After a rocky start, Savannah Wells finally has everything she wants in life: family, friends, a cat, and her ice hockey team. If she could only convince her mother to stop setting her up on increasingly awkward blind dates, life would be perfect.
Professional photographer Madison Scott isn’t going to settle for less than the happily ever after she reads about in romance novels. But her new next-door neighbor is sexy as hell, so when Savannah suggests a fake relationship in hopes of getting her mother to stop interfering in her private life, Maddie’s all in.
When fake dating, fake kissing, and forced proximity start to feel a lot like falling in love, Savannah and Madison will need to face off and decide if exchanging pretend for reality is really possible.
What Reviewers Say About PJ Trebelhorn’s Work
Twice in a Lifetime
“Twice in a Lifetime is a sweet and easy read with two likable characters whom readers will root for. Featuring a widow and a police officer who share the same tragedy, the book deals with their intertwining backstory tenderly and thoughtfully. Twice in a Lifetime also features a compelling antagonist, a welcome dash of action and great explorations of power dynamics within lesbian relationships.”—RT Book Reviews
The Right Kind of Wrong
“[A] nice, gentle read with some great secondary characters, easy pacing, and a pleasant writing style. Something you could happily read on a lazy Sunday afternoon.”—Rainbow Book Reviews
“PJ Trebelhorn has written a romantic, sexy story with just the right amount of angst.”—Kitty Kat’s Book Review Blog
“Quinn has had her heart broken in the past and to avoid it happening again decides to enjoy life as a player. She’s always had feelings for her best friend Grace but when they met they decided to be friends and Quinn will always honor that commitment. Grace however is only now realizing twenty years later that she has maybe had feelings for Quinn all along…but can she take a chance on them losing their very close friendship? The love story between these two characters is well formed and you can understand their feelings for one another as well as knowing the inner turmoil of potentially losing your best friend. …”—Les Rêveur
Taking a Gamble
“This is a truly superb feel-good novel. Ms Trebelhorn is obviously an accomplished writer of engaging and riveting tales. Not only is this a very readable novel but it is full of humour and convincing, beautifully written and conceived realities about falling in love for the first time.”—Inked Rainbow Reads
Desperate Measures
“I love kick-ass police detectives especially when they’re women. This book contains a superior specimen of the breed.”—Rainbow Book Reviews
From This Moment On
“From This Moment On is a fine read for coping with loss as well as being a touching lesbian romance tale.”—Midwest Book Review
“…Trebelhorn created characters for From This Moment On that are flawed, faulted and wholly realistic: While many of the characters are struggling with loss, their unique approaches to dealing with it reveal their weaknesses and give the reader a deeper appreciation of the characters…From This Moment On…tells a gripping, emotional story about love, loss and the fusion of the two.”—Philadelphia Gay News
Face Off
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Face Off
© 2019 By PJ Trebelhorn. All Rights Reserved.
ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-481-6
This Electronic Original Is Published By
Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 249
Valley Falls, NY 12185
First Edition: December 2019
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
Credits
Editor: Cindy Cresap
Production Design: Susan Ramundo
Cover Design By Melody Pond
By the Author
From This Moment On
True Confessions
Missing
Trusting Tomorrow
Desperate Measures
Up the Ante
Taking a Gamble
The Right Kind of Wrong
Twice in a Lifetime
On the Fly
Face Off
Acknowledgments
Even after this, my eleventh book, I remain in awe that I’ve been so lucky to be a part of the Bold Strokes family. My eternal thanks goes out to Radclyffe, Sandy Lowe, and everyone else who works in the background to make things run so seamlessly.
Thank you to my editor, Cindy Cresap, who makes the editing process virtually painless. You’re a rock star!
I also have to thank my sister, Carol; my chosen family, Susan and Harvey Campbell; and my wife, Cheryl. Your support means the world to me, and I thank you all.
But most of all I thank you, the readers, who make all of this possible. Thank you for the notes via Facebook and email to let me know you’ve enjoyed my books. As long as you keep reading, I’ll keep writing.
Dedication
For Cheryl, always
Chapter One
Savannah Wells loved her job. Both of them, actually. By day, she was a veterinarian, but at night, she was living her dream as a semiprofessional ice hockey player. The designation of “semipro” was simply because she was a woman. She had no doubt if she was a man, she’d be at least in the minor leagues. Hockey had been her one true love for as long as she could remember. Her parents nurtured that love, and she knew she’d never be able to thank them enough for all their support.
Of course, that didn’t stop them from trying to come up with ways for her to thank them.
“When are you going to get married and give us grandchildren?” her mother Lisa asked one Saturday afternoon in late June when Savannah came over for their weekly lunch date. Sometimes it was brunch, but usually just lunch.
“I’m not,” Savannah replied with a shake of her head. Long-term in regard to relationships had never been on Savannah’s radar. Maybe someday, if the right woman came along, but she really didn’t see it happening anytime soon. Mostly because she wasn’t even looking. In fact, she was actively not looking.
“Why are you so cynical when it comes to love?” her other mother, Faith, asked from her seat across from Savannah as she took another spoonful of potato salad from the bowl in the center of the table.
“I don’t know. Why are you both so adamant about me getting married?” Savannah tried to sound serious, but they knew she was teasing them, as this was the standard conversation whenever they got together. Not a week went by without them asking about the state of her love life. Or lack thereof, as was the case.
“Come on, Vanna,” Faith said with a smirk, knowing how much she hated the nickname. It always made her think of Vanna White.
“We just want you to be as miserable as we are.” Lisa chuckled as she blew a kiss to Faith.
“You two make me miserable enough as it is,” Savannah said. “Who needs a wife when I already have two women nagging the hell out of me all the time?”
Savannah smiled at them, enjoying the easy way they were with each other. While it was true her moms had only been legally married for four years, they’d been living together for over three decades. They met three
years before Savannah was born. Savannah always hoped she’d one day find the kind of love her moms had. So far, at least, that hadn’t worked out so well.
“I think your mother has another blind date for you,” Faith said with a wink before shoving a forkful of potato salad into her mouth.
“No,” Savannah said, shaking her head adamantly. Lisa was looking at her with the pleading expression she’d seemed to have perfected over the years. Savannah shook her head again, but never broke eye contact. “Just…no. I don’t need help finding dates.”
“You’re never going to meet a girl to settle down with in those clubs you go to,” Lisa said.
“I’m not looking for anyone to settle down with, and need I remind you that you guys met in a club like the one I go to?”
“First of all, I don’t think the clubs back then were anything like they are now,” Faith said. “And second, there weren’t a whole lot of options for meeting other lesbians back then.”
“Okay, I understand that,” Savannah said in her way of conceding the point. “But I really don’t like blind dates. At all. Seriously.”
“What could it hurt?” Lisa held a hand up to stop Savannah from answering right away. “How could meeting new people possibly be a bad thing?”
“Do I really need to point out the blind date disasters you’ve set me up on in the past?” Savannah tried not to laugh when Faith snorted and covered her mouth. Lisa just stared at her for a moment before motioning for her to go ahead. Savannah sighed and leaned back in her chair. “What about the one who wanted to move in with me the same night we met? No, actually a mere ten minutes after we met. She insisted we’d known each other in a former life and were destined to be together.”
“Or the one who was a mime?” Faith laughed, and Savannah couldn’t help but join her. Lisa simply stared at them both with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Oh, my God, she showed up wearing her mime makeup and clothes and wouldn’t say a word the entire evening,” Savannah said, doubling over in her chair.
“And let’s not forget Chris,” Faith said, wiping tears from her eyes.
“Okay, that one wasn’t funny.” Savannah sobered quickly and shook her head.
“It kinda was,” Faith said. “Maybe not at the time, but it is now. Admit it.”
Savannah shook her head but snorted with the effort of trying to keep her expression neutral, because yeah, since some time had passed, it was funny. Kind of.
“You two are hilarious,” Lisa said, still looking as serious as could be, which caused even more laughter.
“Lisa, Chris was a guy,” Savannah pointed out. “I still don’t get how that happened.”
“It was a misunderstanding.” Lisa was smiling now too, and Savannah pressed a hand to her side because it was starting to hurt from laughing so hard. “She was talking to me about her daughter, and then she said Chris would probably love to meet you. How did I know my boss was suddenly referring to her son?”
“Thank God he was a good sport about it,” Savannah said with a chuckle. “I could go on—”
“And on, and on,” Faith added.
“And on,” Savannah said with a nod. “But I don’t think I can handle any more laughing today. Just please, stop, Lisa.”
Some of Savannah’s friends thought it was odd for her to call her moms by their first names, but it had been their idea from the beginning. They said it helped to avoid any unnecessary confusion for all of them, so she’d always addressed them by name.
“Fine, I know when I’m not wanted.” Lisa stood and carried her empty plate into the kitchen. Savannah started to stand in order to go after her, but Faith placed a hand on her forearm and shook her head.
“I need to tell her we were just teasing her,” Savannah said.
“She knows, honey.” Faith had more gray hair than brown now, but she still didn’t look a day over fifty, even though she was knocking on sixty’s door. She nodded once and released her hold on Savannah’s arm. “Lisa’s a master of manipulation. You should realize that by now. She knows you’ll feel bad for hurting her feelings and you’ll run right out there after her. Just let her be for a minute, and she’ll be back.”
Sure enough, less than a full sixty seconds later, Lisa rejoined them at the table, and began eating again.
“Are you two done making fun of me?” she asked after a few moments of silence.
“No one’s making fun of you, Lisa,” Faith said, covering her hand with her own. “We were simply pointing out how your blind date attempts for our daughter haven’t really worked out too well in the past. You can admit that’s true, right?”
“No,” Lisa said, but it was apparent to Savannah she was trying hard not to smile. Savannah watched her for a moment until Lisa finally started to laugh. “The mime was pretty damn funny.”
“You know what wasn’t so funny though? The stalker chick. It took months to get rid of her, and you promised after that one you’d stop.” Savannah looked between the two of them, all mirth disappearing from the table. She hoped they would remember the fear they all felt when the woman refused to take no for an answer. Savannah had actually worried she would break into her house one night while she was sleeping and murder her. She’d even gone as far as to spend most nights at Lisa and Faith’s house.
She’d been convinced that particular incident would have been enough for Lisa to stop trying to set her up, but it seemed as though she was going right back to doing it on a weekly basis, if not more often. Savannah was getting dangerously close to her breaking point. She was sure Faith knew it, but Lisa was a little hard-headed when it came to wanting Savannah to find a relationship that would last.
They finished eating and Savannah helped clean the kitchen before she finally decided it was time to get home. Her cat, named Leo because he looked so much like a lion when he was a kitten, would be mad at her for being gone so long, as he always was. When the team went on a road trip, he came and stayed with his grandmas and was spoiled rotten.
“Your brother and his wife are coming for the Fourth,” Faith said as they walked her to the front door. “Should we expect you?”
“And a date, perhaps?” Lisa added with a hopeful tone.
“The team has to be at the carnival for most of the afternoon, but I’ll be here after it. Just don’t count on a date,” Savannah said with a slight chuckle and a roll of her eyes only Faith could see since she was hugging Lisa good-bye at the time. “Would it be okay if I invited Lori Abbott and her kids?”
“Court’s sister? Absolutely,” Lisa said as she released her. “She’s always welcome here.”
“I sometimes think you’d prefer Court as your daughter over me.” Savannah smiled at what had been a running joke between them for years.
“When is her wedding?” Faith asked.
“July twenty-eighth,” Savannah answered. “That way they can go on their honeymoon and be back to Chicago in time for Court to be at training camp. And before you ask, they’ll be here a week before the actual date so they can tie up any loose ends in the planning department.”
“I hope you’re planning a hell of a bachelor party for her,” Faith said with a wink.
“Not me,” Savannah said. “Gail is standing up for her, so it’s on her.”
Savannah, along with her own best friend, Kelly Rawlins, were Court’s line mates on the Kingsville Warriors for more than five years and had become good friends with her on and off the ice, but Court’s best friend had been Gail Crawford, the Warriors’ head coach, for the better part of twenty years. Truth be told, it didn’t bother Savannah one bit that Court had asked Gail to stand with her at the wedding. As far as she was concerned, it was too much pressure to make sure everything went right. All she had to do was show up and have a good time.
“Kelly’s coming over this afternoon, so I have to get going,” Savannah said.
“Kelly’s a nice young woman,” Lisa said, and Savannah banged her forehead on the door a couple of times. “I�
��m just saying.”
“She is a nice young woman, Lisa,” Savannah said. “But she’s like a sister to me. You know that. It is never going to happen.”
“You can’t say I didn’t try.”
Savannah heard this last bit as she pulled the front door closed behind her. She knew she was lucky to have parents who supported her in everything she did in life, but Lisa really needed to keep her matchmaking ambitions to herself.
Chapter Two
“Damn, Van,” Kelly Rawlins said from where she was standing by the front window. “Have you seen your new neighbor? Yummy.”
Savannah walked over to stand next to her and gazed out the window to the house next door. All she could see were guys at the moment, so she bumped her shoulder into Kelly’s and smiled.
“You aren’t switching teams on me, are you? Because I only see an ungodly amount of testosterone over there.”
“You know me better than that,” Kelly said with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure they’re all professional movers. I’m hoping the one woman I saw is moving in there alone. She’s enough to give you wet dreams for a month of Sundays.”
“Yeah? Get the hell out of my way.” Savannah shoved her aside and then laughed at Kelly’s look of indignation. She shook her head and walked back toward the kitchen. She’d known the house had sold, but Gail, the seller’s Realtor, hadn’t given her the heads-up about whether or not it was a single woman—lesbian or not—who’d bought the place. It didn’t matter though. “I don’t care how hot or not she is, she’s off limits to both of us. You know the rules.”
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