Chapter 2
TWO
JANE
I was jittery from the end of the team meeting until I was finally able to shut myself in my studio apartment above Austin’s garage, anxious to get on the phone and discuss what the changes might mean for me.
I flopped onto the bed and wriggled up until I was relaxing against the mound of white and blue pillows, angled toward the small kitchenette.
Some people found it strange that I lived with my boss, but my lease had been up when I’d applied for the job and the moment Austin’s agent learned I had experience cooking for athletes, he’d persuaded Austin to rent me the studio for well below market value.
The only proviso was that I had to prepare Austin’s meals a few times a week.
Well, that and keep out of his way when I wasn’t working.
Grabbing my bag, I unzipped it and fished inside for my phone. I opened the recent contacts list and scanned the numbers.
I couldn’t handle the thought of talking to Dad right now. He wouldn’t understand my anxiety over the future of the team and what the changes might mean for me. Mom would get it, though. She’d spent years being buffeted around by other people’s careers with little control over the situation.
I tapped on her number and waited while the call went through.
“Hey, honey,” she answered, her voice as bright and cheerful as ever.
“Hi, Mom.” I gazed up at the ceiling, the white turning hazier the longer I stared.
“What’s wrong, Janie?” Her tone grew concerned. God, I must sound bad.
“Something is going on at work.” I mentally debated how much to tell her, but if I wanted her advice, she needed to know everything.
I explained the sale of the team and the trades that had happened as succinctly as possible, warning her that everything was confidential and that I’d appreciate her keeping it to herself until someone else leaked it to the press, which honestly, wouldn’t take more than two or three days.
“You’re worried about how this might affect you?” she asked, quickly realizing all that I hadn’t said.
I grimaced. “Yeah.”
My childhood hadn’t been particularly stable. Mom and Dad had done their best, but with both Dad and my uncle Wayne being two of the leading scorers in the NHL for the better part of a decade, things had been turbulent.
For the past six months, my life had been predictable, and I liked that. I knew what to expect every day. Now, with Austin’s position on the team up in the air, so was mine.
“You can’t make it go away.” She sounded sympathetic. “I’m sorry, honey, but things are probably going to change. I know you don’t like it, but you’ll have to find a way to be all right with that.”
“I know.” I sighed. “If you were in my shoes, what would you expect?”
She was quiet for a long moment, considering. “It sounds like they’ve already gotten rid of the players they really want gone, so unless Austin does something to change their opinion of him, I can’t see him being traded.”
“Me neither.” The Chicago Chaos didn’t have many consistent players, and Austin was undeniably their top scorer. Some games, he was the only reason they got points on the board at all.
“They might make him captain,” she mused. “I’m not an expert, but he’s a veteran on the team, well-respected by others, even if they don’t necessarily like him, and he brings in plenty of publicity.”
I snorted. “That’s a tactful way of putting it.”
Austin had a rabid female fanbase.
They mooned over his electric blue eyes, sleek muscles, and rich brown hair. There were entire fan pages dedicated to his ass.
And yeah, it was a good ass.
Not that I looked. Much.
He never gave any women the time of day, but that only seemed to fuel them more. It made them think of him as this aloof heartthrob they were certain they could win over if only they had a couple of minutes with him.
Ridiculous, but understandable.
I knew his flaws better than most and still had a hard time reining in my attraction to him some days. There was just something about a hardworking, respectful, gorgeous man that was hard to resist.
“I don’t think you need to stress,” Mom said, dragging me out of my thoughts. “But what you should—”
The doorbell rang.
“Sorry, Mom. There’s someone at the door. Talk to you later?”
“Keep me updated,” she said.
“I will.”
I ended the call, left my room, and jogged down the stairs.
Austin hated his peace being interrupted, so the doorbell had been set to silent when I first moved in.
I’d changed it so that it sounded in the kitchen, the living room, and my room because sometimes people had valid reasons to turn up unexpectedly, and it would be bad for him to miss them.
I’d appointed myself to vet his guests. He’d told me several times that I didn’t need to, but I didn’t mind running interference on occasion.
I paused at the door to catch my breath before opening it, then immediately regretted my decision and wished I’d stayed in my room.
“Hi, Sylvia.” I forced myself to smile, even as my stomach sank.
“Jane.” The pretty blonde drew my name out, her gaze flicking over my shoulder as if she were hoping that Austin would materialize behind me. “I made cookies for Austin. I know it’s their first day of training and thought he might like a treat.”
I glanced down at the plate of chunky chocolate chip cookies clutched in her manicured hands. They looked good and smelled even better.
“Maybe you could let me through, so I can give them to him?” she asked hopefully.
I rested my palm against the doorframe, blocking her way.
I didn’t think she’d try to push past me, she was too classy for that, but it was impossible to be certain.
While it wasn’t technically my duty to keep wannabe future Mrs. Harrises away from my boss either, I knew I’d deal with them more tactfully than he would.
I chose to ignore the small part of me that wanted to keep beautiful women away from Austin for more selfish reasons.
“That’s so thoughtful of you,” I said. “Unfortunately, Austin is on a strict diet and won’t be able to eat them.”
It was a shame. They really did look delicious.
Sylvia’s fair eyebrows drew together, forming a sharp vee above the slim ridge of her nose. “Surely one won’t hurt.”
“It’s a slippery slope.” I shrugged, as if to say, ‘what can you do?’
She shifted from one foot to the other, drawing attention to her long legs, which her flared miniskirt displayed to full advantage. “Can I just pop in and say hello then? Ask him how it went?”
“I’m afraid not.” I pursed my lips, unwilling to budge and refusing to examine all the reasons why. I wasn’t possessive of Austin. Just protective of his time. “He likes to be alone after training.”
She knew that. It wasn’t the first time she’d tried to visit immediately after a practice or game. She deflated, and I quietly prayed that she’d turn around and leave. Usually, this point in the conversation would be when she took herself back next door, foiled once again.
Today, she surprised me by raising her chin and staring me down.
“I think you’re just trying to keep me away from Austin,” she said, her features twisting into something far from friendly.
“I’m not.” I spoke slowly, my tongue already beginning to feel clumsy in my mouth, as it always did when I sensed a confrontation brewing.
“Maybe he really wants to see me, but you never ask.” She cocked her head. “How would I know?”
I opened my mouth, then closed it again, and drew in a deep, slow breath in an effort to calm myself. If I stuttered in front of her, I’d be so ashamed. There was nothing I hated more than regressing.
“Sylvia.” I enunciated the word clearly. “You can’t speak to Austin now. Please leave.”
She looked like she might protest, but she must have seen the determination in my eyes because she gave a barely perceptible nod, turned, and strode away with a swing in her hips.
I released a gust of air, and the tension eased from my shoulders. Good. She was gone. I shut the door, locked it, and retreated to my room, where I went straight to the kitchenette, opened the cabinet, and ripped into a packet of Oreos.
By the time I’d demolished two of them, I felt a little better.
I grabbed my laptop, sat cross-legged on the love seat against the wall, and navigated into my latest assignment for my Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology.
For a while, I worked on the assignment, adding references from relevant academic articles, double-checking the facts I’d already included, and making sure there weren’t any blatant grammatical problems that would annoy my pedantic professor.
I only had five papers to pass before I could graduate.
Five.
Fingers crossed I’d be able to get them done soon, before Austin was traded or let go, rendering me jobless.
My parents had insisted on paying my tuition, even though I’d argued about it, not wanting to be a burden on them.
They weren’t destitute, but they weren’t as wealthy as they should be, considering Dad’s and Uncle Wayne’s level of fame and success.
Unfortunately, professional hockey players hadn’t earned as much in their day, and a lot of Dad’s savings had been wiped out by medical bills after the car accident that had ended his career and resulted in both him and Mom having extended hospital stays, followed by drawn-out recoveries.
Despite agreeing for them to pay my fees, I’d insisted upon covering my own living expenses. Hence, this job. Based on the positions I’d had before Austin’s agent hired me, I knew I’d be hard-pressed to find another role with as many perks as this one.
My phone vibrated. I glanced at the screen. It was from my brother’s girlfriend.
I heard that Taggert is gone. Yay! That guy gave me the creeps.
I tapped out a quick reply.
That’s because he IS a creep.
But how had Tally found out?
I’d expected the news to spread but not this quickly. Of course, Mom could have told her, but I doubted it.
Another message arrived while I was applying moisturizer. This one from Austin’s agent, Gus.
Please make sure you come to my meeting with Austin tomorrow. 4pm. We have a lot to discuss.