Page 46 of Heartless As Puck

I turned toward her, uncertain of what to do or say next. It was pretty uncomfortable to be alone with someone who believed our lie. It was one thing to put on an act in public, but another to do it behind closed doors, with people who actually mattered.

I suppose you should have thought of that earlier.

“You know,” Hazel began, twisting her fingers together, “when I asked Austin to be open to the idea of a relationship, this definitely isn’t what I expected to happen.”

I almost laughed. She’d said that to Austin? Did she have any idea how opposed he was to doing anything that might interfere with hockey?

“Can I get you something to drink?” I asked, hoping to distract her. “Coffee? Tea? Water?”

“Tea would be nice. Do you have anything herbal?”

I rifled through the cupboard at the end of the breakfast bar, checking the options. “Is chamomile with passionflower okay?”

“Perfect.”

I collected a pair of mugs from another cupboard, added a teabag to one and decaf coffee to the other, filled both with hot water, and tailored the coffee to my preference.

Hazel accepted her drink gratefully and blew across the surface. “Do you think Austin secretly had feelings for you and then when I told him to be open to love, he decided to pursue them?”

I smiled wryly. It was a nice thought, if completely misguided. “I doubt it.”

“But this all happened so fast. It must have been such a whirlwind.” Her expression fell, her eyes darkening as they grew serious. “You didn’t feel pressured, did you? Because he was your boss and all?”

My insides warmed. She was such a caring person. She wanted love for her brother and was willing to accept my changed role in his life without wondering if I had an ulterior motive, but it seemed she might also be willing to tell him off if she thought he’d abused his position in any way.

“He hasn’t pressured me into anything,” I assured her.

Honestly, he had been persistent, but despite my reputation for being shy, I also wasn’t one to do anything I didn’t want to. I was going along with this because it suited me too, even if I’d initially had some concerns.

So far, Austin had kept his word, and I hadn’t suffered from any unwanted attention beyond smart remarks from one of the guys in my class and envious stares from others.

“Phew!” She let out a breath, as if it had actually been weighing on her mind. “So now that we’ve got that cleared up, what are your intentions with my brother?”

I sprayed coffee across the breakfast bar.

Hazel’s nose crinkled. “Sorry, did I catch you off guard?”

“A little.” Embarrassed, I ducked my head as my cheeks flamed and collected a damp cloth to wipe the countertop clean.

“My bad. The question stands, though. Austin doesn’t have anyone else to protect him, which means it’s my job. Are you serious about him?”

I cupped my mug between my hands and stared at the coffee as if it held the answers to all the riddles of life. It was either that or meet her gaze, and I didn’t think I could manage to do so while I lied to her face.

Why hadn’t Austin addressed all of this with her so I wouldn’t have to?

I had no idea what to say or how much to reveal.

“Uh…”

She leaned forward, smiling encouragingly.

“Obviously, I care about him.” I always had, even when he was just my boss. “I⁠—”

A car pulled up outside, and I leapt from my seat and practically ran to the front door, yanking it open just as Austin reached it.

He glanced up, his eyes wide, and cut off midway through a stream of curses he’d been muttering under his breath. “Is Hazel here? Her car is outside.”

“Yes,” I hissed, peeking over my shoulder to make sure she hadn’t followed me. “She’s interrogating me about our relationship. Save me.”