to hers. “I don’t want to share you either.”

  As she closed her eyes, a smile playing across her lips, he kissed her again, a little longer this time. God, it felt good. Her body fit so perfectly against his and with each moment that passed, he felt a little more settled, like his life was getting back to normal. And he liked the idea of a normal that included kissing Fedora.

  * * *

  The End

  Also by Kate Willoughby

  I hope you enjoyed reading about Cole and Fedora. Crazy for Cole is the second story in my Hockey on Tap series. Falling for Flynn is already available. Seduced by Slater will be the third novella.

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  If you like hockey romance, please try my In the Zone series. I also have a fun and light paranormal series about a wacky wish fairy who believes it’s her mission in life to help human couples find their true loves.

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  The Hockey on Tap Series

  Falling for Flynn – Flynn and Tracy

  Crazy for Cole – Cole and Fedora

  Seduced by Slater –Coming Soon

  * * *

  The In The Zone Series

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  On the Surface – Tim and Erin

  Across the Line – Calder and Becca

  On the Brink (prequel novella) – Hart and Jeremy

  Out of the Game – Alex and Claire

  Under the Spotlight – Joe and Christine

  * * *

  The Be-Wished Series

  Once Upon a Fling – Tucker and Mariah

  Once Upon a Wolf – Adam and Paige

  Once Upon a SEAL – Jack and Livvy

  Once Upon a Hero – Davina and Laszlo

  * * *

  Standalones

  Losing It – Adam and Charlotte

  Hostile Takeover – Rockwell and Fiona

  Leap of Faith – Amaru and Kira

  Fit to Be Tied – Max and Sadie

  A Man of Vision – Cristoforo and Delphine

  Carnal Devotions – Nathan and Annie

  * * *

  Please sign up for my newsletter if you’d like to receive the free epilogue for Fedora and Cole and information about my new releases.

  Acknowledgments

  This book wouldn’t have been possible without the help of many people. First of all, congratulations to Fedora Chen for winning the “I’ll name a character after you” prize from the 500 Sinners party. I hope you’re happy with the result. Thank you, Amanda Gaskin, for helping me choose a neighborhood for Fedora to live in. I am grateful to Laura Flores Omelas, Beth Farkas, and Becki Backus Winckler for their help with the Spanish. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Greg Akahoshi, a wonderful chef and a rabid LA Kings fan. Finally, Melanie Ting, Lee Souleles, and Kimberly Cannon, you ladies rock.

  About the Author

  An Uncensored Man Banter™ enthusiast, Kate Willoughby happily, maybe even obsessively, writes her hockey romances in Southern California. She likes cooking an
d watching cooking shows like Top Chef, The Pioneer Woman and Chopped. She reads all kinds of books—romance, first and foremost; thrillers; biographies; science fiction and fantasy; and hockey non-fiction.

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  Kate is also a rabid LA Kings fan. Her collection of memorabilia is getting to the point where she’s going to have to dedicate valuable bookshelf real estate to it. The current piece de resistance is a signed photograph of Dustin Brown with the Stanley Cup raised over his head. Yes, he’s shirtless. Yes, she gazes at it a lot.

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