Offside With My Brother's Best Friend: A sweet small-town hockey romance

by Lillian A. Hayes

I was working a double at the diner while managing my son’s schedule and pretending my life is perfectly normal. Then Jack Donovan just waltzes back into town after years of radio silence.

You know Jack—former NHL defenseman, my brother's best friend, and the guy who once looked at me like I was the only person in the room.

Now he's retired, bought a house in Pinebrook, and casually declaring "I still do" like he didn't ghost me all those years ago.

Then my furnace dies in the middle of winter.

Suddenly, my son Owen and I are living under Jack's roof because there's literally nowhere else to go. I'm a single mom who runs on schedules and backup plans—not sharing a house with the one man I've trained myself not to need.

My overprotective brother? Convinced Jack will bail again.

My friends? Already planning the wedding.

And Jack? He's coaching Owen's hockey practice, cooking us breakfast, and making it impossible to ignore how right this feels.

The real question isn't whether Jack's serious.

It's whether I'm brave enough to let him stay when everything in me is bracing for him to leave.

181 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 24, 2026

Reviews

[Erica Mena]

Closer to 3.5 🌟! Thanks for the ARC. This was definitely a cute and cozy short read and I enjoyed to see the 2 main characters reconnect and get closer throughout the story.

[Cathy Ward]

What if the risk wasn’t him leaving— 
—but me stepping back first? 

Clara works at the local diner, manages her 7 year old son's schedule, all while pretending that her life is perfectly normal. She's been hurt in the past and doesn't want to be hurt again or for her son, Owen, to get hurt. She's learned not to rely on anyone else, so it's hard to let someone in. 

Then Jack, who's now retired from the NHL, buys a house in Pinebrook and waltzes back into Clara's life like he didn’t ghost me all those years before. 

After her furnace dies in the middle of winter with no other alternatives, Clara and Owen end up living in Jack's in-law suite.

And Jack? Now, he's coaching Owen's hockey team, cooking us breakfast, and making it impossible to ignore him. 

Great characters and an easy, fun read! I love how Jack keeps showing up! This is such a heartfelt, sweet story with a HEA!
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good clean romance!

I received an ARC of the book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Melita]

This is a super cute, feel good, short (160 pages) story about two people that have an undeniable connection in their teens and did nothing about it then (because her brother is his best friend).
Both have had lives; after Jack retires he moves home to start the life he wants more than anything; having his own family.
Clara wants safety and to her Jack is anything but.

Owen has the best one liners in this book. I love how sassy kids are.
Definitely worth a read if you want a story that packs a lot of emotion and details into a short amount of pages.
I was pleasantly surprised at how Lillian A. Hayes writes, its impactful, sweet without being overly sappy, detailed without ever losing the flow of the story.

[Red Panda Reads]

Honestly, I was looking for a short story to close out the month. Something I could read in a day. In 'Offside...' the FMC and MMC have zero chemistry. I think the author missed an opportunity to build a preexisting relationship between them; alternating between past and present or simply starting in the past to give readers a better foundation. This is not a romance. It is a small town mom works in a diner and has a son who likes hockey story. It has some good one liners, but overall lacks depth. I do not recommend this book.

...not choosing doesn’t freeze time. It just lets someone else carry the weight of it. - I love this and believe it.

Owen came home from practice...I...and tied his skates... - After practice, wouldn't you untie his skates?

...for someone claiming emotional neutrality, you’re radiating vintage pining energy.” - Love it.

...gratitude is still appropriate even when panic is knocking politely at the back of my skull.

The driveway is packed down from the plow, snow pushed into a ridge along the edge... - No plow shovels private driveways, only public roadways.

I pull into the parking lot at the market and cut the engine....(three sentences later) I park the truck...- The engine was already off. How did you park (again)?

I sit in the truck with the engine running...(nine sentences later) I turn the keys to start the truck... - Again, the engine was already in its current state, on this time.

Before Owen rides in a new vehicle, there is no mention of a booster seat. At seven, he would still be in a booster seat.

In Chapter 10, Jack receives a phone call from an AHL team with a coaching job offer. He takes the call, then after hanging up, on the same page, says that he does not call them back right away. He leaves the ice facility and sits in his car to call them back. I do not understand. Why wouldn't he have just said what he needed to say in the first phone call? And why call back immediately rather than think about it? This makes no sense to me.

The lunch rush ends in a blur of receipts and refills...I grab my purse and step out into the late-morning light. - How is a lunch rush over before noon?

Minor Their decision to be together is like a business transaction. Everything Clara does is like a business transaction.

[Jean Hall]

This is a sweet small-town hockey romance between Clara and her brother's best friend Jack. Jack left town after high school to play hockey and has returned home for good after an injury sidelines him. Clara is raising her son Owen alone since her husband left right after the birth of their son. Owen is 7 and learning to play hockey. After Clara's furnace dies, she and Owen end up living in the mother-in-law suite in Jack's house. They start to grow close again then and Jack even drives Owen to practice and starts coaching the kids. Sweet ending.

[Barbara Hackel]

Jack, a former NHL player, returns to his hometown and is drawn to helping the town's youth hockey team. When he reconnects with his best friend's sister, Clara, it is not comfortable or easy. When her furnace goes out suddenly in bitter weather, Jack offers her and her 7 year old son a place to live.
Trust and letting her guard down do not come easy to Clara, and I felt she always had one foot out the door. She was a difficult character for me to like.

[Erin]

This was a sweet story of unfinished young love. There has always been something between Jack and Clara, but time and distance have kept them apart. The steadiness that Jack provides is just what Clara needs. She’s been hurt and her uncertainty is real. I enjoyed their reunion and seeing them grow into family.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kerri]

This has potential to be such a cute story, but it needs editing. The cadence of the language reminds me of LLMs and there is an excessive use of similes. I couldn’t tell who to root for, based on the POV of the characters and the reactions they had to each other. I’m interested in why the characters are the way they are, but there’s too little development too late in the story structure. I just need more than I am given here - but it could be great.

[Rachel]

The writing was very stilted. The sentences, the paragraphs, the dialog. All of it. The story itself was cut off and rushed. There was a lot skipped over and jumped right into the end. Clara and Jack went from once knowing each other, to living in the same house to all of a sudden being a forever couple. They kissed once, didn't even go through the emotions or dating. Just ok we're forever and living as a family. I felt like I wasted my time with this book to be honest.

[Megan]

It starts off getting right into the story and it is great - single mom, brother’s best friend comes home retiring from hockey. It’s a very cute story and a quick read. I love the way the main characters have chemistry and that the MMC takes to the FMC’s kid even though it isn’t his own. Would definitely read more like this!

[Lynn Hyman]

Sweet, Funny Romance

If you're looking for a book that makes you smile or laugh out loud, this is it. Clara, Jack, Owen, and the rest of their family and small town friends make this such a feel-good hockey romance. Ownen's one-liners are hysterical. The progression of feelings is sweet, as is the ending.

[Kristie Sutherland]

Short and sweet

This was a sweet simple story, because it was short I felt like I was missing something the whole time. However, it was a good quick read and you can't go wrong with a HEA. I don't know that I would classify this one as a brothers best friend if it wasn't for the about book blurb I would not have even known they knew each other previously.

[The Book Ssirren]

This was a cute and fun story. The main characters were a lot of fun. Super sweet to let the FMC and her son stay with him when their heater broke. Her tried so hard to prove himself and eventually walls came down. The way they reconnected was great. Super cute for a novella.

[Justins]

Cute, sweet read.

[Misty Salazar]

This was a cute read. Loved the heat between the two. I wish the story was a little longer but it was fun and cozy.

[Rachelclune88]

it is a short story of 160 pages i enjoyed the story i just wished it had a bit more i didnt really get the emotional connection to the characters. Clara's furnace breaks and she and her 7 year old end up staying with jack, who after an injury is back at his hometown.

[Karina]

idk anymore . no chemistry . the h was annoying