‘Look again, I’m so sorry about that morning,’ she began, attempting to bury her discomfort and get things back on track. ‘You were being so nice and—’
‘I was in a hurry and you were taking too long,’ he said gruffly. ‘Nothing to do with nice.’
The kind, good-humoured guy she’d encountered that day was a world apart from the closed, indolent one sitting across from her now. And given the circumstances, Hannah knew she needed to summon every ounce of diplomacy in her power.
‘So how is … everything?’ she asked, indicating his crutches. ‘I know you’re recovering from a knee injury so I truly hope the fall didn’t set you back or anything …’
He pulled them up defensively. ‘It’s all good, just a tumble, nothing to worry about,’ he insisted, but recalling the pain on his face that day she knew that wasn’t true. The tough guy act wasn’t fooling her. Then she remembered that she was here because the guy’s career was on the slide, so maybe he was also afraid to admit to any injury setbacks for fear it might damage his career prospects any further. And since she herself had been the root of his latest woes, the stakes for saving Ward McKenzie’s career had suddenly become a whole lot higher.
She swallowed hard.Great.
‘That’s good to know,’ Hannah said, rearranging her features into a reassuring smile and deciding to change the subject. If they had any hope of successfully working together, she needed to get Ward to trust that she was there to help. ‘So while we didn’t get off to the best start that morning, I take it you know why I’m here today?’
‘Not exactly,’ he growled, still unwilling to meet her gaze. ‘My agent says you’re supposed to make me into someone that the Panthers aren’t ashamed of.’
‘That’s one way to put it,’ she admitted, ‘but not entirely accurate. My job is to help Ward McKenzie find out who the real Ward McKenzie truly is and help reveal—’
Eyes wide, he cut her off with a burst of laughter.
‘You’re kidding me, right? Did you actually just say that? No offence, Emma, but I know who the hell I am.’
‘Hannah,’ she corrected him.
‘What?’
‘You called me “Emma”. My name is Hannah.’
‘OK. Whatever. Doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you’re wasting both of our time. This is the real Ward McKenzie.’ He stabbed a finger at his chest.
‘Really?’ she asked, and this time she couldn’t help but keep the annoyance out of her voice. ‘You admit to being an overgrown frat jock who gets drunk and acts the maggot in public?’
The smirk disappeared and he was quiet for a beat. When he spoke again, there was a dangerous edge to his voice.
‘Here’s the deal – I’ll admit that I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, OK? Some people might say that I’m an … acquired taste. Whatever. The thing is, Emma, I’m not about to change who I am just so you can boast that you managed to tame WildCat McKenzie. Do I go overboard sometimes? Hell, yeah. It’s who I am. When I show up somewhere, people know what they’re going to get – a guy who’s fun, a little bit dangerous and who knows how to have a good time.’
‘That’s it?’ she asked. ‘That’s what you’re proud of? That’s how you want to be known. Why not the guy who was kind enough to help out a random stranger with her cannoli order?’
He rolled his eyes.
‘I told you – you were holding things up and making me late. And come on, what kind of person doesn’t have even a couple of bucks on them?’
‘Well, what kind of business doesn’t take electronic payment?’
‘The kind that maybe can’t afford to?’ he shot back. ‘Frank’s place has been around for years – it’s a family business, but he won’t be there much longer if the tech bros get a piece of everything he sells.’
She had to admit that maybe he had a point there. The rent in that location alone must have been eyewatering.
‘And you have eyes yes? You didn’t see the sign?’
‘Obviously I didn’t.’ Hannah felt riled up and embarrassed all over again. ‘And I’m so sorry for holding you up to the point that you felt the need to pay for my stuff. Though I can’t imagine where you could’ve been rushing off to,’ she added, unable to resist the jibe.
‘To physio,’ he retorted. ‘An important session as it turned out, thanks to you.’
‘Oh, so you admit that youwerehurt then. What happened to the tough-guy act?’
‘What happened to minding your own business?’
Annoyed with herself for allowing him to unsettle her like this, Hannah glanced around looking for a server, hoping to get things back on a more even keel. ‘Have you eaten? The least I can do is buy you dinner to apologize and pay you back for the cannoli too. You’re right, it was incredible.’
