Chapter 3 #2
Even if I was willing to, it was too close to a relationship for my liking. What if the woman started getting ideas about making it real?
“I think you do.” He tilted his head back, stretching his neck. “And you have the perfect candidate right under your nose.”
I stiffened. “Excuse me?”
“Jane.”
“Jane?” I repeated, stunned. “Jane works for me. Why the hell do you think she would make the perfect fake girlfriend?”
“Because of her background.”
“What?” I stared at him, uncomprehending.
Gus propped his elbow on his desk and rested his chin on his palm. “Her father and uncle.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” He was making no sense at all.
Cocking his head, he studied me for a long moment. “Austin… don’t you know who Jane is?”
“My assistant.” Was I missing something?
He looked at me like I was a particularly stupid child. “For a really smart guy, you have to be one of the most oblivious men I’ve ever met. Jane is from a hockey dynasty. Her father is Pete Wright. Her uncle is Wayne Wright. Want to hazard a guess who her brother is?”
Holy shit.
My stomach lurched. No, it couldn’t be possible.
“But her last name is Foster.”
Gus rolled his eyes. “That’s her mother’s maiden name. She probably goes by it so no one makes the connection.”
“But…” I shook my head. Why would she hide that? “Are you sure? Even if her surname actually is Wright, it’s a common enough name.”
There was no way she was one of those Wrights. I’d know, wouldn’t I?
Pete and Wayne Wright were legends. They’d taken the NHL by storm a couple of decades ago. They’d been All Stars and some of the top scorers of all time. Pete’s son, Alec, played for the Colorado Dragons. I’d come up against him several times.
He couldn’t be Jane’s brother. I’d know. There was no reason she’d have kept that from me.
“Mm.” Gus smirked and grabbed his phone. He tapped at the screen for a few seconds then handed it to me. On the screen, Alec Wright was pictured alongside his father in front of The Lair, the stadium where his team was based.
Off to the side, her face turned partly away, was a woman who was unmistakably Jane. Sure, she was a brunette of average build and could have been almost anyone, but I was familiar with Jane’s mannerisms. I knew how she shrank in on herself when she was trying to avoid attention.
This was her.
“Why would she hide that from me?” I demanded, at a loss for anything else to say. Being part of an NHL dynasty could only benefit her in her current role. Why wouldn’t she make use of that?
More to the point, how had I not realized?
Gus shrugged. “She hasn’t been hiding it.
Not specifically. She told me. In fact, it was through her connections that she got in touch with me when she found out you were looking for an assistant.
She interviewed well, had experience with cooking for athletes—her family members—and she understood what NHL players need in a way few others do.
Of course I hired her. I assumed you either knew who she was when you met her or would find out soon enough. ”
I was an idiot. Not only because I’d been so blind but also because there was every chance I’d mansplained some aspect of hockey or the lifestyle to Jane at some point.
If I’d just paid more attention, I’d have realized what a valuable asset was living under my own roof.
“She’s perfect.” Gus continued speaking, ignoring my stunned silence.
“She’s not new to hockey. She grew up with a father who was in the limelight, so I assume she knows the basics of how to handle herself and having the potential to marry into a hockey dynasty can only impress your new coach and the team’s manager. Think of the potential P.R.”
I shook my head—not so much because I disagreed but because I was struggling to assimilate this new information.
“If Jane is one of the Wrights, then why is she working for me?” It belied belief.
I wasn’t a horrible boss, but I was hardly warm and fuzzy either.
My teammates already joked about stealing her from me.
If they knew who she really was, she could have her pick of them.
Anyone would love an assistant with experience and a solid background in the sport.
“Maybe she actually likes your grumpy ass,” Gus suggested. “It could happen. My point is, she’s perfect for the role and she’s already proven she can fit seamlessly into your life, so there wouldn’t be any unnecessary upheaval. I know how you hate that.”
“She’s my employee. It wouldn’t be right.”
“It wouldn’t be real.”
I grimaced. That was true, but I couldn’t help worrying that it might feel a little too real to me.
Jane was someone who wouldn’t have any illusion about my suitability as a boyfriend because she knew me well—apparently, better than I knew her. That meant I wouldn’t have the constant worry about not being enough, but it would also be easier to fall for the act myself.
I’d always noticed Jane in ways I shouldn’t. Pretending with her would only make it more difficult to maintain a professional distance.
He crossed his arms. “At least ask her. Make it clear she can say no and her employment won’t suffer.”
I grimaced. “I don’t know. It feels wrong.”
“If not her, what about your neighbor, Sylvia?” Gus waved toward the door. “Why don’t you get a glass of water in the break room and think it over? While you’re there, consider how badly you want to be captain before you retire.”
Ouch. I rubbed my chest. He’d hit right where it hurt. “Fine. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
I stood and made my way across the office on shaky legs. It felt like the rug had just been pulled out from under me and I didn’t know what to think about anything.
Jane Foster, the timid assistant who somehow anticipated all my needs and met them without me even having to ask, was actually Jane Wright, some kind of hockey legacy.
Next, I’d find out that Sylvia from next door was actually Joseph Trent’s long-lost daughter or something equally ridiculous.
As I strode into the open plan area, Jane started to rise.
I waved for her to sit but couldn’t manage any words.
My gaze lingered on her as I passed, and I couldn’t help noting that her coloring was similar to Alec Wright’s.
It wasn’t enough for me to call a resemblance, but if I was looking for it, I could see the likeness.
Heading to the break room, I ignored the glances from junior agents and assistants and was relieved when I passed through the doorway and found the room empty. I grabbed a tall glass from the cupboard, filled it from the water cooler, and slumped onto a seat.
I didn’t drink because I wasn’t actually thirsty.
Instead, I just thought. Hard.
There were too many things swirling around my mind, so I snagged onto them one by one and tried to make sense of them.
First, Gus believed that my stats and reputation weren’t enough to earn me the captaincy. Much as it irritated me, I was inclined to believe him. He was usually right about these things.
Second, I didn’t have time to find and secure a real girlfriend. Moreover, I didn’t want one. It would only mean another person demanding things of me and getting upset when I fell short.
Third, there was no way in hell that I would ask Sylvia to do it. She’d been looking for a way to get her claws into me since we’d become neighbors, and if I showed any sign of weakness, I’d never get rid of her.
Honestly, I didn’t like her much anyway. She was too insincere, and I had no patience for games.
Fourth, I could wait out my contract and ask Gus to search for another team who might be interested in me next season.
Unfortunately, it was unlikely that anyone would make me captain immediately, so I’d have to earn the role, and I didn’t know how many good playing years I had left.
Hopefully, a few, but nothing was guaranteed.
Fifth, besides my sister, there were only two women I even remotely trusted.
One was Nick’s sister, Madison, who’d made no secret of the fact she only dated women.
Even if she agreed to a ruse—which wasn’t likely—people would suspect our relationship wasn’t real because she’d always lived out and proud.
Suddenly dating me would be very suspicious.
The other woman who had my trust was Jane.
Jane, who likely knew hockey inside out. Jane, who’d never hesitated to carry out any part of her job. Jane, who had proven to be a vault, no matter who pestered her for information about me.
But it wasn’t fair of me to ask so much of her. Not to mention that it would put her in a difficult position if she didn’t think she could refuse.
That left one other option: hire someone else.
The trouble was that anyone I hired might be swayed by the promise of a big payout from the media if they shared my secrets.
I could have them sign an NDA, but even then, I’d always be wary of them.
Even if they didn’t betray, they might think they could hold onto me for longer than the term of the contract.
People often saw banknotes when they looked at me.
Then I had to factor in the fact that I liked things to be a particular way, and prior to hiring someone, I wouldn’t be able to tell whether they’d slot neatly into my life as Jane had done or if they’d knock me off-kilter.
I was trying to achieve one of my major career goals and needed to be completely focused on that. I couldn’t afford a distraction.
Besides, if I was willing to hire someone to do the job, then why not pay the person already in my employ, who I knew could do it without throwing my life into chaos, and whom I trusted not to sell me out?