“Oh yeah. The wedding. Maybe we could talk there. You don’t have a date, right?”
The sincere tone might have swayed her to extend their conversation for another minute or two—against her better judgment—until he got to the part where he assumed she was going alone.
Maybe he didn’t mean to imply she couldn’t possibly have someone to go with—as if that mattered—but she was operating on little sleep and didn’t feel like giving him the benefit of the doubt. She’d made that mistake too many times in the past not to learn from it.
“I do have a date, actually.” Or she had until a few minutes ago.
His disbelieving look grated on her last nerve. She tried hard to let it roll off her shoulders. Really, really hard.
“Let me take you, Hayley. Please? It’ll give us a chance to catch up.”
“You’re not trying to steal my date, are you, Thorton?”
Hayley couldn’t have been more stunned had the entire NHL All-Star team skated through the police station. She stared at Jackson, her brain scrambling to piece together what he’d just said about Eric stealing his date.
Eric, who was clearly struggling to make sense of it too, tried for that charming smile he could call up at a moment’s notice, but it fell wildly short. “Not at all. Hayley and I were just reminiscing about old times.”
Jackson glanced at Hayley like he didn’t believe a word and wanted her confirmation.
Eric didn’t give her a chance to respond. “I hadn’t heard you two were seeing each other.”
“It’s a pretty recent development.” Jackson shrugged as though admitting even that much was more than Eric was entitled to know.
Instantly suspicious, Hayley kept quiet. Awkward silences tended to make people ramble, and she was fine with the two of them oversharing until she could figure out what angle the both of them were working here.
“Most guys would move on after last night,” Eric pointed out.
“Hayley was just doing her job.” Jackson actually sounded like he meant it, and when he met Hayley’s eyes, those clear baby blues reflected only sincerity.
Jackson Knight was a far better actor than she would have given him credit for. She knew popular hockey players like Jackson routinely had microphones shoved in their faces after a game and were expected to say all the right things regardless of a win or a loss. She hadn’t remembered Jackson being quite that good though.
“Yeah, well, let’s hope everyone else forgives her as quickly as you have.”
Eyes narrowed, Jackson moved a little closer to Hayley. The sharp, clean scent of his skin filled her senses. “She doesn’t need anyone’s forgiveness. She didn’t do anything wrong.”
With a humoring smile firmly in place, Eric stepped back. “I guess I’ll see you two at the wedding.”
Jackson waited until Eric was out of earshot. “He’s going to Josh and Allie’s wedding?”
She shrugged. “He’s a Thorton.” Eric’s family owned numerous businesses in Promise Harbor, including the fish plant and the newspaper. And like much of the country, the Thortons hadn’t escaped hard economic times.
“You ready to go?” Jackson’s voice carried far enough for at least half the small police station to hear him.
Preferring not to give her fellow officers anything else to talk about, she led the way outside and down the sidewalk to where her truck was parked.
Jackson shoved his hands in his pockets and studied the street.
Crossing her arms, Hayley gave him a once-over. “What was that about?”
“Seemed like a good idea at the time.” He paused, watching two kids on bikes ride past. “I can’t believe you actually dated that asshole.”
“That makes two of us.”
“I forgot Matt had mentioned it until I saw you two talking. Given how red the tips of your ears were turning, it’s a wonder you didn’t arrest him instead of me last night.”
She started to raise her hands, then let them drop back to her sides. “They do not turn red.”
“Sure they do. Not nearly as noticeable now with the blonde hair though.” He leaned back against her truck, looking way too comfortable.
“No offence, but I don’t think I can trust your judgment about my ears or anything else from high school after you confused me with Helen-basement-blowjob-Anderson.”
Jackson laughed. “I thought that was just locker room talk.”
“So her supposed skills weren’t the reason you borrowed my parents’ truck and took her up to Sunset Bluff?”
“Those supposed skills were exactly why I took her. I just didn’t realize the whole school knew that about her.”
“It’s kind of a small town,” she confided.
“Yeah, it is.” The playfulness faded, replaced by something else. Regret?
When his attention dropped to the pavement, she decided to change the subject. “Thanks for stepping in with Eric, but—”
“You could have handled it yourself,” he finished for her.
A smile tugged at her lips. “Maybe.” Jackson had certainly saved her from having to endure Eric’s presence. If she’d told her ex how she really felt, then she’d be just giving her captain more grief, seeing as Eric’s father was one of the town’s most influential patriarchs.
God, why did it feel like Eric was still screwing her over?
Jackson returned her grin, and the slow curve of his lips was far more potent when unleashed in person. Ignoring the warming sensation in her stomach that made her think long and hard about taking a step closer to him, she rounded her truck to the driver’s side. Jackson followed.
“Guess that makes us even then.” She’d taken the blame for the truck incident years ago, and now he’d made up for it by diffusing an uncomfortable situation with Eric. She opened her door.
“Sure, if we don’t count the fact that you arrested me last night.”
Hayley blew out a breath. “Sorry that it was necessary.”
“I’m sorry you got caught in the middle.” His gaze fell to her cheek, and for a second he looked like he might reach out and touch the faded purple bruise from last night. He stuck his hands back in his pockets. “At least it got me out of there without anyone trying to talk their way into my bed.”
She nearly rolled her eyes. “Is that what started the fight with your burly pal last night? You pass on his offer?” It took a lot to keep her face straight.
“Jesus.” Jackson shuddered. “Do me a favor and don’t ask him that if you cross paths. Guy has one hell of a right hook.”
She tossed her bag on the seat. “Looking out for me again?”
“Maybe I want to stay on your good side. Can’t say I was a fan of Cal’s singing while you had me in holding.”
She started to slide into her truck, stopped. “How is it that you can remember Cal from high school but not me?”
“Cal is still the same ‘American Pie’-singing drunk he was in high school. You’re…” He trailed off, his expression almost confused before he offered a slow smile. “Something different.”
Hayley laughed. “You should really try to sound like you know whether or not that’s a good thing before saying it out loud.” She slid into her vehicle, immediately putting her window down to release the June heat trapped inside. “And get some more ice on your face before the wedding.”
“I was serious about the date thing.” Jackson leaned against the window, resting his hands on the edge of the doorframe above her.
“Pardon me?”
“You owe me, right?”
“I never said—”
Jackson pulled some papers out of his back pocket and handed them to her.
She unfolded the sheets, cringing when she saw a picture of her leading him away in handcuffs. The image and accompanying headline were from a prominent sports website. She didn’t want to, but made herself flip to the next page and then the next. More unflattering pictures of his fight and handcuffed exit, and more gossip-fueled headlines.
&n
bsp; She remembered far worse headlines from a few post-Stanley Cup playoff parties that got out of hand, and then there were the rumors of alcohol being a factor with his car accident that had been splashed over magazines and the Internet. He was hardly unfamiliar with bad press, but this was the first time she’d played a role.
Although she knew she’d handled the situation the best way she could to prevent an all-out brawl, she couldn’t blame him for being pissed at her. Which made it even harder to understand why he wanted to go to the wedding with her.
“You know I’m the one who arrested you, right? People would have a field day posting pictures online of us together at a wedding.”
“That’s exactly what I’m counting on.”
Hayley blinked. “Huh?”
“I spoke to my agent this morning. He’s the one who emailed me those.” He nodded to the pages still in her hand. “There’s a team interested in offering me an assistant coaching position, and my agent is concerned this might scare them off.”
“So if you’re seen with the cop who arrested you, he can pass it off as just us playing around or…” She trailed off, not completely sure if she had the gist of it and kind of wishing she didn’t.
“Or some kind of lovers’ quarrel,” Jackson put in.
“Right.” The warming in her stomach kicked in to full gear, and the serious look on his face wasn’t helping. Jackson’s smile was sexy and loaded with enough natural confidence to turn heads without him putting a lot of effort behind it, but the banked intensity in his eyes as he watched her, waiting, was a different beast entirely.
God, she was in so much trouble here, and she was smart enough to know it.
“Do you even want to coach?” She all but blurted the question, but it succeeded in making Jackson look away, giving her a second to lock down the nervous flutter of energy rolling up her spine.
“You know, you’re the first person to ask me that. Everyone just assumes that’s what I’ll do.” He shrugged, and for a moment he looked utterly and completely lost. It passed entirely too fast and he was right back to fixing those impossibly blue eyes squarely on her.
She might have squirmed in her seat if she hadn’t wrapped both hands around the steering wheel. As far as reminders went that she was no longer some teenage girl who once had a crush on the school all-star, it fell pitifully short, but it was enough.
“Getting back to the wedding,” Jackson said, “we both have people we want to avoid later today. Going together just makes sense. We can bail each other out of any uncomfortable situations.”
“We could do that without being each other’s date.” The word nearly caught in her throat.
He shook his head. “Makes it more authentic if we go together, and it will keep the wolves at bay.”
“Wolves? Is that what you’re calling the puck bunnies who want you to autograph their breasts?”
He waved to someone across the street, leaving her to wonder if she was imagining the flush of color high on his cheeks. “Saw that, huh? Maybe you should have come over and saved me from her.”
“Since when does a player like you need saving? Besides, I was working.”
“I seem to remember the working part rather clearly.” He could have scowled at her, but smiled instead, a smile that had probably melted the panties off more women than Hayley could count. “I’ll pick you up at two.” With that he walked away.
Hayley poked her head out the window. “I didn’t say yes.”
“You didn’t say no either.” He slipped on his sunglasses and crossed the street to where he’d parked his car.
Hayley shoved her keys in the ignition and sat staring out the window long after Jackson pulled away. Exactly what had she just agreed to?
“Hand me the wrench.” Jackson stared up at Matt from his crammed position half jammed in the cupboard under the sink at Stone’s.
Matt dug through the tools, not bothering to hide his skepticism. “You sure you know what you’re doing?”
Jackson took the reluctantly offered wrench and tightened the last bolt. “Turn the water on.”
“I’m not paying your dry cleaning bill if this doesn’t work.” Matt stepped up to the sink, but didn’t touch the tap as the swinging door flew open.
“Matt, you’re not going to believe the stupid thing I…” Hayley’s voice trailed off. “You’re…busy.”
And not alone, Jackson mentally filled in for her, grinning.
Easing out of position, he sat up. “Don’t let me interrupt. Just pretend I’m not here.”
A weak smile touched Hayley’s lips. “It’s not that important.”
Enjoying her discomfort a little too much, he climbed to his feet, testing the taps himself. “You were saying,” he prompted. “Doing something stupid?”
She ignored his not-so-subtle nudge. “Not just handy with a hockey stick, huh? Hope you’re better at this than with jukeboxes. Maybe you should put him on the payroll, Matt.”
The tension that seemed to leave her body when she fixed all her attention on her brother made Jackson’s grin widen. When had Hayley gotten so damn cute? He had been sure he’d imagined her discomfort when they talked earlier, but maybe not. Maybe Hayley wasn’t as cool and distant as he’d always assumed her to be.
Matt glanced at him, curiosity staring out from the same gray eyes as Hayley. He tossed the wrench in the toolbox before turning back to his sister. “Don’t you need to start getting ready for the wedding? Gramps doesn’t like to wait.”
“He had a rough night.”
Jackson straightened. “Rough night?”
Matt let out a breath, the tightening around his jaw warning Jackson that whatever was coming would not be good news. “He’s in palliative care.”
The subtle ache that had no name and was never far from the surface since his accident clamped down hard on his chest. He waited a moment, then two. “Is it cancer?”
Hayley nodded. “Doctors gave him a few weeks at best and that was two months ago.”
Fuck.
The ache in his chest rose to his throat and stayed there. He swallowed hard, forcing it down. “You never mentioned it.”
Matt shrugged. “You were pretty caught up in other stuff.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to say Matt should have tried harder, knowing what the old man meant to him. But he heard what Matt wasn’t saying, that Jackson had been too self-absorbed to return any calls he hadn’t wanted to.
“He’d love to see you.”
Jackson managed a nod, but the pressure that had a chokehold on his lungs kept him from saying anything. He picked up the towel, mopping at the water on floor.
Someone out front yelled for Matt.
“Back in a second. Then I can show you what my piece of shit dishwasher is up to.”
Setting the towel aside, Jackson stopped him. “Can it wait until tomorrow? I should probably see if Josh needs help with anything before I get ready for the wedding.”
“No problem. Thanks for the help with the sink, man.” The door swung open and Matt disappeared.
Jackson switched his attention to Hayley. She didn’t seem fazed by Matt’s departure, but he guessed there was a lot running beneath the surface with her.
He used to think she didn’t care about much. When they were younger, she’d favored sticking to herself and breaking the rules. So much so she’d almost always been grounded the times Jackson went over to see Matt, making it even much more surprising that the troublemaker he remembered had become a cop.
Hayley Stone was a much bigger mystery than he’d realized, and he found himself increasingly drawn to figuring her out.
“So where should I pick you up?”
Hayley carried the toolbox over to the shelves lining one wall at the back of the small kitchen. “It would be easier if I just met you there.”
Easier? Less obvious, maybe. Troublemaker or cop, he got the impression she still liked to fly under the radar, and showing up with him would put her front a
nd center. He couldn’t wait to see how she handled that. He should probably feel a little guilty about looking forward to it, but damn if this wasn’t the most fun he’d had in a while.
The pictures from his agent weren’t a surprise, and neither was the concern about how this might affect a possible job offer Jackson had long ago given up waiting for. But bad publicity could often sell more tickets for a struggling hockey club, so he wasn’t worried too much about it. Still, he took his agent’s advice on using his connection to Hayley and smoothing out the latest dent in his reputation.
A screwdriver slid out of the toolbox, and Jackson beat her at picking it up. “It’s no problem at all for me to pick you up. Where do you live?”
“You weren’t too hung up on that detail earlier.”
He shrugged. “Just figured I’d ask Matt.” He would have eventually remembered he needed that information.
“Ask me what?” The man in question popped back in carrying a tray of dirty glasses.
“Directions to Hayley’s place.”
“Why would you need those?” When neither of them rushed to answer, Matt frowned. “What am I missing?”
“Nothing,” Hayley clarified. “Jackson and I are just doing each other a favor.”
Matt’s eyes narrowed and he tossed aside the towel draped over his shoulder. “We’re not talking sexual favors, right?” The accusation cut sharper than the knife used to slice drink garnishes that rested just inches from Matt’s hand.
“No,” they managed to answer in unison.
“Nothing like that,” Jackson felt compelled to add when his friend still hadn’t relaxed.
Hayley shoved the tools on the shelf. “Eric is back in town. Jackson offered to be my date so Eric won’t have any reason to bother me.”
Jackson wasn’t sure, but he would have sworn Matt’s fingers inched a little closer to the blade.
“Eric’s a dickhead. And what are you getting out of this arrangement?”
Somewhat reassured that his friend was more annoyed about the ex, Jackson answered honestly. “Keeps women from thinking I’m available.”
Barely appeased, Matt loaded the dirty glasses in the dishwasher. “You two could have asked me for help.”
Busted (Promise Harbor Wedding) Page 4