A Perfect Distraction

by Anna Sugden

  “I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.” There was a touch of uncertainty in her eyes, like she’d expected him to be mad. “Back home, lots of sports stars clamor to be on reality shows. I think they’re nuts wanting that invasion of privacy. Everyone knowing every intimate detail of their lives.”

  That had the bitter ring of experience. He wondered what her story was. “Yeah. That can get old pretty quick.”

  Their gazes met. The click of understanding between them seemed almost physical. What was it about this woman?

  A loud “Coo-ee” made them both blink, breaking the connection.

  Aunt Karina, his mom’s best friend, came in, her gray curls bouncing. “You’re home and you haven’t been to see me, Jakey?” She shook her finger at him, then hugged him close. “You’re too busy with your hockey rabbits to visit an old woman?”

  He stifled a grin. Despite being in America for many years, she still muddled her English. “Puck bunnies, Aunt Karina.”

  “Bunny, rabbit, it’s the same, no?” She shrugged.

  “Sure. But you’re my number-one girl.”

  She sniffed at his flattery, but her smile was indulgent. “It’s good to have you back. Your mother missed you. Me, not so much.”

  “Mom said you have a new boyfriend.”

  “At my age, I have gentlemen friends. There’s no funny stuff...they’re too old.” She sighed. “And I’m too old for a toy boy...boy toy.”

  “You’re not too old,” he reassured her.

  “Correct answer.” Her eyes lit up as she spotted Maggie. “You let me chatter on when you have a girlfriend visiting?”

  “I’m not—”

  “She’s not—” He and Maggie spoke simultaneously, then stopped.

  “We’re not dating. Maggie’s helping me find a house.”

  “Uh-huh.” His mom turned back to her chopping.

  “Uh-huh.” Aunt Karina sat at the table.

  It was as if they could see inside his head. Could see the effect Maggie had on him.

  Damn it. If he wanted to convince anyone he wasn’t interested in Maggie, he’d have to convince himself. Right. Like that would happen.

  He had more of a chance of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s scoring records.

  * * *

  MAGGIE FOUGHT ENVY as she watched the fond banter between Jake and the two women. She could imagine such teasing interplay at family gatherings in the bright, airy kitchen.

  So different from the stilted atmosphere in her parents’ house, which had lacked any kind of emotional warmth. Where her father dominated, disapproval reigned and opinions from anyone else were not tolerated.

  This was the home she and Tracy had yearned for. From the postcards adorning the fridge to the cute curtains framing the large window and the smell of baking that lingered in the air, it felt cozy and welcoming.

  No wonder Jake had found the Trump Place apartment lacking.

  “I can see why the houses I sent through don’t appeal.” She picked up the four remaining property sheets. “I suspect these won’t be right, either.”

  Surprise lit Jake’s blue eyes. “What’s wrong with them?”

  Maggie had a momentary pang of unease. He might not like her disagreeing with him. But it was her job to make his move go smoothly. Tracy would expect nothing less. As uncomfortable as it made her, she shouldn’t hold back her thoughts.

  She fought her nerves, then indicated the first sheet. “This has great square footage, but the rooms look dark and poky. You could knock down walls to make it more open, but it would be a lot of work and upheaval.”

  “I agree, for sure. I don’t need the disruption.”

  Maggie blinked. He’d listened to her opinion.

  She set the property sheet aside, then slid the next one to him. “This one has an unfinished basement. More upheaval. Plus, the house is on a steep slope, with the garage at the bottom. There may be problems with water runoff.”

  Aunt Karina tsked. “You don’t want to worry about flooding.”

  Jake nodded. “I had reservations about the basement, but hadn’t thought about the slope. Good catch.”

  Heat tinted her cheeks at his praise.

  “I’m sure your thoughts about the other two houses will be on the money. Why bother even having a look at them?”

  His faith in her judgment gave her confidence a boost. “You might feel differently once you’ve seen the houses. Also, other things may occur to you as we go round them, which will help guide Mimi and me in finding other properties for you.”

  “Yeah. It just seems like a waste of time.”

  Maggie’s breath caught in her chest. Had she misjudged his easygoing nature?

  “I don’t see why it’s so hard to choose.” Jake’s mum chopped herbs with impressive speed. “You travel so much, you won’t be around to worry about dark rooms or whatever.”

  “You and Dad were just as picky before you bought this place, Ma. We saw dozens of houses and you rejected every one.”

  Tina smiled fondly at her son. “I know you wanted the best for us, but we didn’t want to waste the earnings from your first big contract.”

  Jake bought this place for his parents? Lee wouldn’t have been so generous.

  “You could have had a house twice this size and I’d have still had money left over.” His ears were tinged with pink.

  “After that cramped, rented apartment, a house of our own was a dream come true. But we wanted somewhere that felt like home. This house welcomed us.”

  He rose and hugged his mother. “That’s what I want, too, Ma.”

  Maggie swallowed the lump in her throat. “It’s a wonderful home. Jake will have a problem finding anything that’s as nice as this.”

  His half smile sent a glow through her body.

  “It’s true—this is the perfect house,” Aunt Karina added. “That’s why when my boys offered to buy me my own place, I turned them down. I live in the garden house.”

  “She means the carriage house at the back of the property—in the garden.” Jake smiled indulgently. “And Aunt Karina isn’t really my aunt, she’s Mom’s best friend.”

  “But I’m the aunt of your heart, no?”

  “Of course.”

  “Tina and I raised our boys together.” Aunt Karina pulled a photo from her apron and passed it across the table. “These four handsome boys are mine.”

  The two oldest looked familiar. “I met these two at Jake’s party.”

  Jake nodded. “Tru and Ike.”

  Aunt Karina frowned. “When will you invite me and your mama to your parties?”

  “That was the last one. No more parties. I’m focusing on hockey.”

  The two older women exchanged a worried look. “You’ll become a dull boy, Jakey. All work and no fun.”

  Jake’s shoulders tensed. Clearly, this was not a discussion he wanted to have.

  Empathy she didn’t expect tugged at Maggie. Time for a distraction.

  “Is that the time?” She shoved the four property sheets in her bag. “We should get a move on if we’re to take a look at these today.”

  “Good idea.” With a grateful look, Jake grabbed the lifeline she’d tossed him.

  The two women saw them off at the front door, reminding them to take care in the heat.

  The car was halfway down the street before Jake turned to Maggie. “Thanks for the bailout. They’re still getting used to the idea that I’m changing things up now I’m home.”

  “It’s nice they care so much. You’re lucky.” She heard the wistfulness in her voice and cleared her throat to cover it.

  For all his reputation, the way he behaved toward the older women said a lot about him. He was fond of them, but he also respected them.

  Jake ha
d treated her with respect, too. It had been a long time since anyone other than her sister had treated her like an equal.

  For the first time since she’d agreed to help her sister, the knot of tension eased in Maggie’s gut. Maybe she’d misjudged how difficult this job would be. If Jake continued to be this easy to work with, it would be a piece of cake.

  A couple of days house-hunting, a week tops, and she would have completed her first contract. Then, who knew what else she could achieve?

  * * *

  “YOU’VE NEVER SEEN The Godfather?”

  Jake’s shocked expression made Maggie smile as she followed the GPS’s instructions to turn right, the following afternoon. “What is it with blokes and that film?”

  “The Godfather is an iconic piece of modern culture.”

  “You sound like Tom Hanks in You’ve Got Mail.”

  “Isn’t that a chick flick?” He frowned.

  “You’ve never seen You’ve Got Mail?” She widened her eyes.

  Jake hitched an eyebrow.

  “He calls The Godfather the I-Ching and quotes it to Meg Ryan as lessons for life.”

  The GPS interrupted his reply. “Your destination is ahead, on the right.”

  The relaxed atmosphere vanished as she pulled up to the last property on the day’s list.

  “I hope this house is better than the other five we’ve seen today.” Jake got out of the car.

  Maggie tried to quell the flutter in her stomach at his disappointed tone.

  Yesterday’s visits had gone well, even though, as expected, the four properties hadn’t been appropriate. They’d spent the rest of the afternoon driving around the area to fine-tune Jake’s housing likes and dislikes. He’d been open and frank, while listening to her suggestions. Driving between houses, they’d chatted about other things—a real conversation, rather than the self-centered monologue she’d expected.

  This morning, after a good-natured argument about who would drive, they’d set off to look at some new properties that she and Mimi had selected. Though the first house hadn’t been bad, the places had gone steadily downhill after that.

  With each rejected house, Jake’s enthusiasm had waned and turned to frustration.

  Turning off the engine, Maggie fought the urge to run away. What kind of example would that set for Emily? If she wanted her daughter to be proud of her, she’d have to brave it out. Besides, she wouldn’t let Tracy down.

  A wall of heat and humidity hit her as she got out of the car. The silk underskirt stuck to her legs, making her wish she’d gone for comfort and cool. Could she get rid of her jacket?

  She glanced at her outfit. Even without the matching jacket, the beige linen dress was smart. No fancy frippery, apart from the column of bow-shaped buttons down her back. Lee wouldn’t have allowed her out of the house wearing the simple, knee-length style with its modest neckline, but then he hadn’t wanted her to look understated and professional.

  Though she’d have preferred a brighter color and a less severe cut, Maggie was still trying to find a style she felt comfortable with. All she knew for sure was it wouldn’t be anything Lee found suitable. She shrugged off her jacket and laid it across the backseat, then gathered her bag and turned.

  Jake stood behind her. His rigid stance said he was glaring at her behind his Ray-Bans. “This one doesn’t feel right, either.”

  Resisting the unexpected urge to snap at him, she forced a polite smile. “Shall we take a quick look, anyway? We’ve learned a lot from the other places we’ve seen, and it’s all helping us narrow down what you’re after.”

  “Let’s get this done.” He nodded sharply, then strode up the path to where Mimi waited by the front door.

  How on earth did the older woman maintain her immaculate appearance? Not a silver hair out of place nor a wrinkle in her mint-green pantsuit. Even her smile looked as fresh as it had first thing this morning.

  You can do this, Maggie told herself fiercely as she followed him. Inside the foyer, she stopped. Her stomach dropped to her midheeled Marc Jacobs sandals.

  Jake was right. The house was awful.

  Though normal on the outside, the Dutch Colonial was a nightmare of rooms painted in eye-popping acid colors. Any original features had long since been stripped out. Someone must have doctored the pictures on the property sheet.

  “They’ve ruined a great old house.” Mimi shook her head sadly as she led them past the sunken fishpond in the living room to the narrow kitchen with lime-green appliances. “No wonder they dropped the price.”

  Maggie stopped by the rear stairs. “Let’s call it a day. We can meet again in the morning when we’ll have other properties for you to look at.”

  Jake fixed his ice-blue gaze on her. “This isn’t working. We’re getting nowhere.”

  Did that mean he was going to fire her? The internal voice sneered again. Useless.

  She injected a cheeriness she didn’t feel into her voice. “I know today’s been disappointing, but there are plenty of other available houses. I’m sure we’ll see something suitable tomorrow.”

  “We said at the beginning it would take time to find the perfect place,” Mimi added.

  Jake ignored the real-estate agent. “We’re chasing our tails. Nothing we’ve seen has come close to being right.”

  Maggie tamped down her irritation. He made it sound like they hadn’t tried, when he was the one who was so hard to please. The mocking internal voice grew louder.

  “We understand your frustration,” she said soothingly. “But we’ve come a long way in a day and a half. Give us a bit longer.”

  “How much longer?” He crossed his arms over his broad chest and glared at her. “Training camp is around the corner. Once that starts, I need to focus on my play, not where I’ll be living.”

  “You will,” she promised calmly, even as desperation clawed at her insides.

  His arched eyebrow said he doubted it.

  She couldn’t lose this contract. He had to give them another chance. “Why don’t we meet tomorrow and go through the properties on the system together? That’ll speed up the process.”

  “Great idea. I’ll head to the office and get started.” Mimi shepherded them toward the front of the house.

  Jake shrugged, then indicated Maggie should go first.

  She walked ahead of him down the hallway, aware of his brooding presence behind her. Far too aware. Her body clearly wasn’t on the same page as her brain. His attitude should have had the same effect as the proverbial bucket of cold water. Why hadn’t it?

  Jake’s arm brushed hers as he reached past her to hold open the door.

  Maggie’s pulse skipped. She willed her body to toe the line. A few more steps and they would be out of this monstrosity.

  There was still the drive to his parents’ place. Enclosed in the confines of the car. Inches away from a pissed-off athlete.

  Maggie shivered, then told herself to stop worrying. He’d done nothing to suggest he couldn’t control his temper. Still, when his hand touched the small of her back, she flinched.

  Jake dropped his hand, his expression stony.

  She waved goodbye to Mimi, then got into the car. He joined her and instantly the interior seemed to shrink as his scent—raw, male and hot—filled her nose. His lean, powerful body crowded her, putting his muscular thigh mere inches from hers.

  Neither of them said anything. Forget cutting the tension with a knife, an axe would barely make a dent.

  They’d almost reached his parents’ place when nerves got the better of her.

  “Look—”

  “You know—” They both spoke at once.

  They stopped, then glanced at each other. The implacable set of his jaw said he’d reached a decision. One she wouldn’t like.

  �
��Go on.” She licked her suddenly dry lips.

  “Ladies first.”

  She tried to clear the tightness in her throat, but it sounded like a squeak. “I’m sorry we haven’t found anything suitable yet. I’d be grateful, if you’d give us one more chance.”

  “Knock yourself out.”

  Maybe it was his patronizing tone that sparked off a long overdue show of defiance. Maybe it was that incessant internal voice that had reached deafening levels. Maybe she was just sick of taking arrogant behavior on the chin for the sake of a quiet life. Regardless, before she could censor her words, she snapped, “Grow up.”

  “Excuse me?” The chill in his voice sent a shiver skating down her spine.

  Instead of being frozen into submission, she seemed unable to stem the flow of angry words. “You’re as bad as my seven-year-old. ‘I want it and I want it now.’” She mimicked one of Emily’s rare tantrums. “I know sports stars are used to instant gratification, but that’s not how this works. If you genuinely want a place to call home, you’ll have to be patient.”

  She didn’t know who was more shocked by her outburst.

  His eyes widened a fraction. If his jaw hadn’t been so tight, she was sure it would have dropped. “I see.”

  Maggie tried to get her runaway mouth to apologize, to say anything that would rescue the situation. But, having done the damage, it seemed her lips were glued shut. The heat of anger gave way to the pain of misery and defeat.

  She’d just cost Tracy the Ice Cats’ contract.

  CHAPTER THREE

  IT WAS THOSE damn buttons.

  Why else would he be behaving like a complete jackass?

  Jake knew he’d been out of line all day. He’d never been a prima donna; his parents hadn’t tolerated that kind of behavior and the Jelinek brothers had kept his ego in check.

  He was frustrated because the day had been a bust and he was ticked off by the lies in the property sheets. He felt cheated. That last place had been the worst, but every house they’d seen had sugarcoated the truth. He hated liars and cheats.

  Jake was also nervous about tonight, when he and Tru would start skating and working out at the Cats’ practice rink. The countdown to training camp had kicked up a notch and for the first time since his rookie season, he was nervous. Questions had buzzed around his brain all last night. What if he’d lost it? What if he was no longer good enough to stay in the NHL?