When Two Hearts Collide (Game of Hearts Novels Book 3)

by Sonya Loveday

  Everything sort of tilted as I staggered to bed and landed with a bounce. If I thought about it too much, I’d probably be sick. Instead, I forced myself to think of other things.

  My cell phone illuminated the dark room as it dinged. It was probably Violet checking on me.

  It was.

  Are ya home, you bloody wanker?

  I fired back a quick text telling her I’d made it and not to worry, all the while thinking it was nice to have someone worry over me. Too bad Violet didn’t like guys. She was a cute lass, even with all her quirks. Purple hair and eyeliner that looked like it took hours to put on notwithstanding.

  Before I could think about it, I brought up my contacts and found her name. I hit the call button and put the phone to my ear, waiting impatiently for her to answer.

  “Hello?” Her voice was just as soft and light as I remembered it. Even though I hadn’t spoke to her in what seemed like a very long time, it still had a way of making me feel warm.

  “Hello, luv,” I said, beaming ear to ear and wishing I could see her face as well. And maybe a long perusal of all that skin she covered up, I thought with a sly smirk. The lass had legs for days, and I had just the right imagination to put those legs to use.

  “Charlie, is that you?”

  “It is, and who else would be calling ye at this hour?” I asked, giving her my best ‘I’m shocked anyone but me would call you at this time’ tone.

  “It’s not really all that late here,” she answered with a small giggle. The sound of her laugh reminded me of spring air. Sunny and clear. Chipper and calm.

  “Oh, well that’s good, isn’t it?” I said, craning my neck to see my clock past the clutter on my nightstand. What bloody time was it anyway?

  She cleared her throat. “Are you… are you all right, Charlie?” she asked.

  “Couldn’t be better, luv,” I answered, all but vibrating with excitement.

  There was a small pause, and then she asked, “Okay… Charlie, are you… have you been drinking?” I could hear the hesitation in her voice. Like she didn’t want to ask, but needed to know.

  “I’ve had a few pints,” I answered, running my hand up and down the back of my head. Maybe I shouldn’t have bothered her. Maybe she thought I was just as bonkers as I thought I was.

  Maybe I should just stop thinking and keep talking. Talking had always been my thing.

  “Celebrating?”

  “Typical Wednesday, luv,” I answered half-heartedly, wondering why I didn’t wait to call her when I was sober.

  Because she was bloody gorgeous. Because she gave me those funny feelings in my stomach that most lasses couldn’t. Because… because I was sure I had one too many.

  “Is it true? That Hannah can’t make it, and you’re coming instead?” she asked with touch of wariness. “Thought maybe you both might be pulling my leg with knowing how gullible I can be.”

  “No one’s yanking yer leg. Hannah was right torn up about it, she was, so I told her I’d come instead. Thought maybe it’d be fun,” I answered.

  “I do have to admit,” she continued, “I’m a little confused at why you’d want to come to The Hamptons. I mean, don’t get me wrong. It’ll be nice to see you, but—”

  “But?” I asked, wondering why she seemed leery.

  “But I haven’t heard from you since I left. I gave you my number thinking maybe we could keep in touch and you… well, you know. Didn’t call,” she finished with an uncomfortable laugh. “I guess I just figured you didn’t want to talk, so forgive me, but you wanting to spend two weeks with someone you barely know is kind of coming as a shock to me.”

  I palmed my forehead. Walked right into that one, didn’t I? “I’m hurt, luv,” I said, using my best bullshit lines to brush over the truth of what she said. “I thought we were friends. Of course I’d like to see ya again. I thought you’d be at least a little excited.” I laughed nervously. What was it about the lass that made me scramble for her to agree with me? To like me? “You are, aren’t you?”

  There was a small moment of silence. Enough to make my forehead and palms line with sweat. “Honestly, Charlie?” she said a second later. “I have a lot on my plate right now. If I’m not working, I’m sleeping, and if I’m not sleeping, then I’m at my shop. And now that Hannah’s not coming, I won’t have to take time off,” she admitted, and it was then I heard her exhaustion bleeding through the line. The kind of bone-deep, run-into-the-ground type of exhaustion I knew all too well.

  Damn.

  I pinched the bridge of my nose as I fought to find the right words to make everything go my way, because I wanted to go to The Hamptons. Anything to get me out of the funk I found myself in, and meeting up with Charlotte, no matter how little we knew of each other, sounded like the right kind of medicine.

  “I understand and, really, I don’t want you to put yourself out in any way,” I said, putting as much genuine concern as I could in my voice. “I just thought it would be good seeing you again. Everyone deserves a little ‘me’ time, so why not spend it with someone you’re guaranteed to have a good time with? I’ve yet to find a dance partner that could keep up with my moves the way you did.” She giggled, and I felt my lips twist up with a smile. I couldn’t help but lay it on thick with Charlotte. “Unless, of course, you’re already spoken for,” I threw in last second as the thought dawned on me, hoping she wasn’t.

  She sighed again, though this time it was lighter, like I had finally chipped my way through the thin layer of ice surrounding her. “No, I’m not spoken for,” she admitted with a small laugh. She paused and then asked “Where exactly are you planning on staying once you get here?

  My eyes widened. “Um… Well, I suppose I could book a hotel. Maybe you could give me an idea of where to stay? I’ll be honest—I don’t even know where the hell The Hamptons are.”

  Her laughter carried sweetly through the phone. “You don’t even know…” She snorted, making a crude noise of exasperation. “Never mind. Of course Hannah wouldn’t hook you up. I know a place you can stay. I’ve been meaning to go there myself for some time now. I suppose this would give me a good reason for it.”

  And just like that, I was flying high again. “That’d be ace. See? We’re already helping each other out.”

  She snorted again. “Yeah, well, we’ll see how you feel about it tomorrow once you’re sober and realize you’ve planned on taking a two-week vacation with a stranger.”

  “Why, Ms. Charlotte, I do believe I’ll take that as a challenge,” I cajoled, wondering why she thought I’d think of her as a stranger. If anything, I really did think of her as a friend. Even if I hadn’t made the effort to call her.

  “Yeah, well, don’t call me tomorrow once you’ve woken up to tell me I should have talked you out of wasting your money,” she said, almost as if she were fishing for me to tell her otherwise.

  I was happy to oblige. “Get that right out yer head, luv. I’ve made my decision. Best decision I’ve made in a while. Do you think it’ll be warm there come next week? I’m a bit weary of the weather these days.” Excitement overrode the warning signs that I was in for a very rough night of hugging the toilet.

  “Shorts and T-shirts will work,” she said, sounding like she was moving around. “Look, I really do have to go now. I have to get to the shop. You should uh… get some sleep.”

  “For you, I’ll sleep on it. But know this… I am coming,” I said, holding back a laugh as she grumbled. Little Ms. Charlotte didn’t realize how much of a gauntlet she’d thrown down for me. I loved a good challenge.

  “Bye, Charlie,” Charlotte said, disconnecting the call.

  I closed my eyes, smiled for a brief moment, and then tossed my phone as I bolted for the bathroom. At least it held off until after I got off the phone.

  THE NEXT MORNING, I WAS up earlier than normal, so I decided to head to the pub to take inventory. I could barely sleep, thinking about the upcoming trip. I didn’t doubt I made the right decision, but I did
wonder how Charlotte and I would get on. I didn’t willingly spend that much time alone with any girl.

  When I got there, Ed was already behind the bar with a clipboard in his hand.

  “Morning,” I said as I made my way to the bar to sit, watching him count the bottles.

  “Morning,” he replied. “Sleep well?”

  “Better than I have in a while,” I lied.

  The bell over the front door jingled. When Ed looked up, he broke into one of those goofy smiles that told me without having to turn around that Hannah had come through the door. They were practically oozing that mushy feeling. That over-the-top, make-ye-want-to-run-away-screaming kind of ooey-gooey love.

  “What are you two blokes gabbing about?” Hannah asked in her best imitating accent.

  “Yer accent is horrendous, luv. Might want to keep practicing it behind closed doors before someone stones ye in the streets,” I said, dodging her purse when she swung it at me.

  “Asshole.” She laughed.

  Ed gathered Hannah up into his arms, spinning her in a circle before setting her down. They ended the big show with a smacking kiss. I turned away, pretending to be interested in my untouched coffee.

  Hannah slipped onto the barstool next to mine while Ed moved around the back of the bar. “So, Charlie… I talked to Charlotte.”

  “I did as well,” I answered, wiggling my eyebrows at her. “Rung her up last night and told her I was coming.”

  She cringed. “You did?”

  “Thought it best to have a chat before I came. Break the ice since it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other,” I answered.

  “Was she mad? That I’m not coming, I mean,” Hannah asked.

  “No, or well, she didn’t seem to be mad. She was a bit confused I was coming. We got it all sorted though. She’s even helping me with a place to stay. Ye have good friends, Hannah… even if yer dodgy accent is shite,” I said, ready to duck when her hand shot out.

  “Idiot,” she grumbled.

  “Oh, before I forget, I stopped by the bank.” I hauled out a wad of crumpled notes and handed them to her.

  “I was able to get the name changed on the ticket last night. Don’t forget about your—”

  “Visa. Already taken care of. Did it yesterday,” I replied as she stuffed the money in her purse.

  Once it was tucked safe away, Hannah’s hand shot out. Clamping it down on my shoulder, she leaned in close and said, “If you hurt her, I will kill you. Understood?”

  I nodded fervently. “I promise to be on my best behavior.”

  She squinted at me. “And yet, somehow, that doesn’t make me feel any better.”

  I smirked, lifting one hand to my heart and the other in the air. “I, Charles Allan Williams, do solemnly swear before all present to behave like a gentleman whilst away from home. That do ya?”

  Her hand left my shoulder. “You’re an insufferable smartass, Charlie, but yes, that’ll do.”

  “NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES you check that watch of yours, Charlotte, it isn’t going to speed up time,” Cherry called from over her shoulder.

  I glanced up from my watch and groaned as she leaned on her tiptoes to restock the top shelf with the latest collectible I ordered. She had like a third eye or something, located on the back of her head. And she wasn’t even a mother.

  “I know you’re dying to see Hannah,” she continued with her back to me. “We all are, but watching the minutes tick by is about as pointless as waiting for water to boil.”

  Was I that obvious?

  Scratch that. I didn’t really need to hear the answer because I already knew it.

  Yes.

  Yes, I was that glaringly obvious. I was the emotions-worn-on-the-sleeve type. Eyes-that-carried-every-thought kind of girl. It had been my dilemma since the day I was born. But whatever. Everyone had their quirks.

  I learned very early on that lying was a no-go for me. It would either be the red blotches my skin conjured up that would give me away, or the tears that quickly followed from my cursed conscience.

  Hence, my problem. I hadn’t told Cherry that our very close friend Hannah wasn’t coming to see us after all. I’d avoided telling her because she’d know immediately why I was flustered. She’d know, without me having to say a word about Charlie, that the man taking Hannah’s place on vacation was the same man I had once shared a painfully brief, yet erotically intense moment with.

  I was a big believer in destiny. In the fact that fate overruled coincidence. I didn’t think it coincidence I met a dashingly handsome Englishman who had the accent and charm of Jon Snow on his best day. And, not to forget, he owned a pub where Charles Dickens used to pay visits to clear the cobwebs from his head… a story Charlie had me so enamored with, I could barely keep my panties up.

  Come on… it was every bookworm’s dream.

  What bothered me most was that nothing happened. He walked away. Halted things just when they were getting to a heated frenzy. Tucked me in a cab with the promise to call as he closed the door on my goodbye.

  But he didn’t call.

  And today is the day I have to pick him up, I thought with a shiver of something like nervous anticipation. Had to face him since our last… awkward encounter. The minutes seemed to drag on endlessly. Though, maybe the dragging part was a good thing.

  I was prepared for Hannah. I was thankful for Hannah. Hannah was the Harry to my Hermione. She was the brawn to my brains. The cool to my geek. And with Charlie arriving in her place, all of my nerdish dreams of girl time had been put on hold.

  Which brought me back to getting up the pluck to tell Cherry that Hannah wasn’t coming… and who was. She knew Charlie from when our roller derby team competed and won the world cup in the UK about two years ago. She knew how I felt about him and that he didn’t call. And she also knew his infamous track record with women, all of which would point to me guiding him around the Hamptons as a bad idea.

  I blew out a huff and watched her push a box back so she could stock another. Before all my thoughts derailed my mind into Charlie-ville, I defended myself of her ‘your brooding’ comment. “You don’t know that’s what I was doing. Your back is to me,” I pointed out.

  Cherry snorted. “You’re just now coming up with that retort? The conversation deadened about five minutes ago when you wandered off to la-la land in that head of yours.”

  “It wasn’t no damn five minutes. Besides, if it has in fact been five minutes, then you’re slacking with that shelf. Might have to dock your pay if you keep it up,” I said, hoping to cover up the fact I’d zoned. Hard.

  “Okay, ‘Lil Miss Bossy Ass, it’s done. Does it meet your inspection?” Cherry said, leaning back to eye her work. I couldn’t help it. I reached out and fixed the box with the corner sticking out past the rest, and then rolled my eyes, mimicking Cherry when she said “pain in my ass”. She laughed at me and moved on to the next shelf as I busied myself with the coffee machine. We had ten minutes until it was time to open up shop, and I wanted things to be perfect.

  It had been almost a year since I first opened the doors to my dream come true—The Raven’s Den— a small coffee shop that offered something for every geek. Business had been nothing but upward from the moment the local teens discovered the music, poetry readings, collectibles, and delicious fandom-themed drinks I had for sale.

  I didn’t want the momentum to slow.

  “And besides, I don’t need eyes to know you’ve been antsy since you walked in this morning. The kind of antsy that screams your panties are twisting,” Cherry said over her shoulder as she set the last of the figurines on the shelf and then hopped off the stepstool. She picked up the empty box and spun on me. “I’m your team captain. It’s my job to know when something’s bothering you.”

  I prayed to the nerd gods she didn’t notice the spark of fire growing on my cheeks. “Correction, you were my team captain. I’m just the team’s financial backer now,” I said with a weak laugh, attempting to brush her off.<
br />
  She smirked. “So? You might be my boss in this building, but I’m still yours the moment we step out those doors.”

  She always loved to goad me on. “But we aren’t outside of them, now are we?” I countered. “Should I assign you to box-cutting duty? Or maybe you could take care of the bathrooms today…”

  “Ooh.” She leaned forward, eyes not missing anything. “Did I just hear Charlotte attempt attitude? With some success, I might add?”

  I rolled my eyes, laughing. “Go break that box down and get back out here. I’m going to open since our regulars are already outside waiting.”

  She snapped her legs together and threw her hand up to her forehead in salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

  I had known Cherry for almost five years. She took her job as team captain over the roller derby team I used to play for, which represented the lovely Hamptons where we lived, very seriously. The team had been my saving grace at a time in my life when everything was falling apart. It was where I met Hannah, who helped me stand a little taller when the rest of the team thought I was too soft to be a derby girl.

  Because, technically, I was marshmallow status. Cry-over-commercials kind of soft. But that was what I loved about roller derby. It was why I chose to sponsor the team when I could no longer play for them. They changed me for the better. I could put on my team uniform and become someone less Marshmallow Girl and more Woman of Steel. Because somewhere, underneath the unread pages of words hidden in my soul, there was a woman with a mind of her own just waiting to break free.

  I just hadn’t had that moment in life when the stars aligned and something so earth-shatteringly profound occurred that I changed for the better.

  I unlocked the front doors and smiled at the people gathered outside my shop, who waited for fresh cups of coffee to start their day. As soon as the doors opened, the day moved like it always did at The Raven’s Den—as fast as lightning. Between cups of Jon’s White Walker, my personal favorite and our best seller, and Jaime’s Scottish Love, we filled mug after mug, catering to the ever-growing, thirsty fandoms that made up the whole of my business.