[Calusa Key 04] • Third Time's the Charm

Never mess with an angry woman. That’s a lesson my ex, Jack Cassidy, had to learn the hard way. It was extra hard for him because he was the reason I was mad at. Ladies, never date an athlete. They’re selfish and obsessed with one thing. And that thing is not you. (It’s their sport.)

I kicked him to the curb with all the fire of a woman with no (bleeps) left to give. I’m happier than ever and ready to take the leap with my new fiance. He’s kind, steady, and I really don’t care that everyone in my small town insists Jack is a new man. I’m moving forward, not backward.

Never give an athlete a challenge. We thrive on them. Take my marriage to Berlin Anderson. I know it was my fault she left in a ball of fire. I deserved to be left. So I became my own competition, working each day to be less of an (bleep!)

I never stopped loving Berlin and now that I’ve pulled my head out of my rear end, I can see how far I pushed her...and how much I want her back. There is no other woman for me and I know there’s no other man who can keep up with her, not even her new loser of a fiance.

Now that her wedding is on the calendar the countdown is on. Convince Berlin to give me a second chance, or watch her walk away with another man. Game over.

I’m not a game over kind of guy.

*Third Time's the Charm is a holiday crossover story from Last Fall (Wild Pitch Series) and Calusa Key. It's an island, small town, second chance, forced proximity, holiday, sports romance with a fired-up heroine and a determined hero set on an island that celebrates Christmas year round.