Page 14 of Heartless As Puck

“Are you okay?” I asked, growing more concerned by the second.

“Yeah,” he said brusquely, but then hesitated. “Can you please come in? There’s something we need to discuss.”

I frowned, wondering what had made him so serious. “Sure.”

I rose and followed him into Gus’s office, sparing a glance for the framed poster of Austin on the wall. I’d always thought he looked particularly handsome in that one.

A chair was already positioned in front of the desk for Austin, so I grabbed another and dragged it over, only noticing when I sat down that he couldn’t seem to decide whether to stare at me or avoid my gaze completely. Heat crept up the back of my neck, my tongue already thickening in my mouth. What on earth was going on?

I snuck a peek at Gus, only to find him watching us both, a smirk twisting the corner of his mouth.

“I have a job offer to make you. One with additional responsibilities. But first, I’d like to know: Is it true that you’re Pete Wright’s daughter?” Austin seemed almost wary as he added, “Alec Wright’s sister?”

Ah. Now the looks he kept giving me made sense. Gus must have clued Austin into my identity.

“Yes.” I didn’t look up. My lungs tightened and my leg began to jiggle of its own accord. What kind of job offer would make him ask that? And what more help could he need? I already managed his life and prepared his meals. “It isn’t a secret exactly, but I use my mother’s maiden name most of the time because I prefer to avoid the kind of attention ‘Wright’ tends to draw.”

Being the subject of widespread interest as someone with a language fluency problem wasn’t a good time. I’d much rather fly under the radar.

“You lied to me about your name. Don’t you trust me?” The words gusted from him, and based on his expression, I think he hadn’t meant to ask.

Slowly, I raised my eyes. “It wasn’t really a lie. And I do trust you. It just… didn’t seem like a big deal.”

I hadn’t wanted it to be a big deal.

The way Austin’s nostrils flared and his lips pressed into a firm line gave me the impression he disagreed. Either that, or maybe I’d wounded his pride by not confessing all. It wasn’t as if we sat around having heart-to-hearts, though.

Gus snorted. “It’s definitely a big deal.”

“Why?”

Austin cleared his throat. “I want to be captain.”

“You deserve to be,” I agreed, wondering what this had to do with me.

His expression softened. “I’m glad you think so.”

“The problem is, how do we make him stand out to the team’s new management as the obvious choice?” Gus asked.

“He should already be the obvious choice.” The only other viable option, in my mind, was Nick Kelly. Maybe one of the transfers would be up to the job, but they didn’t know the other players well enough to be considered seriously for the role.

“Perhaps,” Gus allowed. “But being a good scorer and having a long history with the team aren’t necessarily the only considerations. Nick Kelly and Matt Matthews have also played for the team for years. Brian Taylor might be nearing the end of his career and he doesn’t have the same panache that Austin and Nick do, but he’s a family man, with a wife who attends all the games and two adorable children. That looks good to fans.”

I considered this and had to admit that Gus had a point. I couldn’t know which player would be the most appealing to the team’s management without also knowing what their priorities were.

“If I were them, I’d be looking for a stable, calming influence,” Gus said. “Someone who’s a decent player, but who will bring the team to heel and who is respected and settled within the local community.”

I nodded. “I follow that logic.”

“I doubt they’ll consider anyone from the third or fourth lines,” he continued, “which reduces the pool of options. In my opinion, they’ll prioritize those with families or at the very least, partners who have lives of their own in Chicago. The team needs someone who’ll stick around and won’t cause drama. Especially after how badly Taggert fucked up with that reporter.”

“Hmm.” I wasn’t sure I’d have arrived at the same conclusion, but I couldn’t disagree with his reasoning either. It made sense. But again, what did this have to do with me? Why the interest in my family?

Austin drew in a deep breath. “Gus thinks that I would be a more appealing candidate for captain if I had a serious partner. You know that I don’t have time to date, so it makes sense to hire someone to fill the role.”

“Oh.” I supposed it did make sense, in a way, but it would certainly complicate matters. Hopefully, the woman he chose wouldn’t mind that Austin’s female assistant lived above his garage. I’d rather not have to find somewhere else to stay.

He cleared his throat. “You already work for me, and I trust you. How would you feel about pretending to be in a relationship with me?”