Page 34 of Heartless As Puck

I hurried back to my room and shut the door, unprepared for how much that encounter had unnerved me. I had no idea why I was so thrown. The conversation had gone as well as it could.

I buried myself in my assignment until Austin knocked, and then I smoothed my clothes and went to the door.

“It turns out, Gus had a contract drafted and ready to go,” Austin said.

Of course he had. Gus may not be an arrogant hockey player, but he was used to having things go his way. He and I may need to have words about boundaries in the future.

“I’m glad you changed your mind, Jane.” Gus’s voice came from a phone clasped in Austin’s hand. “I’ve incorporated your conditions. All you guys need to do is sign and the final version will automatically be sent to each of you and to me.”

The smugness in his tone irritated me. He’d caused this mess between Austin and me—although, technically, I supposed he couldn’t be held accountable for Austin’s decisions, however ill-advised they might be.

Nevertheless, he’d started this and was acting as if everything had gone exactly as he wanted.

Normally, I liked Gus, but right now I wanted to wipe off the smirk I knew was on his face.

“Are you sure about clause nine?” Gus asked, the smugness dissipating a little. “You are the best assistant Austin has ever had. We don’t want to lose you.”

“Don’t put a guilt trip on her, Gus.” Austin’s tone was firm. “You know as well as I do that by the time the season finishes, she’ll be ready to do the job she spent the last couple of years studying for. I’ll be sad to lose her, but I’m not getting in the way of that.”

My heart lifted. It was nice to know Austin still knew how to respect others’ wishes.

Gus sighed. “In that case, we should terminate your official duties as soon as the charade begins. You can’t exactly work for him while dating him. It wouldn’t be ethical.”

I flinched, though the comment wasn’t totally unexpected. “I’m happy to help out, unofficially. If you hire someone else, they might realize it’s a ruse and sell us out.”

“Are you sure?” Austin asked, studying me with a furrow between his brows. “It doesn’t seem fair for you to be working unofficially without being recognized for it.”

“I could add your usual earnings onto the $50,000, so you’re not officially his assistant, but you’ll still be compensated for your assistance,” Gus suggested.

I shrugged. That sounded like a decent compromise. “Okay.”

Gus was quiet for a moment, then said, “I’ve sent the contract through to each of your email accounts.”

I grabbed my phone, opened my inbox, and saw the email from Gus right away. I clicked into it and scrolled through the text.

“It looks okay, but I will need to take a little time to review the details,” I said, tucking my phone into my pocket. I didn’t think either Gus or Austin would try to screw me over. They may both be a little self-centered, but they weren’t crooks. Dad had always taught me to read documents thoroughly before adding my signature, though, and I wasn’t about to stop doing that now.

“Of course.” Gus sounded completely unsurprised. “So when will you do your first event as a couple?”

“Next week,” Austin replied immediately. “I promised her a week of advance notice.”

“That far away? There are fireworks at the Navy Pier tonight. It’s a good chance to see and be seen.”

“Gus,” Austin warned. “Don’t.”

I shook my head. “Actually, it’s all right. For the most part, I do want at least a week of warning, but I’ve spent most of today mentally girding myself, so we may as well start now. Just not before I’ve fully reviewed this document.”

Austin’s eyebrows drew together. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” I offered him a tentative smile. “How about you figure out a game plan while I look this over, and when I’m finished, we can go?”

“All right. But are you sure we’re not pressuring you into moving more quickly than you’d like? I feel like all we’ve done is pressure you this last week, and you deserve to be able to set a pace that you’re comfortable with.”

I appreciated him recognizing the pressure they’d put me under, but the thought of waiting filled me with dread. “I’d rather just get the start of this over with.”

Gus snorted. “You know, that’s not how most women would react to the idea of going on a date with Austin.”

“Uh-huh.” I wouldn’t respond to his teasing. He didn’t deserve it. I may have agreed to the charade, but I wasn’t letting either of them off the hook yet.