Page 17 of Heartless As Puck

Nick arched an eyebrow. “You know how shy she is. Yes, she’s an excellent assistant. She’s efficient, and she knows the game, but she likes to go unnoticed. Even if we pretend that isn’t the case, you put her in a very precarious position in terms of her employment. What if she thought she had to say yes or you’d fire her?”

Irritation churned within me. I hated that I’d had those same thoughts earlier and gone ahead anyway.

“I made it clear to her that her job didn’t depend on it.”

At least, I thought I had… hadn’t I?

Yes, definitely.

I raised my chin. “Jane knows that she never needs to do anything she’s uncomfortable with as long as I’m her boss.”

The statement was intended to reassure me as much as him, but it didn’t have the desired effect.

“Does she?” Nick asked gently. “Because I’d say your suggestion probably took her well out of her comfort zone.”

“I… think so.” Uncertainty rolled through me. I’d always considered myself a fair boss, even if I wasn’t winning any congeniality awards. I asked for a lot, but I also paid well and spoke up on her behalf when I thought she needed me to. Surely, she knew she was safe with me and that I wouldn’t penalize her for setting boundaries… right?

I clicked my pen, annoyed by this entire situation. As Jane had said, and as I’d thought previously, my position on the team should be based on merit, not anything else. Nevertheless, I understood that being the team’s top scorer didn’t necessarily mean I had the best credentials for the role.

“We work well together,” I pointed out. “We always have. All this would involve is being seen eating at a restaurant together or perhaps watching a movie somewhere public. It could essentially be a small addition to her usual duties. I wouldn’t… touch her or anything. I’m not a creep.”

Although I was starting to realize that all of this made me sound like one.

“You probably would’ve needed to.” Nick stretched one of his legs out and flexed his toes, presumably stretching out a tired calf. “In order to sell it. And even if you didn’t, this isn’t what she agreed to when she signed her contract.”

He had a point there.

“At least ask her what her reasons are for not wanting to do it,” he added. “Maybe she’s worried that it would stop her from dating, or perhaps she hates the idea of lying. You won’t know what you’re up against unless you ask. And apologize. Again.”

“I will.” I remembered her saying something about being used and the memory made me cringe. Perhaps, with a heartfelt apology and a little more knowledge of what was holding her back, we could work through her objections.

“Good.” Nick nodded toward the TV. “Let’s get our notes done, so we can eat dinner. Madison’s cooking and it smells great.”

He started the game, and we spent the next hour fast-forwarding through footage and pausing to offer each other advice whenever we watched a play that could have been done better. We’d watched the game before, but it was helpful to revisit it now that the season was underway.

When we finished, we walked down the short hall to the kitchen and dining area. In summer, light spilled through the huge windows and glass sliding doors on the far wall, but now, the sun had already disappeared behind a wall of clouds and probably wouldn’t make another appearance until tomorrow. A heat pump worked quietly in the corner, warming the space despite the chill of the outside air.

Nick’s younger sister, Madison, stood in the kitchen, stirring a wok that was full to the brim.

“You’re finally done in the cave?” she asked, transferring the wok to a chopping block.

“Sure are.” Nick ruffled her hair affectionately and she swatted his hand. “What have you made for us?”

“Chicken fried rice.” She stuck a serving spoon in the wok. “Help yourselves, but be careful, it’s hot.”

“Thanks, Madi.” I smiled at her, and she flashed a quick grin in return. While she had the same eye color as Nick, her hair had manifested the full force of their Irish genes and was flaming red.

“No problem.”

Nick handed me a plate, and I waited for him to fill his before doing the same. The three of us sat at the dining table in front of the darkening backyard. We took our time eating because, as Madison had said, the meal was fresh off the stovetop.

By the time we’d scraped our plates clean, my belly was full, and I wanted nothing more than to go home and roll into bed. Unfortunately, I was also nervous about what I might walk into when I returned. Jane had taken off earlier, and I couldn’t be sure where she’d gone. I’d gone straight from Gus’s office to Nick’s place, so I didn’t know whether she’d been home. For all I knew, she’d decided to take my car on a cross country road trip.

Okay, so that was unlikely. Jane wasn’t that sort of person. Or at least, I didn’t think she was. What did I know about her, really?

I walked the short distance home and stood outside the house, looking in. It was dark, except for the kitchen and living room. Jane’s silhouette was nowhere to be seen.

I unlocked the door and let myself in, relieved as I began to warm up. It wasn’t winter yet, but the temperatures outside at night weren’t tropical either.