By Sunday morning the damage looked even worse. Jackson had refused to let her clean any of it up last night. Once they’d made sure nothing had been left behind to identify the culprit, he’d dragged her upstairs to bed.
He’d coaxed her under the covers, holding her until the tension began to drain away, promising they’d get everything fixed up in no time. She wasn’t even sure that he understood he was making promises he couldn’t keep.
As soon as she opened her eyes, Hayley had gone to see her grandfather. He needed to hear about the break-in from her and not some gossip hound who masqueraded as a compassionate candy striper at the hospital.
She’d only been allowed to peek in on him. Another bad night, according to Trudy, and the nurse’s expression when she looked over the last vitals recorded on his chart confirmed it had been much worse than usual.
Spirits dragging, she returned to the house, armed with enough cleaning stuff to scrub down an entire arena. A huge pile of garbage had already been started out front, and she smiled when she saw Cody and Brent carrying more outside as she climbed out of the truck.
More of the hockey team was already inside, going to work, with Kyle directing most of their efforts.
“Kyle brought them over just after you left,” Jackson said coming down the stairs. “He’s a great kid.”
“Sure is.”
The whole team was wonderful and worked well into the early afternoon cleaning up. Repairing the damage to the walls and doors would take more work, but the inside no longer looked like someone had picked the house up and shaken the crap out of it.
“Who do you think did it?” Kyle rolled his chair up next to her.
“I don’t know.” She wasn’t immune to having enemies, being a cop, and this was certainly personal enough to make her believe she’d really pissed someone off.
“You’ll catch them.” The confidence in Kyle’s voice went a long way to pulling her heart from the pit in her stomach.
She tugged on the front of his ball cap. “Thanks, bud.”
He beamed and then went over to help some of the guys load the garbage bags into the back of her truck.
Needing a drink, she went in search of the cooler she’d stuffed with ice and soda once she found herself with an army of workers. The cool drink wet her throat. She closed the lid on the cooler and followed the sound of voices out to the backyard.
She leaned against the doorjamb, watching Jackson stand next to Cody, a hockey stick in his hand as he pointed at something. Cody nodded along to whatever Jackson was saying, then took the stick and pretended like he was hitting a puck.
Jackson’s approval made the teenager’s mouth explode in a wide grin. He asked Jackson something else, then noticed her standing there. He looked a little guilty at being caught not working like the others, and mumbled something about finishing up.
She laughed when he made tracks around to the other side of the house. Jackson turned toward her, pausing when his phone rang. She left him to it and finished her drink before carrying another bag of busted wood and hinges out to the truck.
A group had gathered around Cody, and she bet he was filling the others in on whatever words of wisdom Jackson had imparted. She hoped last night had done something to prove to him he still had plenty to offer to those kids, regardless of his accident.
“Speak of the devil,” she said when she noticed him walking toward her.
Jackson picked her up and swung her around. “They called. I’m leaving this afternoon, and from what my agent is saying, the job is pretty much mine.”
Hayley scrambled to process what he was saying. “You’re leaving? Now?”
He nodded, his grin widening. “I was worried about coaching, worried about a lot of stupid shit, but last night I realized all that is in the past and I’m not done loving the game. You’re amazing, you know that?”
She struggled to keep up. “Last night,” she echoed. Last night she’d realized she was falling in love with him, and he’d come to the conclusion that coaching was exactly what he wanted to do after all?
“You made me see that I can be fearless again.”
“I did?” Why did it feel like she was missing something?
“Sorry. It was something Coach said to me. And he was right. When we were in the rink last night I was reminded of that. I never used to let fear get in the way before, and I can’t now either.”
“Gramps was always a smart guy,” she managed, though her throat felt like it was closing up. “What about the autograph signing?”
“I’ll make it up to them.”
“Those boys are counting on you.” She was counting on him, on wild and reckless Jackson Knight.
Oh god. How stupid had she been? He’d been clear from the start that he’d been waiting for this opportunity. How had she let herself think—hope—for even a second that things had really changed?
“They’ll understand,” Jackson pressed, looking a little uncomfortable for the first time.
“And you can’t leave tomorrow or tonight?” Not that it would make a difference, really. Gone was gone.
He frowned. “I thought you’d be happy. Haven’t you been the one determined to prove that I shouldn’t write myself off?”
“You shouldn’t.” She shook her head, realizing there was nothing else left to say.
“This is my chance to get my life back on track.”
And that’s what it came right down to. His life.
This wasn’t his home. He didn’t have anything keeping him here. He’d been waiting for this, passing time, keeping busy with the renovations, the auction, her.
But there wasn’t any passing through for her. This was her life and he wasn’t part of that. She should be used to it. People left. Her dad. Gavin. Eric. Gramps was close.
And now Jackson.
Only she couldn’t really consider it leaving when he had never planned on staying anyway.
She swallowed past the tightness in her throat. “Are you going to tell them?”
Guilt flashed across his face. “I’ll be back to make it up to them.”
No, then. She glanced at the boys trudging back into the house, spending their day helping her out and looking forward to something that wasn’t going to happen now.
She tossed him the keys to the truck. “Have Matt drop it off to me after he takes you to your parents’ place.” She glanced around, relieved none of the guys had overheard their conversation. “See you around, Jackson.” The words nearly choked her, but she couldn’t stand there and watch him drive away.
Chapter Thirteen
Men sucked.
Maybe just one guy in particular, Hayley amended, finishing off the drink next to her. She pushed her feet around in the water, grateful for the chill that took the edge off the humid summer night. Feet pleasantly numb, she only wished the rest of her was equally immune to feeling.
One day with Jackson gone and she felt the loss far more than she wanted to. She’d woken that morning to thoughts of what kind of progress he’d make with the renovations, what wild remarks he would say, what sexy and suggestive expressions would cross his face when he looked at her, only to remember he’d left.
Gone.
She rolled her shoulders, forcing the pain down deep inside where it wouldn’t get in the way. She had only herself to blame for putting herself in this position. It wasn’t Jackson’s fault that he wanted to put his life back together. She just hadn’t expected that somewhere along the way, a piece of her heart would decide that she wanted to be a part of that life.
Apparently she was a glutton for punishment on top of being downright stupid. He’d left without a backward glance, walked away from the autograph signing like it meant nothing, and she missed him.
She gave the water a kick, but it didn’t do a damn thing to make her feel better.
Footsteps sounded behind her, and she turned around, anticipation flooding her. Jackson?
If she could have thrown herself into the lake a
nd swum across to the other side, she would have. Eric walked down the dock toward her.
“Not a good time,” she muttered, returning her attention to the lake.
“Can’t be helped. You haven’t given me the time of day.”
She sighed. “I don’t have anything to say to you, Eric.”
“I have things to say.” He stood behind her, waiting.
Fine. She’d let him get a couple things off his chest, and then he and just about everything else with a penis could leave her the hell alone.
She waved for him to go on, but made no attempt to let him sit beside her. She didn’t want him getting comfortable.
“I want you to move to Boston with me.”
If she hadn’t been holding on to the edge of the dock, she might have fallen in. “What?” Alcohol. Lack of sleep. Emotional exhaustion. Any one of them would explain why she’d clearly misheard what he said.
He crouched next to her. “I miss you. I want us to get back together. You can move in with me. Start over. Find a new job.”
“New job,” she echoed. Just what the hell was he talking about? “I have a job.” She had a place to live and didn’t want or need to start over anywhere.
“Something you can really excel at,” he clarified.
Hayley couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing, laughed until her whole body hurt and her stomach threatened to tear her in two. Laughed until the playful tears started to burn and everything she’d locked down tight threatened to break her apart inside her.
She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, getting a grip. When she could speak without fear of her voice wobbling, she met Eric’s eyes. “I do excel at my job.”
He gestured to the cut on her head. “He’s still out there somewhere.”
“And you think I’m the only cop responsible for bringing him in?” Yes, she wanted to catch the bastard, but she had a damn good partner and other cops working to make the collar too. “We’ll get him.”
“So come be a cop in Boston.”
“Eric, I don’t love you.”
He scoffed. “We screwed up, made a few mistakes. We can figure out where things went wrong and get back on track.”
She wasn’t naive enough to hold him accountable for all the things that had gone wrong with their relationship. As determined as he was to start over, she knew he wouldn’t hesitate to blame her for most of their incompatibility. “That’s not what I want.”
His shoulders stiffened and he glanced out across the lake. “Is this because of Jackson?”
“Jackson’s gone.”
“I heard he left town. Then what’s holding you here? Why can’t you give me a second chance?”
The desperation that crept into his tone surprised her. Eric wasn’t one to show any vulnerability. He considered it a sign of weakness.
He finally nodded. “You probably think I’m crazy.”
“Confused maybe. Not crazy.” Demanding, arrogant and selfish too, but there wasn’t any point in going there.
“You need someone with you, Hayls.”
No, she really didn’t. “I’m fine.”
“The break-in,” he began.
“An isolated incident.” Possibly. There hadn’t been any other damage or threats, but she wasn’t dismissing what happened.
Eric glanced at the house. “He was a dick to leave you here by yourself.”
She was still frustrated enough that she couldn’t bring herself to disagree. Her phone rang then, and she hoped it would give her an excuse to send Eric on his way. She recognized Matt’s number.
“Hayley? You need to meet me at the hospital. Now.”
“What’s wrong?” She pushed to her feet, striding past.
“It’s Gramps.” Matt’s voice cracked. “We’re losing him.”
“On my way.” She sprinted toward the house, darting inside long enough to grab shoes and her keys.
She slammed into Eric on her way out. “What’s going on?”
“I need to get to the hospital. Gramps… They need me. He’s…” A sob worked up into her throat.
Eric held his hand out for the keys. “I’ll drive you.”
It was easier to hand them over than to argue with him. It felt like the drive to the hospital took forever, scenery blurring past. The urgency of it all, needing to see her grandfather, to talk to him, to tell him she loved him, squeezed her chest to the point she could barely breathe without it hurting.
It wasn’t fair. He wasn’t supposed to die yet. There was more for him to see, more to share with him. She’d made her peace with her dad never walking her down the aisle or holding the children she hoped to have one day, but she’d always assumed Gramps would be there for that. Had counted on it.
And now…
“Go.” Eric pulled up directly in front of the hospital, and she got out and ran through the doors.
The hallways were empty except for a couple patients and visitors, and she took the stairs, too hurried to wait for the elevator. A nurse was waiting for her outside the palliative care unit. The grim look on her face made the pain in Hayley’s stomach worsen.
She stopped at the doorway to her gramps’s room, and then Matt was there, pulling her into his arms.
“He’s gone, Hayley.”
No.
She shook her head and pulled free. She crossed to the bed where he lay and lifted his hand. She slid into the chair next to the bed and rested her forehead on his hand. Tears ran freely down her cheek, hot on her skin. She wiped at them, willing him not to be gone. Not yet. She wasn’t ready to let him go.
“What happened?”
Hayley heard her mother’s voice behind her. She moved to the opposite side of the bed and ran her fingers across his face, smoothing his hair back.
“His body just started shutting down. I thought we had more time.” Matt stood next to her, and Hayley held up her hand for him to take.
“I was here this afternoon. He was sleeping again. I thought it was just from another bad night. I should have stayed, waited until he woke up.” Every word stuck in her throat. “Were you here?” She looked up at her brother.
Matt nodded. Eyes shining, his lips curved in a sad smile. “I stopped by to see him. He was tired but wanted to watch the draft again. Then he said he needed to go lie down. It happened so fast.” His voice broke, and he pressed his lips together. “Right before his heart finally gave out, he was talking about seeing Dad and Nan really soon.”
Their mother bowed her head, her shoulders shaking, and pain slashed through Hayley all over again.
It was all too much. Too much at once. And they’d known. His prognosis had been grim from the start, but the longer he’d held on, the more Hayley had convinced herself they still had time. God, she’d known he was dying. Why didn’t that make any of this easier?
The pressure on her chest was unbearable. “I need some air.” She let go of Matt’s hand and walked out of the room.
Outside the hospital she had room to move without feeling closed in. She sat on the bench down the sidewalk from the main entrance. The tears had started to slow, and she tried hard not to think about the fact that she would never again see her grandfather get riled up over a hockey game on television, or pour another drink at Stone’s, or laugh at something she said.
A few minutes later Matt sat next to her. She hadn’t even noticed him walking toward her.
“He’s not suffering any more, Hayls.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“We’ll get through this.” Matt held her hand and they sat in silence for a while, then he went back inside to wait for their mother. Hayley dug out her phone. It crossed her mind to call Jackson, but she didn’t trust herself not to fall apart.
Instead she dialed Gavin’s number. Hayley thought she was fine until Gavin’s voice mail clicked in, and the sound of her best friend’s voice made her crumble inside. She squeezed her eyes shut, trapping the tears that burned behind her eyes.
“Gav, I need to talk
to you. Things are so messed up and Gramps…” She pressed her lips together, swallowing tightly. “He’s gone, Gavin.”
She made herself hang up before she started crying on the phone. She didn’t want to freak her friend out completely, and she’d only worry him if she lost it while the message was still recording.
Matt was right. They would get through it. She just didn’t know when it would ever stop hurting.
See you around, Jackson.
Hayley’s words replayed through his head for the hundredth time since he’d left Promise Harbor.
He started to reach for his phone, as he had half a dozen times since he’d gotten off the plane, then remembered he’d left it to charge in his hotel room this morning.
He’d tried calling her last night, only to chicken out at the last second every time, words failing him. She’d sounded like she was saying good-bye to him, and although he’d known it would come down to that—hadn’t he?—he found it wasn’t sitting well with him at all.
If didn’t help that he knew she’d been upset that he’d left before the autograph signing. Did she know yet that he’d called Bernice on his way out of town and asked her to reschedule the signing for the following weekend?
Bernice had readily agreed, and then guilt-tripped him into bringing along some more hockey friends and moving the early VIP party to a bigger venue to allow for more ticket sales. By the time she was done with him, he’d also agreed to foot the bill for the catering.
“Mr. Knight? Jackson?” a man’s voice prompted.
Jackson glanced from the spot at the center of the ice below that displayed the Sentinels insignia, vaguely aware he hadn’t said anything in a while.
He nodded, trying to focus on what the two men next to him were saying. The general manager, dressed in an expensive suit that reminded Jackson of something Eric Thorton would wear, stood beside the Sentinels coach.
The Sentinels arena was empty, and although first walking inside had felt a little like coming home, the sensation had passed too quickly. He found himself searching for his earlier enthusiasm.
This was what he wanted. Wasn’t it?
He listened with half an ear to the conversation that touched on player contracts, stats and league bullshit that he’d managed to forget about. He believed what Mitch Stone had said about being a good coach, but standing here, something about the whole thing just felt…off.
Busted (Promise Harbor Wedding) Page 23
