Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
JANE
I was in the kitchen, reviewing an essay I’d written for one of my classes while dinner was cooking, when my phone rang and Dad’s name appeared on the screen.
Guilt twisted in my gut. He’d been calling all day, ever since the statement about my relationship with Austin had gone live, but I hadn’t answered.
I watched it ring until the call went to voicemail, head dipping with the shame of avoiding yet another call. I knew I had to talk to them at some point, but I was delaying for as long as possible.
I pushed my phone aside, returned my attention to my laptop, and nearly had a heart attack when the doorbell chimed.
Oh, God. Had Dad called from outside the house? It would be just like him to catch a flight into Chicago and turn up on the doorstep just to make sure I was all right. If it was him, I was in trouble, since I had no good excuse for ignoring his call.
Or, if not, then perhaps it would be Sylvia. I was sure she had plenty to say about me supposedly dating Austin. She’d made no secret of the fact she thought I was interested in him as more than a boss and, well, considering how it looked, I couldn’t really argue with that.
I hurried over to the sautéing vegetables with chunks of chicken cooking on the stove top and gave them a quick stir before padding through the house to the front door. I looked out the peephole, and relief flooded me at the site of Hazel Harris.
Good. I could relax, at least a little.
I opened the door and smiled. “Hey, Hazel. Austin isn’t home yet. Sorry.”
He’d told me that he’d get a ride home with Gus after meeting with the team’s management to finalize everything.
She tucked her hair behind her ear. Hers was the same rich shade of brown as Austin’s. “No worries. It’s you I’m here to see.”
I cocked my head. “Me?”
She laughed, her brown-green eyes dancing. “Of course. I mean, you were Austin’s assistant, but now you’re his girlfriend, which practically makes you family. I want to get to know you better if you’re going to be my sister.”
Oh, God.
My stomach sank, and I fought the urge to facepalm.
Hazel thought this was real. In hindsight, I shouldn’t be surprised.
I had stipulated that we’d keep the ruse quiet after all, but I’d kind of assumed that Austin would either spill the beans anyway, considering how close they were, or that Hazel would guess the truth.
“Um. Okay. I’m cooking, but you’re welcome to come in and keep me company while I make dinner.”
She beamed and bounced on the balls of her toes. “Great.”
I stepped aside and held the door open. She kicked off her tennis shoes and followed me to the kitchen. I checked on the stir-fry again, testing how cooked the beef was, and she hovered behind me.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.
“No, everything is under control.” All I had to do was make sure the meal didn’t either burn or turn completely soggy.
She rocked back and forward a couple times, then headed for the breakfast bar and perched on one of the stools. “It smells amazing.”
It did smell good. Like garlic and onion, with a hint of meatiness beneath it.
“Hopefully, it tastes that way too,” I said.
“I’m sure it will.”
I turned toward her, uncertain of what to do or say next. It was pretty uncomfortable to be alone with someone who believed our lie. It was one thing to put on an act in public, but another to do it behind closed doors, with people who actually mattered.
I suppose you should have thought of that earlier.
“You know,” Hazel began, twisting her fingers together, “when I asked Austin to be open to the idea of a relationship, this definitely isn’t what I expected to happen.”
I almost laughed. She’d said that to Austin? Did she have any idea how opposed he was to doing anything that might interfere with hockey?
“Can I get you something to drink?” I asked, hoping to distract her. “Coffee? Tea? Water?”
“Tea would be nice. Do you have anything herbal?”
I rifled through the cupboard at the end of the breakfast bar, checking the options. “Is chamomile with passionflower okay?”
“Perfect.”
I collected a pair of mugs from another cupboard, added a teabag to one and decaf coffee to the other, filled both with hot water, and tailored the coffee to my preference.
Hazel accepted her drink gratefully and blew across the surface. “Do you think Austin secretly had feelings for you and then when I told him to be open to love, he decided to pursue them?”
I smiled wryly. It was a nice thought, if completely misguided. “I doubt it.”
“But this all happened so fast. It must have been such a whirlwind.” Her expression fell, her eyes darkening as they grew serious. “You didn’t feel pressured, did you? Because he was your boss and all?”
My insides warmed. She was such a caring person. She wanted love for her brother and was willing to accept my changed role in his life without wondering if I had an ulterior motive, but it seemed she might also be willing to tell him off if she thought he’d abused his position in any way.
“He hasn’t pressured me into anything,” I assured her.
Honestly, he had been persistent, but despite my reputation for being shy, I also wasn’t one to do anything I didn’t want to. I was going along with this because it suited me too, even if I’d initially had some concerns.
So far, Austin had kept his word, and I hadn’t suffered from any unwanted attention beyond smart remarks from one of the guys in my class and envious stares from others.
“Phew!” She let out a breath, as if it had actually been weighing on her mind. “So now that we’ve got that cleared up, what are your intentions with my brother?”
I sprayed coffee across the breakfast bar.
Hazel’s nose crinkled. “Sorry, did I catch you off guard?”
“A little.” Embarrassed, I ducked my head as my cheeks flamed and collected a damp cloth to wipe the countertop clean.
“My bad. The question stands, though. Austin doesn’t have anyone else to protect him, which means it’s my job. Are you serious about him?”
I cupped my mug between my hands and stared at the coffee as if it held the answers to all the riddles of life. It was either that or meet her gaze, and I didn’t think I could manage to do so while I lied to her face.
Why hadn’t Austin addressed all of this with her so I wouldn’t have to?
I had no idea what to say or how much to reveal.
“Uh…”
She leaned forward, smiling encouragingly.
“Obviously, I care about him.” I always had, even when he was just my boss. “I—”
A car pulled up outside, and I leapt from my seat and practically ran to the front door, yanking it open just as Austin reached it.
He glanced up, his eyes wide, and cut off midway through a stream of curses he’d been muttering under his breath. “Is Hazel here? Her car is outside.”
“Yes,” I hissed, peeking over my shoulder to make sure she hadn’t followed me. “She’s interrogating me about our relationship. Save me.”
He grimaced. “Oh.”
I studied his face for a moment, noting the slight downturn of his mouth and the irritation in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “Nothing major. They broke the news about me being captain of the team today. Most took it well, but Delacrue made a few shitty comments.”
Delacrue, the fourth line center and a bruiser of a man, was one of the few players left on the team who’d been friendly with Taggert. It made sense that he’d resent whoever replaced him.
I winced. “Sorry, that must have sucked. Don’t take it to heart, though. The team has been through a lot of change lately, but they listened to you at Rinkside, and I’m sure they’ll listen to you again when it matters.”
“I hope so.”
“Aww!”
I flinched, and Austin did too. We both spun around to find Hazel standing behind us, her chin resting on her palm and hearts in her eyes.
“You two are so cute together.” She grinned at each of us and then breezed past me and hugged Austin. “Hey, big brother.”
“Hi, Haze.” He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed gently.
My heart melted a little bit. In day-to-day life, it was easy to forget what a big softie Austin was when it came to his baby sister. She was nearly ten years younger than his thirty-two—an accidental baby—and he’d given her all the affection she’d never received from their dad.
Swoon.
He glanced between us. “I’m going to put my gear away. Where should I find you?”
“In the kitchen,” Hazel said.
I reached for his bag, eager for an excuse to escape the inquisition. “I can do that.”
“But you’re cooking dinner,” Hazel pointed out.
Austin smirked. “I’ve got it.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. He might just find himself nursing a stomped-upon foot if he didn’t help take some of Hazel’s attention off me soon.
As if reading my mind, he murmured, “I’ll just be a few minutes.”
I jerked my head stiffly and marched back to the kitchen.
Hazel danced along behind me, far more graceful than I’d ever be. “You know, I think you’re exactly what Austin needs.”
I paused just inside the kitchen door and squeezed my eyes shut briefly. “Why’s that?”
She rounded the kitchen counter and went to the breakfast bar, where she sat and sipped on her tea.
“I was worried you two might both be too serious to fit well together. He’s so focused on his career and you’re quiet, and I thought you might be too much intensity wrapped up in one package, but I’m realizing now that Austin has never had someone who’s solidly on his side before, except for me. ”
I blinked at her, startled by the comment. “What do you mean?”
She pulled a face. “Dad put a lot of pressure on him and made him work harder than any kid should have to. No matter how well Austin did, Dad could always find something he needed to improve. He’d never just tell him he’d done a good job.”
“That’s rough.”
“Yeah.” She pulled a face. “Mom was always busy with me, and he had friends, but they were surface-level. He deserved more.”
“He has Gus now,” I offered, my thoughts whirling. I’d never thought of Austin as being particularly isolated before, but that had been an oversight.