Meg hid a smile. He really had ordered two full meals.
No one at the table seemed surprised, though. When everyone was served and drinks were refilled, Meg picked up her fork. She had yet to say one word in this meeting of sorts, but Jax’s constant presence next to her still made her feel included.
The group ate for a few minutes in silence, and it was Jax who finally spoke first. “Rocco had another idea for the Northbrook club. I talked to him just before coming here tonight.”
Meg couldn’t explain the relief that coursed through her. His phone call in the locker room had been with Rocco. Why she was happy about that, she wasn’t sure.
Jax had everyone’s full attention at the table. “It’s a bit wild, but you know Rocco.”
The three other guys nodded. “So, Rocco thinks I should mandate to my dad to donate his generous hockey funds to Northbrook instead of to the Flyers. Then see if the Flyers will extend my contract on their own.”
Marcus set down his fork and narrowed his eyes. “That’s not a bad idea.”
Jax reached for his drink, and after a swallow, he said, “Yeah, except another complication has arisen with my dad, so cutting ties with him might be the best thing for everyone involved.”
Meg didn’t know what Jax was talking about, but his tone was filled with frustration.
Marcus was unconcerned. “Well, tonight is about making introductions and throwing out a few options. We’ll know real information when I contact the other teams about your contract options and availability for trade.”
Jax nodded. “Fair enough.”
Meg could practically feel the weight on his shoulders, and her curiosity only mounted. What was going on with his dad now? Is that what he wanted to talk to her about later? Whatever it was, it seemed he wasn’t about to discuss it over dinner.
For the next thirty minutes, Clint and Jax traded team stories, then Clint talked about his service in the military.
“Meg’s brother’s in the military,” Jax said.
Clint turned his gaze on Meg. “Oh, really? Which division?”
“Army,” she said. “He’s stationed in the Middle East right now.”
Clint asked more questions, and she answered the ones that she knew. It wasn’t like her brother could tell her much, and their relationship was relegated to the occasional email.
When the meal was over, Jax rose from the table. He shook hands with Marcus, promising to talk again over the next few days.
“Stellar game, by the way,” Marcus said.
“Thanks, man.”
Grizz clapped Jax on the shoulder. “Good luck with everything.”
“Thanks,” Jax said.
“And tell your brother thanks for his service,” Grizz told Meg.
“I will,” she said, her voice probably breathless. Standing next to these guys, she felt so tiny.
“Talk to you soon,” Clint told Jax. Then to Meg, he said, “Keep him out of trouble.”
She laughed. “I plan to.”
After all the goodbyes, Jax walked with Meg outside of the hotel, holding her hand again. He seemed to be lost in thought as they waited for the valet to bring the truck. When Jax opened the door to the truck for her to climb in, he said, “Can we go somewhere to talk?”
Here it was . . . “We’re pretty close to my grandma’s. She’ll be asleep, so we won’t have to worry about being interrupted.”
Jax nodded. “Okay.”
How serious was this, and how long was it going to take? Meg watched him walk around the truck, her mind churning with questions and her heart thumping with anticipation.
There was really no easy way to tell Meg that his father had filed a lawsuit against her, except for just telling her straight out.
With a heavy heart, Jax walked with her into her grandma’s house. The place was quaint and smelled of pine and cinnamon. A Christmas tree glittered in the corner of the front room, but Meg led him into the kitchen and turned on the lights.
The place was cozy and very, very blue. Blue walls, blue countertops, frilly blue curtains, and blue placemats on the table. “Is blue your favorite color, or your grandma’s?”
Meg smiled. “Oh, this is all my grandma’s doing.”
Meg might be smiling, but he could also see that she was a bit hesitant, and probably curious as to what he’d kept hinting at.
“Do you want a drink or anything? There might still be cookies left from when I made them the other day.”
“You make cookies too?”
“They’re just chocolate chip.”
Jax blinked. “I’m fine for now, but I might take a rain check for later.”
“Okay.” She opened a cupboard, and Jax watched her pull down a couple of glasses, then fill them with ice and water.
When she turned, he was still watching her. He really, really liked her wearing the hockey jersey with his number. And her jeans were pretty cute too. He also liked her hair pulled back, off her neck. She had an elegant neck, and he was well familiar with the smoothness of her skin. He really didn’t want to have this conversation. He’d rather pull her into his arms and show her how beautiful he found her.
Meg crossed to the table and set down the two water glasses. “Sit down, Jax. You’re making me nervous.”
“Fair enough.” He pulled out a chair and sat. Everything suddenly felt formal, and he reached for the ice water.
Meg drank some from her glass too, then folded her hands atop the table.
“My dad gave me some bad news tonight,” he said, diving right in. “You may or may not know this about him, but he’s the kind of guy who sues to get his way in most of his business deals. He always has a long list of justifications, of course. Some of them make sense, but in reality, it’s how he gets his way.”
Meg watched him with those deep-green eyes of hers, and he was pretty sure he’d already confused her.
“When my dad found out your name, he recognized it from the police report.”
Meg nodded. “I thought that might be the case.”
Jax exhaled. “You see, he got ahold of it—even though he shouldn’t have been allowed access. He found out the driver’s name—you—and he did some investigating into your background.”
Her brows pinched together. “Like a background check to see if I was a criminal or something?”
“That was only part of it,” Jax said. “He knows what I wrote in my own incident report that I filled out at the hospital, which, of course, confirmed your innocence. Still, my dad wanted to know if you were impaired or had restrictions on your driver’s license.”
Meg’s face flushed. “There’s nothing for him to find.”
“Doesn’t matter. My dad’s like a pit bull,” Jax said. “He can’t be called off a scent until he finds what he wants.” He hated the wariness that had settled in Meg’s gaze. He hadn’t even gotten to the hard part.
“What did he find?”
“He looked into your financials.” Jax rubbed the back of his neck. “My dad wanted to know what he could sue you for.” He knew that the news would be hard to deliver, but he never expected Meg to lose all color.
Her gaze shifted from his.
He reached for her hand. “My dad’s going to drop the lawsuit. I told him that we’re dating, and I explained the real reason I walked into the middle of the street without looking.”
Meg tugged her hand away and folded her arms. She was staring at the tabletop.
Jax had never seen Meg mad before, but he was pretty sure this was it. “I told him it wasn’t your fault, and besides, he can’t sue on behalf of me.”
“What did he say?” she said in a quiet voice, still not looking at him.
“My dad thinks that basic logic doesn’t apply to him, so the fact that I’m the one who was hit and not him, and that I’m a grown adult, doesn’t faze him.”
Meg didn’t say anything for a moment. Then she wiped at her eyes. “Well, I did hit you with my car. There’s no denying that.”
She nodded but wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“Meghan, please, stay with me,” Jax said. “There’s more.”
Slowly, she lifted her gaze. “What?” she whispered.
“My dad accused you of trying to use me, you know, like some women might use a guy who has a lot of money. Like you hit me on purpose, and now you’re dating me so that I’ll help you financially.”
Her eyes rounded. “That’s ridiculous. I didn’t even know you—”
Jax set his hands on her shoulders. “I know. My dad made some gross assumptions that aren’t true. But I needed to come completely clean with you so that we can talk about some other things.”
She stepped away from him, and he dropped his hands. “I don’t know if I can handle anything more,” she said. “I sort of hate your dad right now.”
Jax nodded. “Believe me, I get that. Because I’ve been there myself. Many times.”
Meg moved past Jax to the kitchen sink. She turned around and leaned against it, folding her arms again. “Well, whatever it is, I guess your dad didn’t turn you against me. I mean, you took me to dinner with your agent and everything.”
Her voice trembled, and Jax didn’t want her crying again. He moved closer, but not so close that she’d feel crowded.
“My dad sent over some texts after our argument,” Jax said. “Apparently he found out that you’re about to lose your store.”
The surprise in Meg’s eyes was plain, but then the flush on her face told him that his dad had the right information. It didn’t matter to Jax, though, whether Meg had a million dollars or was in heavy debt. Money was money, and it should never control a relationship. He’d learned that the hard way from his dad.
“Is it true?” he asked in a quiet tone.
When Meg nodded, Jax felt literal pain in his chest. He knew how much she loved her store and her career.
“What are you going to do?” he continued.
She visibly swallowed, gripping the sides of the counter she was leaning against. “I’m going to liquidate in January. Today I gave my employees a heads-up so they can start looking elsewhere.” She wiped at a fallen tear. “My part-timers are quitting now with a small severance. Nashelle is looking but will probably stay until the bitter end. My, uh, lease has gone up over the past few months, and with the combination of decreased business and not getting full rent for my apartment, I just keep going into more and more debt each month.”
“Why aren’t you getting full rent?”
“I’m renting to a friend of mine,” Meg said. “She’s a single mom with two little kids. She can’t afford the full price.”
“But you’re losing your livelihood over it? That’s a huge sacrifice.”
“No, it’s the higher lease on the boutique and the stagnant sales,” Meg said. “I could always get a new renter or sell the place at a loss. I just can’t move back there, not after Blaine helped me pick it out. And I’ll be fine. I’m going to build up my website and shift to online exclusive.” She shrugged as if it were no big deal, but she wasn’t fooling him. “It’s the wave of the future, right? Online sales.”
Jax took a step closer. “I could help you.”
Meg blinked. “What are you talking about?”
“You know,” he hedged. “I could pay your shop lease for a few months.”
Her brows shot up. “You can’t pay my lease. It’s . . . it’s a business, and sometimes they fail—”
“Meghan.” Jax reached her and braced his hands on either side of her. “Let me help you. This is your dream. And there are only so many wells I can build in Africa.”
The edges of her mouth lifted, but she shook her head. “No, I couldn’t let you do that. It’s too much. Way too much. I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
Jax rubbed a thumb over her hand. “It’s not taking advantage when I’m offering.”
Her gaze held his, and he saw the shift in her eyes as she considered his offer.
“You’re sweet, Jax . . .”
“So I’ve been told.”
Her smile was fleeting. “I’ve been dealing with this since long before I met you, and well, I’ve already looked into all my options. Getting an investor, applying for another loan, selling the apartment, all of it . . . the best financial sense is to move everything to the online store.”
“Meghan,” he said in a soft voice. “I can help. This isn’t an impulse offer. The moment I thought of it, I had no doubt it was the right thing to do.”
“It’s tempting, believe me,” she said, resting a hand on his forearm. “But even though I like you, a lot, and you’re really sweet to offer such a huge thing, the reality is that I’ve done this on my own. From the ground up. And I need to do the rest on my own.”
“It’s okay to get help sometimes.”
“I know,” she said, lifting her chin. “But to accept help now . . . it’s like another defeat on top of what I’m already losing.”
Jax stared into her green eyes. “Is it me? I mean, if someone else offered, another investor, would you turn them down?”
Her gaze shifted then. “How would it look if I accepted your offer after what your dad accused me of?”
Jax hung his head and released a sigh. “Sometimes I hate my dad too.”
She moved her hand up farther on his arm. “Look, you have enough to deal with. Your parents, your contract, your career. Don’t worry about me. You really don’t need more burdens.”
Jax lifted his head. “You’re not a burden, Meghan.” He moved one hand to her hip and drew her close. Then he leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I want to help you. It would make me happy.”
She slid her arms around his neck, and this gave him hope. “You’re sweet, Jax, but my answer’s still no.”
“I can be very convincing,” he said, kissing her neck.
Her hold tightened about him. “I can be very stubborn.”
He chuckled. “Think about it, okay?”
She arched back so that she met his gaze. He saw only resolution there.
“My mind’s made up, so you can either drop it and kiss me or you can say good night.”
The choice wasn’t hard. He decided to drop it for now and, yeah, kiss her. Thoroughly.
An hour later, when he walked into his house, he called Rocco to give him an update. He’d been ignoring the guy’s texts long enough. When Jax had called him in the locker room, he had been desperate for an outsider’s advice. His dad had gotten into his head before, and he’d needed to think straight. The accusations his dad had made about Meg were ridiculous, but there was always that small seed of doubt inside of Jax that women only saw him for his money. While he didn’t want to believe that of Meg, Rocco had been a good sounding board.
Rocco had agreed with Jax one hundred percent. Meg was innocent of the accusations, but Rocco had also suggested that Jax test her by offering to pay her lease. Jax didn’t like the sound of that, but throughout the evening, he’d decided he wanted to offer anyway. Not as a test but as a sincere offer. Because he did want to help her. He already knew his feelings for her were growing stronger by the day—by the hour, it seemed—and there was no reason he shouldn’t help her.
“So?” Rocco said, answering the phone on the first ring. “What did she say when you offered to invest?”
“She turned me down,” Jax said, scratching Sheriff’s head, which was currently resting on his knee as he sat on the living room couch. “And I was pretty persuasive.”
Rocco scoffed. “Don’t need those kinds of details, man. But it sounds like you have your answer.”
“Yeah, but I do want to invest,” Jax said. “I wasn’t testing her. I think it would be a win-win.”
“How so?” His tone was definitely skeptical.
“Well . . . I want to help her. This
is her dream, and she’s gone after it. Not many people can say that.” He told Rocco about how she was losing money renting her apartment to a single mom and how she had several employees dependent on her.
“Huh.”
“That’s all you have to say?” Jax said.
“I have a lot to say, but I’m not sure you’re ready to hear it.”
Jax leaned back on the couch and sighed. Sheriff didn’t like the change in position, because it meant no more head scratching. “I don’t think I want to hear it.”
“Yeah, well, all I’m gonna say is that you’re in deep, my friend,” Rocco said. “I just hope that you aren’t jumping in too fast. You guys haven’t known each other long.”
“I know.” Jax closed his eyes. “She’s different, though. I’m afraid that I’m more invested than her. Maybe it’s a rebound thing.”
“You told me Lacy was over a year ago.”
“She was.”
“This isn’t a rebound thing, then,” Rocco said, then he went silent for a moment.
Was Jax falling for Meghan? Already? Was that possible after only a few weeks?
“You could still help her, though,” Rocco said in a thoughtful tone.
“How?”
“Find out who owns the building,” Rocco said. “Property owners are public record. Find out how deep she’s in this. Maybe the landlord will give her a grace period.”
Jax kind of liked the idea, but whether he found out she was about to go under this month or in three months, it wouldn’t matter. He still wanted to help her. “What if I contact her landlord and make a couple of payments?”
Rocco blew out a breath. “Without telling her.”
Jax rose from the couch and walked down the hall to his office. “Ask for forgiveness later?”
Rocco scoffed. “I don’t know, man. That’s a big move. It might upset her.”
“I’d be helping her, though. Saving her store. Something she loves, right?” Jax opened up the laptop on the desk.
“Right . . .” Rocco’s tone was hesitant.
“All right, I’m going to do some research.”
“Okay, but you better think through this,” Rocco said. “You don’t want to step where you’re not wanted.”
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