Hothead – Colleen Charles

Looks productive from the outside. Responsible. Driven. But around here, we know the difference between building something… and hiding inside it. Because sooner or later, the thing you’re avoiding shows up anyway. And it usually doesn’t knock. Playlist: “The Archer” by Taylor Swift The alarm goes off at 4:47 AM. By seven, I’ve booked myself solid through dinner. This is what I can control. Carrie shows up at eight looking confused by my energy. “Did you sleep down here?”

“I got an early start.” “Gisele.” She sets down her coffee, studies me with the disconcerting perceptiveness of someone who’s worked beside me for three years. “What happened?” “Nothing happened. I’m motivated.” “You’re manic.” “I’m an entrepreneur in a competitive market.” I grab my appointment book, flip through pages I’ve already memorized. “There’s no room for complacency.” Carrie doesn’t push further, but I can feel her watching me as I move through the morning. Watching and cataloging and probably drawing conclusions I don’t want to examine.

The first client arrives at 8:30. Then the next. Then three more in rapid succession. I fall into the rhythm of it—the comfortable dance of consultation, application, transformation. This is what I’m good at. This is what I can control. My phone buzzes again around ten. Bennett. Everything okay? I should respond. Should explain that I need space, or that I’m busy, or literally anything that doesn’t involve staring at his name on my screen. Me: Slammed today. Talk later. Three words. Casual.

Friendly. The kind of text you send to someone who doesn’t matter. The lie tastes bitter, but I swallow it anyway. Because it’s easier than admitting we’ve been having sexual encounters non-stop and now I’m terrified of what that means. Easier than facing the fact that I want him again. Right now. All the time. Around noon, my inbox does something unexpected.

I’m between clients, scarfing down a protein bar that tastes like cardboard wrapped in disappointment, when an email notification pops up. The subject line makes me stop mid-chew. Partnership Opportunity – Luxe Beauty Collective Luxe Beauty is a regional brand I’ve been following for years—indie- owned, quality products, the kind of company that actually cares about the people using their stuff instead of just chasing margins. They’ve been expanding their salon partnerships lately, and I’ve fantasized about reaching out but never had the guts.

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OceanofPDF.com Contents A Note From Sorrowville The Asshole Whisperer Practice Makes Perfectly Unhinged Called To The Office New Rules, No Escape Chair Of Accountability Fresh Cut, No Mercy Breathe Or Fight Me Equipment Failure Bixie This The Non-Date Don’t Ask Me Twice Handled Booked, Busy, and Not Thinking About Him Everybody’s Got Opinions Nobody Puts Gisele in a Corner Forty-Seven Emotions and a Curtain Her Favorite Everything Feel It To Win It Tale Of Two Cities The Other Shoe What I Built Everything To Lose Say It Again No Taking It Back Stay The Night We Earned It Forward Ours OceanofPDF.com Dearest Grumpy-Gutted Puck-Chasers, You’re back.

Good. Because we’ve got a situation. And not the quiet, mind-your-business kind, either. I’m talking full- blown, middle-of-Main-Street, traffic-stopping, what-in-the-hell-is-he- doing kind of problem. Six foot four. Two hundred twenty pounds. Captain of your beloved Slammers. Sitting. In the road. A man who’s just run out of ways to hold himself together.

Now, I could let him sit there. Let him figure it out on his own. Wouldn’t be the first time someone in this town tried to out-stubborn their own heart. But where’s the fun in that? Especially when I happen to know—purely by coincidence, of course— that the only person in Sorrowville equipped to handle a meltdown of this magnitude owns a salon, has a weakness for fixer-upper men, and keeps feelings organized on color-coded Post-its like that’s going to save her from anything.

It won’t. Nothing ever does. Not when the right person gets involved. So here’s what’s going to happen. She’s going to walk out that door, take one look at him, and decide— against all better judgment—that he’s worth the trouble. He’s going to pretend he doesn’t need her. She’s going to pretend she believes that.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 908c15dfee4d4cd7
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 2,511,127 bytes (2.395 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 258
• Language: English (en)

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• Total Words: 72,622
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• Average Words per Page: 281.48
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