Secret Crush

By Lili Grouse

A flirty, fun, and sweet Valentine's Day themed novella

Danielle Kerr has been secretely crushing on her older brother's best friend, Hardy Cates, for ages. If only he wasn't also their roommate, a star hockey player, and the most eligible bachelor around, she might actually work up the courage to tell him how she feels...

 

Then, the TV show Danielle works for is doing a Valentine's Day special - "Secret Crush" - and Hardy is scheduled to be on it. When he asks her to help him prepare for the show, she reluctantly agrees. On the one hand, it will help the show, which keeps her employed. On the other, she has to spend all her free time with Hardy, planning the perfect romantic date...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Grouse Hill Publishing
• Release date: Feb 14, 2024
• ISBN: 9789198812848

Lili Grouse

Growing up on a farm, Lili Grouse discovered her love of storytelling early on, making up bedtime stories for the calves, who were probably happier for the attention than the actual storytelling. In school, she was given a notebook to be used solely for writing stories in. She filled it up and asked for another - she was working on an epic, darn it. Of course, writing time in school wasn't enough, so she took to writing - and illustrating - stories at home on printer paper her father happily provided. Cut to thirty years later, give or take, and Lili Grouse is still at it. These days, her stories have less to do with strawberries going on adventures and searching for hidden treasures, and more to do with finding that elusive happy-ever-after. It is her dream to one day write for a living, but in the meantime, every minute not spent working, sleeping, or reading is dedicated to working on her passion.

Book preview

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Player in the house!

My brother’s voice booms through our single-family detached house, and I momentarily freeze in arranging the vase of fresh, pale pink tulips on the otherwise pristine and clutter-free kitchen island. I take a few steadying breaths as I listen to my brother and his best friend chatting in the hallway, waiting for them to pop their heads into the kitchen. My hands are clammy, so I abandon the tulips to wash up. I’m drying my hands on a towel when Hardy Wells fills up the doorway.

Hey, Dani, he says, his smile wide and his perfect row of white teeth still intact. Miss me?

I open my mouth to say something witty, but my brother Dan interrupts before I can get as much as a peep out.

What happened to all my stuff? Dan shoulders past Hardy and looks around the kitchen like he’s stepped into a different world. And what’s that smell?

Um… clean? I say, exchanging a look with Hardy, who looks on, amused, from his spot by the doorway.

More like Stepford-clean, Dan mutters. And I repeat - where’s my stuff?

You mean your unopened pile of mail and car magazines? I put them in your room, where they belong.

This is my house, too, you know, he bristles.

This, I make a circular gesture, is our kitchen. It should be kept clean, or we’ll all end up with food poisoning one day.

It hasn’t been this clean since Hardy left for Calgary six months ago, Dan mutters, frowning. Then a light seems to go on upstairs and he mouths, oh.

What? I say, placing my hands on my hips.

Dan looks between me and Hardy and raises his eyebrows. This is all for him, isn’t it? he half-whispers to me.

My face floods with heat and I shake my head to get the blood flowing naturally again. You’re being ridiculous. Go find your precious stuff instead of hanging around here. I’m going to get dinner started in a few.

Dan is still eyeing me suspiciously as he leaves the kitchen with a pat on the shoulder from Hardy.

How was the trip? I ask at the same time as Hardy asks me how I’ve been.

Good, we answer at the same time, causing us both to chuckle.

While his chuckle is warm and deep, mine is just nervous. Dang it, I can’t even chuckle like a normal person around him.

I should unpack and grab a shower, but I’ll be back in a bit to help you with dinner, okay? Hardy says, picking up his giant hockey trunk.

For fear I’m going to say something lame and/or embarrassing, I simply nod.

Great seeing you again, Dani, Hardy says before bowing his head and heading down the hall to where his bedroom has sat empty for the past six months. Well, except for on the few occasions I’ve popped by to dust or vacuum the place - and maybe sniff one of his shirts…

Okay, yes, I’m pathetic. I’ve been pining after my brother’s best friend for longer than he’s lived with us, and he just keeps getting hotter with every year. Too bad