The Rebound: A Rochester Riot Sports Romance Read online

  THE REBOUND

  A Rochester Riot Hockey Romance

  Book 3

  By

  Colleen Charles

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Foreword

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Epilogue

  Foreword

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  Chapter One

  “You look gorgeous.”

  “You think so?” Sophia Robertson asked with a sigh. Hannah didn’t think she’d ever seen her sister this beautiful, this happy. Hearing her words evoked a quiet satisfaction, as did the way the soft swish of satin caressed Sophia’s skin, skimming every curve of her body. A stab of jealousy started in Hannah’s spine and traveled outward to cause some annoying tingles in her limbs.

  Bitten by the green-eyed monster again.

  It seemed she could never live up to her sisters. Not Eloise and her intelligent capabilities or Sophia and her romantic softness. Hannah glanced down at her fit and trim body. She’d never have what Eloise and Sophia had without a visit to the plastic surgeon, and who wanted to carve themselves up in the name of beauty? She could almost hear her mother’s admonishments blistering her ears even though she’d already left her daughters alone in the bedroom.

  “I’ve always thought so,” Eloise said, interrupting Hannah’s inappropriate thoughts as she spun Sophia around. “Wedding or no wedding, Phil Pomeroy is getting the most beautiful girl in the world. Inside and out.” El’s arms went around Sophia’s neck, enveloping her in sisterly love. “I love the dress.”

  “Me too,” Sophia gushed. “I can’t believe it’s tomorrow. I’ve waited so many years for this, El. You can’t even imagine…”

  “Oh, but I can imagine. You forget that I’ve been exactly where you are, little sister. Thinking I might never get the love I so richly deserve. But I’ve had my happily ever after and now you’re getting yours. I wish you nothing but happiness, Soph. You deserve it.”

  Hannah approached Eloise and draped her body over both of them. “Group hug, Robertsons! I’m in the room, too. Or have you already forgotten your poor, lonely, pathetic single sister? Just because I don’t have some hot guy to bang every time I’m horny doesn’t mean I’m not part of the family.”

  Sophia and Eloise enveloped Hannah in their tear-jerker moment, and they stayed that way in a ring of arms and emotion until Eloise finally broke away to dab at her eyes. Sophia extended an arm to her. “Oh, come here, Hanna-bee. We wouldn’t let you miss out on a thing. We love you more than anything. The Three Robertson Girls until the end!”

  Hannah returned the smile and leaned in to give Eloise a kiss on her cheek, her long blonde waves falling into her sister’s face as she did so. Eloise blew the hair off her nose with a hiss of breath, causing Hannah’s hair to fly so far backward it flounced through the air. The sisters laughed and bumped fists.

  “You’d better not ever forget about me,” she said, tucking the errant locks behind her ears. “You’ve both left me behind in the romance department, eating your dust. I have to live vicariously through your love lives.”

  And even her sisters didn’t know how desolate it really was. She crawled across a barren, arid desert while her sisters traipsed through an English garden complete with floral circlets and tambourines, colorful ribbons in their wake.

  After their embrace – an unbreakable ring of love that felt stronger than any wedding band – Eloise clucked her tongue and looked at Hannah with concern.

  “You’ll find the right man someday, Hannah,” Sophia said. “Just you wait and see. You’re only twenty-three, for heaven’s sake. Plenty of time. And you’ve got grad school ahead of you. Tons of smart, talented guys on campus, you lucky thing. Wish I could do college all over again. I’d do it right this time.”

  Hannah rolled her eyes. “What would you do over?”

  Sophia grinned. “Can you believe I never went to a toga party, and I never had a one-night stand? Now, I’m afraid that ship has sailed. Only one man for me for the rest of my life. You should kick it hard while you’re young and you still can. Besides, since you’re the youngest, mom stays off your case. Mostly.”

  “Are you kidding, Soph?” Hannah said with a laugh, breaking free from her sisters. “She’s laser focused on me now that both of you are honest women. She wants to dig her nose into all of my business, and she can track mischief like a bloodhound on an escapee’s scent. After the wedding, she’ll be coming at me full force. Just because you’ve found your destiny with ol’ Philbert, doesn’t mean she’ll completely let you off the hook.”

  Eloise laughed and Hannah turned toward her. “And you… you’ve snagged the hottest hockey hunk of all time. That Fiorino dude didn’t take long to lock shit down.”

  Eloise just beamed, her smile brighter than the sun. “Lock shit down? For a soon to be grad student, you sound more like a middle schooler,” she said. “But Cole and I married at exactly the right time. We both just knew we didn’t want to wait. Since our wedding, there hasn’t been time for much else besides renovating the restaurant and running the marketing campaign. Cole’s already in pre-season practice, so I’m pretty much carrying the puck, so to speak. But I admit that I really love my new gig as wife and business owner.”

  “That’s not all you’re carrying,” Sophia said with a knowing smile, carefully removing her wedding dress and hanging it in its place of honor in the closet until the next day. “And I, for one, can’t wait to meet the new addition.”

  El glanced down and stroked a palm over her rounded belly and shook her head. “My life is blessed. After everything I went through back in high school… let’s just say I’m filled with gratitude for everything.”

  Hannah rolled her eyes. “I think I’m going to drown in all this blessedness,” she said with a mock sigh while waving a hand across the room. “Girls just want to have fun, you know. Even I have heard the anthem of Cyndi Lauper.”

  “We’d never leave you behind, Hanna-bee. You know that,” Sophia said. “You go out and have your fun, and we’ll support you. We’ll even try to divert mom’s attention so you can do whatever it is you college girls are doing nowadays. Just don’t visit that smarmy Ivy League school. I’m still shocked by that disgusting video of those frat boys there. Can you believe such an exclusive and admired institution could have something like that happen?”

  Eloise scrunched up her nose and pouted. “I know. Vile. Absolutely despicable.”

  Hannah looked from sister to sister, not knowing what the hell they were talking about. “Huh?”

  “You didn’t see it,” Sophia spat. “They went marching across campus with signs that said, ‘No means yes and yes means anal.’ I can’t believe you didn’t hear about it.”

  Hannah reared back, appalled. “Are you kidding me?”

  Eloise finally found her voice. “I only wish we were kidding. Just make sure you fully vet your possible one-night stands before you ind
ulge.”

  “I will. That’s really scary. Like that time El dragged me into the woods to search for you, Soph. I could barely keep up. I hate being scared.”

  “You remember that?” Sophia asked, her brow creasing.

  “You were only what, six?” El queried.

  “Seven. And yes I do. Scariest night of my life. But it sounds like the Yale guys are even more terrifying. Good thing no more undergrad. It’s time to grow up. Good grief!”

  A delicate frown passed over Sophia’s face. “That night wasn’t half as scary for you as it was for me. I was so confident I knew my way around. But I was so angry that I stomped off without thinking. At the time, I didn’t want anyone to find me.” She brightened and turned to Eloise. “I’m glad you didn’t give up on me.”

  “Never,” El said, shaking her head. “And Mom and Dad wouldn’t either. In fact, they’re waiting downstairs. C’mon. The wedding rehearsal is in two hours, we’d better get going. No family drama, okay? It’s not good for baby Fiorino.”

  As Eloise and Sophia made their way to the main floor of the house, Hannah hung back. Oddly enough, she did remember that night in the woods, or at least her dreamlike, childhood rendition of it. Mom and Sophia yelling at each other. Mom and Dad leaving, going out somewhere. Being the eldest, Eloise was in charge, as always, when the girls were alone. Next thing she knew, Eloise had her by the hand and was dragging her out the back gate, looking for Sophia. What had they argued about? Her seven-year-old brain hadn’t understood but knew it was something bad. She shook off the memory and focused on the present.

  Making Sophia’s day the best day of her life.

  She truly wanted to be excited and happy for her sisters, but her own feelings kept rearing their ugly heads. She’d lived in this same aging four-bedroom ranch in Columbus, Ohio her whole life, and though she loved her parents, she couldn’t wait to get away from them and the stifling constraints of her childhood. Could a woman be repressed by too much love and care? Sometimes she thought so.

  Fleeing the fam, however, was easier said than done. Then again, Eloise had done it with aplomb.

  She frowned as her fingers touched the wrinkled and worn envelope in her jeans pocket. She unfolded and viewed its contents for at least the tenth time, somehow hoping the words had changed since her last reading.

  They hadn’t

  Dear Miss Robertson, after a thorough review of your application, we regret to inform you that your admission to Franklin University is denied at this time. While your academic records show promise, our enrollment limit compels us to give preference to those applicants with the highest grade point average. We encourage you to re-apply for the winter admission.

  She hadn’t told her parents. They’d be too disappointed. Hannah cringed at their expressions as she imagined having to break the news. Unlike her sisters, Hannah was not a star student. Studying didn’t come easily, and she’d finished undergrad with a solid, if unremarkable, B average.

  Worse, she had no idea or inclination which field she wanted to pursue for her master’s, but she didn’t want to stop and just get a safe but unremarkable job. She wanted to make a difference in the world, and follow her bliss, but she still wasn’t sure what she wanted to be when she grew up. Hannah seemed to just be flitting through life. Her interests in school were scattered, never settling on any one thing, so she’d declared a general business major only after threats from her advisor.

  Without much thought, she applied to the accounting program at Franklin University right in Columbus. Though she had to laugh at herself for choosing something so completely at odds with her distinctly un-mathematical personality, the rejection letter in her pocket was no laughing matter. While a career was expected of her, what she really wanted was what her sisters had managed to find – a marriage to the love of their lives. And babies. Lots of babies.

  Was that so wrong? So old-fashioned? Hannah asked herself.

  She closed her eyes and imagined walking down the aisle tomorrow instead of Sophia. What would her groom look like? Tall, dark-haired, his broad shoulders covered in an expensive Armani suit. He’d be wealthy of course; a classy corporate type, maybe a lawyer or a doctor. Nah. Not a doctor. And never a smarmy lawyer. An accountant? Yeah, that was it. There’d be plenty of those if she ever made it into Franklin.

  The winter admission period wouldn’t open until January. What would she do until then? The thought of rattling around her parents’ house in her same-old-same-old hometown for another six months or more made her want to run off into the woods just like Sophia had done.

  “Hannah!”

  Hannah’s eyes snapped open at the sound of Eloise’s voice. Next to their mother’s, Eloise’s was the voice she obeyed – the hand of command. Her feet moved automatically to comply.

  “Coming!” she yelled.

  ***

  Sophia’s wedding day unfolded like a dreamy fairytale. Hannah felt hypnotized as she took her place next to Eloise and watched their middle sister proceed slowly toward them on their father’s arm. He looked so handsome. As they drew near to the dais, Sophia’s train with the little satin rosebuds stitched into it seemed a mile long, whispering gently against the carpet with each step forward. To her left, Phil Pomeroy waited with his groomsmen. He wasn’t the most handsome thing on two legs, but in his tux and grinning from ear to ear, Hannah had to admit he looked sharp. And deliriously happy.

  You are so lucky, Soph.

  She sighed. Was that how every man looked when he was about to be married? She hoped so, and wondered, where oh where is the man who would have that look on his face when he gazes upon me? Her knees trembled a little as the ceremony went on, listening to the pastor’s monotone recitation and various readings from a few of Sophia’s friends. With the rush of activity before the event, they hadn’t eaten much, and Hannah’s stomach growled. As lovely as the wedding was, she couldn’t wait for it to be over and get to the good part – the food and drinks. And dancing. Maybe she’d meet someone at the reception. Everyone always raved about weddings as a target rich environment where people were already in pair-up mode.

  At last, the happy couple kissed and marched triumphantly out of the sanctuary to the strains of Mendelssohn played by the string quartet Sophia had insisted upon. Hannah’s ears still rang from the fight Sophia had with their overbearing mother in regards to the playlist for the ceremony.

  “I’m starving,” she whispered to Eloise as they assembled in the foyer for the obligatory receiving line.

  “I don’t remember you being a big eater as a kid,” Eloise chuckled. “A tad fussy, as I recall.”

  Hannah bristled. “Fussy? I’m fussy about lots of things, but right now, I feel like I could eat a buffalo. A cow just wouldn’t be enough.”

  “Careful what you wish for,” came a voice from aside. Eloise’s eyes widened as she glanced past Hannah’s shoulder. Hannah turned to the sound.

  Russ Pomeroy, Phil’s younger brother, stood there, an awkward grin on his face. “Oh, Russ,” Hannah said, wishing it was someone, anyone, else. Something inappropriate and uncomfortable was going to follow. She just knew it. “It’s you.”

  “Russ,” Eloise acknowledged.

  “If you wanted bison on the buffet, you should have called my store,” he said, puffing his scrawny chest out with pride and fake bravado. Russ was part-owner of the local butcher shop, and as a result never seemed quite able to rid himself of the singular odor of the place. Hannah sniffed and exhaled quickly to rid her nostrils of the lingering scent. Didn’t the guy ever try after-shave or cologne? Eau de red meat didn’t do it for her.

  “I’ll remember that for the next wedding,” Eloise said in an effort to smooth over the moment.

  Russ’s grin grew wider as he cleared his long blond bangs from his face with a shake of his head. He appeared to have talked his way out of the barber shop date Phil had set with his groomsmen in some kind of loser hair strike. His skater-boy locks looked as messy as ever, and Hannah fel
t suddenly glad that food industry workers were required to wear hats.

  He fixed a sly eye on her and shot a hungry look her way. Right at the exposed cleavage of her low neckline. Damn Sophia and these revealing get-ups she’d chosen. Of course, Princess Eloise, matron of honor, had demanded a different style. One that covered her swollen boobs and flowed right over her baby bump.

  “Maybe that will be me and Hanna-bee here,” Russ said, winking.

  “Right,” Eloise laughed. “Get in line, kiddo.” She gestured to the line of guests forming to greet the wedding party, but her double meaning was not lost on him or Hannah.

  Wearing an enigmatic smile, Russ nodded and moved off to join the queue. “Oh my God,” Hannah groaned. “I can’t believe he said that. How dare he do that? We hardly know each other.”

  “I can’t believe he called you Hanna-bee. How does he even know that nickname?” She turned a pointed stare to Hannah. “Have you guys been dating? How come I don’t know about this?” she asked, her perfectly-tinted lips curling up on one side.

  How dare she tease me about a douche canoe?

  Hannah rolled her eyes and adjusted her now-sweaty grip on the stem of the bouquet she held. The toe of her satin pump stomped double time into the worn carpet of the church. Russ Pomeroy gave her the creeps. “Are you insane? We are not dating! And you’re not funny! I wouldn’t be caught dead with that Tony Hawk wearing, Game of Thrones watching, Minecraft playing blob of male impropriety. He obviously has some weird fantasy about us. Once his brain cells fire and collide, we’ll have evidence of spontaneous combustion.”

  Eloise threw her hands up into the air as if she were warding off a violent attack but the upward tugging of her lips gave her away. “I just hope his weird fantasy doesn’t include you sprawled naked on his butcher board, splayed open to receive the hot beef injection,” Eloise wisecracked, finally giving in to her mirth at Hannah’s expense. “How long has this been going on? I mean his… crush?”

  “Ugh, feels like forever. Mostly since Sophia and Phil’s little breakup last year. When they got back together, Russ seemed to tag along whenever Phil started to come around again. Then the mindless chitchat started, and whenever he sees me, he won’t stop. I feel like one of those people with nosy neighbors who hide in their garage and don’t even check their mail.”