Faking It With The Hockey Star

Harper’s POV

The moment I stepped through the front door and let the heavy front door click shut behind me, I barely had time to slide my shoulder bag down my arm.

"Harper!"

My mom came rushing out of the kitchen toward the entryway, her face instantly lighting up, followed closely by Noah tumbling down the hallway.

"Finally!" Noah exclaimed, throwing his arms around my neck in a tight, dramatic hug before I could even kick off my shoes. "Where on earth have you been? We were about to send a search party!"

I let out a loud laugh as everyone crowded into the foyer at once, the warmth of the house immediately washing over me.

"Give her some breathing room," Mom scolded gently, though she was laughing right along with them, her hands coming up to rest on my arm. "Let the poor girl step inside first."

"I missed you!" Emma complained loudly, giving me one last suffocating squeeze before finally letting go to inspect my face.

I looked around the familiar, sunlit living room and smiled, a deep, heavy knot of tension loosening in my stomach.

Home.

After the whirlwind of the last forty-eight hours the quiet sanctuary of the cabin, the overwhelming magic of the coastal mansion, and the heartbreaking goodbye in the driveway just minutes ago seeing my family standing there waiting for me made something fiercely warm and grounding settle inside my chest.

"So?" Emma demanded, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at me. "How was it?"

"How was what?" I asked, playing completely innocent as I walked into the living room.

She stared at me like I had lost my mind. "The trip, Harper! The secret getaway! Spill!"

"Oh." I dropped onto the soft cushion of the couch, letting out a breathy laugh as I leaned my head back. "It was wonderful."

"Wonderful?" one of my siblings repeated from the armchair. "That’s it? That’s all we get after two whole days of radio silence?"

"Okay, okay." I raised both hands in surrender, unable to fight the huge grin taking over my face. "It was amazing. Absolutely unbelievable."

Mom sat down on the cushion right beside me, taking my hand in hers. "Tell us everything, sweetie. Start from the beginning."

I smiled, my mind swirling with a hundred different memories at once. Where was I even supposed to begin?

"The cabin was breathtaking," I started, my voice soft with remembrance. "And Justin planned literally every single detail. I didn’t even know where we were driving until we pulled up to the door."

Emma’s eyes widened as she perched on the coffee table in front of me. "Of course he did. God forbid that man lets you lift a finger."

"And then," I continued, leaning forward, "he took me somewhere else."

"Somewhere else?" Mom asked, her eyebrows pulling together in curiosity.

I nodded, the lingering adrenaline of yesterday rushing back into my veins. "And that’s where things got completely insane."

I could feel the sheer excitement bubbling up in my chest all over again as I recounted it.

"He drove me to this massive beach mansion on the coast. And when I say massive, I mean ridiculously, obscenely huge. The kind of place that looks like a set straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster."

Emma leaned in closer, resting her elbows on her knees. "Okay, go on."

"There was a private tour, and at first I genuinely thought he had just pulled a few strings so I could walk around and admire the architecture," I paused dramatically, looking between Emma and my mom. "But then I realized whose house it actually was."

Mom’s eyebrows rose high. "Whose?"

I beamed. "That legendary producer I’ve been obsessed with for years. The one I built my entire junior thesis around."

There was a thick beat of utter silence in the living room.

Then Emma practically shrieked at the top of her lungs. "SHUT UP!"

I burst out laughing, clapping my hands together. "YES!"

"You met her?!" Emma gasped, gripping my knee.

"I met her."

"In the actual flesh?"

"In person. In her living room."

Mom placed a hand flat over her chest, letting out a long, breathless sigh. "Oh, thank God for Justin."

I laughed, looking at her. "Mom!"

"No, I’m completely serious," Mom said, shaking her head with soft wonder in her eyes. "That boy is so unbelievably thoughtful, Harper. He pays attention. He knows exactly what lights a fire in your soul."

"He really does," I whispered, my heart doing a soft, tender swell at the thought of him. I couldn’t stop smiling if I tried. "He walked me through the entire archive room first. There were vintage cameras, original 35mm film reels, iconic wardrobe pieces, hand-annotated scripts, awards... everything. It was basically a private cinema museum."

I could still picture every detail the smell of old paper, the dim track lighting, the way Justin had stood back in the shadows just watching my jaw hang open.

"And then," I continued, my voice dipping into a reverent hush, "after the tour, I walked out onto the patio, and there she was. Sitting right there, drinking tea."

Emma grabbed my arm so tight her knuckles turned white. "You’re lying to me."

"I am not lying!"

"And you had no idea?"

"Not a single clue! He kept it a complete surprise until the exact second I turned the corner!"

Mom laughed warmly. "What on earth did you do when you saw her?"

"I cried," I admitted immediately, feeling a faint blush heat my cheeks.

Everyone in the room erupted into affectionate laughter.

"I actually cried," I defended myself, laughing through the embarrassment. "I couldn’t help it! I’ve studied her films for half my life. I’ve taken endless notes on her direction style, her lighting setups, her narrative pacing. And suddenly, she’s standing right in front of me, offering me a glass of lemonade."

"That sounds entirely like you," Emma said, shaking her head with a fond, knowing smile.

"And she was so incredibly kind," I remembered, my chest tight with gratitude. "She held my hands, looked me right in the eye, and told me she had watched part of my documentary short."

Mom’s eyes widened in sheer shock. "She watched your documentary?"

"Yes!"

"And what did she say?"

I couldn’t suppress the proud, dazzling grin spreading across my face. "She said I had a remarkably sharp eye for narrative film."

Emma let out another ear-splitting scream.

I instantly clapped my hands over my ears, laughing hysterically. "Emma! My eardrums!"

"What?! Harper, that is massive!" she shouted, bouncing on the coffee table. "That is life-changing!"

"I know!" I squealed softly. "And that’s not even the best part! She told me she knows how desperately I want to break into the industry. And then... she offered me a position to assist on her next feature film while I wait for my formal internship to start."

A stunned silence fell over the room once more.

Mom stared at me, her eyes slowly glistening with unshed tears. "Her next project?"

I gave a breathless nod. "Her final project before she retires

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!