A Perfect Distraction

by Anna Sugden

  “That’s your prerogative and I’ll support you one hundred percent.” Tracy refilled their wineglasses. “I’m glad to see you standing up for yourself again.”

  Maggie started at the change of subject. As she considered her sister’s words, she realized Tracy was right. She was behaving more like the person she used to be before she’d married Lee. A warm glow of pride filled her.

  “I wonder why I’m able to stand up to Jake and yet I took everything Lee threw at me?”

  “Maybe because Jake treats you properly, most of the time.”

  “Perhaps.” Could it be that simple?

  “The point is you’re back to being the brave, bold Maggie we know and love. The one who left home at eighteen with only her savings and a typing certificate.”

  “As opposed to Margaret, Lee’s meek mouse of a wife?” She’d hated him using her full name as much as she’d hated the control he’d had over her.

  “It wasn’t your fault. He was so loving and attentive. No one could have guessed what he was really like.”

  “You did.” Tracy had never liked Lee.

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Lee spun his web around you slowly so that by the time he showed his true colors, you were well and truly trapped.”

  Maggie felt ashamed. She should have been able to see what was happening. “Still, I shouldn’t have put up with him for so long. I put Emily in danger because I wasn’t strong enough to leave sooner.”

  “Luckily, you had enough of your old self in you to be able to walk out on the bastard when you had to.”

  Her throat tightened; tears welled. She’d never forget the moment of panic when Emily had charged at Lee, trying to protect her mother. Raw fear had torn through Maggie when Lee had turned, fury raging, fist raised to strike their small daughter. “It shouldn’t have taken him almost hitting Emily to open my eyes. To act.”

  “You got in Lee’s way, prevented him hurting her and ended up in hospital with a broken arm, two broken ribs and a cracked cheekbone.” Tracy came and sat beside Maggie, putting her arm around her. “You’ve come a long way since that night. Don’t revert to being Margaret at the slightest setback.”

  Pride sparked back to life. Maggie would not let herself regress.

  The past year had shown she wasn’t incapable or stupid. She’d made small, but significant steps toward becoming the kind of woman she wanted to be. She’d survived the media onslaught of her divorce with dignity, moved to the United States and built a life for herself and Emily and taken on an important role in Tracy’s business. Slowly but surely, she was becoming the kind of woman her daughter would be proud of.

  Someone she could be proud of.

  Yet she was still letting Lee’s opinions and actions have power over her and hold her back. That had to stop. It was time to take bigger steps.

  Her mind whirred as she thought about how she could do that. She should take a more proactive role in Making Your Move; Tracy wanted her to be a partner. Start living the way she wanted, dressing the way she wanted. Take her hemlines up and let her hair down. She giggled at the old-fashioned phrase.

  “You look pleased with yourself.” Her sister smiled.

  “I am pleased and I want to keep feeling that way.”

  “That’s more like it. Now, what will you do about Bad Boy?”

  Her heart hitched. “Nothing.”

  “You say he’s not what you want or need, but he’s sparked more of a reaction from you than any other man, Lee included.”

  “Irritation is hardly the basis for a relationship.”

  “A passionate response is better than a lukewarm one.”

  Whatever was between her and Jake definitely couldn’t be described as lukewarm.

  “There’s no doubt Bad Boy is interested in you—he made that pretty clear this afternoon.” Tracy grinned. “I suspect he’ll pursue you as determinedly as he plays hockey. I’ve told you before, you deserve to be happy. Imagine the fun you’ll have if you let him catch you.”

  Maggie tamped down the thrill that skipped through her. “Given the way we left things, I doubt he’s still interested in me.”

  Tracy laughed. “That little disagreement? Trust me...he won’t give up on you that easily.”

  Her sister was probably right. Maggie had experienced enough of Jake’s stubborn determination during their hunt for a house. Perhaps it was time for a little leap of faith. What harm could one date do?

  “Okay. If you’re right and if he apologizes properly, I’ll give him a chance.”

  “Great. I can’t wait to see how the revitalized Maggie deals with Bad Boy.”

  Maggie had to admit, she was looking forward to seeing that herself.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “WHAT THE hell happened with Maggie yesterday?”

  Tru’s comment winded Jake as much as the ten minutes of sprints up and down the ice they’d just completed.

  He’d hoped to hold off any discussion of the fight with Maggie until after their private practice session at the local rink. They’d planned to grab dinner together at the local diner. He should have known Tru and Ike wouldn’t let him get away with that.

  “What happened to your legendary charm?” Ike pushed up his mask. “Are you losing your touch?”

  Jake ignored the goaltender. He drank water while he tried to figure out what to say, then leaned on his stick. “We had a disagreement.”

  His words echoed in the nearly empty rink. Even he could hear how unconvincing they sounded. He explained what they’d argued about. “I made a dumb mistake.”

  “Emily’s her kid.” Ike shrugged. “It’s up to her.”

  “Couldn’t she at least have considered the idea before shooting me down?”

  “I bet you pushed too hard. Didn’t give her a chance to think about it.” Ike wiped his face with a towel.

  Tru nodded. “If you’d back off a little, folks might come round to your way of thinking.”

  Jake didn’t want to admit they might be right. “Doesn’t matter. I’m moving into the house in a few days. Her job is done. No reason to see each other, even if she wanted to, and she made it pretty freaking clear she doesn’t.”

  “Did you try apologizing?”

  Jake shot him a frustrated look. “I called her several times today, but she didn’t call me back. She responded to emails about my move, but nothing else.”

  “So go and see her.” Tru reached round him to get another stick.

  “She probably wouldn’t open the door. She thinks I’m worse than whale crap.”

  “She thinks you’re hot. I saw her checking you out.”

  His groin tightened at the memory. “Until I screwed it up.”

  “So, unscrew it.” Ike made it sound easy. “You know the drill—flowers, chocolates, grovel, a fancy dinner. If that doesn’t work, forget about her.” He pushed down his mask. “I’ll set up the net so you bozos can work on your shots.” He skated to one end of the ice and dragged the practice net into place, then roughed up the crease.

  Jake and Tru joined Ike. “I hear the newest Ice Cat, JB Larocque, has a bullet of a shot.”

  “They’re already calling him the next Great One.” Tru rolled his eyes. “The kid’s stats are amazing. But he’s unpredictable—brilliant one game, a liability the next. His off-ice reputation rivals yours, Jake.”

  “I don’t care if the kid’s reputation outstrips mine—I sure as hell won’t be competing with him for headlines.” Jake tipped pucks out of a bucket. “It had better not affect his play. For us to get the Cup, Larocque will need to bring his best game from day one.”

  “No pressure on the kid, then.” Tru grinned. “Better make sure us old guys can keep up.”

  They began their regular shooting drills. Jake deliberately pus
hed the intensity and pace to test his healed right arm and reconstructed right leg. His muscles burned, but it was a healthy ache.

  A couple of hours later, he was ready to drop. Dripping with sweat, the three of them headed to the locker room to shower and change.

  Once they’d cleaned up, Ike pulled a letter out of his bag. “What do you think of the latest missive from management on their new drug-testing policy?”

  Jake shrugged as he combed his wet hair. “It was inevitable after all the allegations about those baseball stars. Doesn’t bother me—I’ve got nothing to hide.”

  Tru nodded, tying up his Nikes. “If it proves the league is clean, I’m okay with it. I know a couple of guys tested positive in recent years, but no player I know would be crazy enough to pump that stuff into their bodies.”

  “Some guys want an easy route in everything.” Ike pulled on a clean team T-shirt. “For them, the promise of an extra edge is hard to resist.”

  “For sure, but I can’t think of anyone dumb enough or desperate enough to take the risk.” Jake zipped up his bag. “Not when we’ve worked so hard to get to the show.”

  “Me, neither. But I wouldn’t be shocked if someone tested positive.”

  “Let them test away. We’re clean and that’s all that matters.” Tru hefted his bag over his shoulder. “Same time tomorrow?”

  They chorused their agreement, then walked out of the rink to the parking lot. Ike got in his Discovery, waved then drove off. Jake tossed his gear in the back of Tru’s SUV.

  They were pulling onto I-95 when Tru spoke, blindsiding Jake again. “Could Adam have been juicing?”

  “No way.” Jake leaped to his friend’s defense. “He went to church every Sunday, spent his spare time doing charity work and helping disadvantaged kids learn to skate. Even when he partied, he never drank anything stronger than a beer. He wouldn’t take drugs.”

  “That’s different to taking steroids, bro. Think about it. Adam was worried about his performance. His play was wildly inconsistent and he was under huge pressure. It might explain why his behavior was yo-yoing all over the place, too.”

  Jake considered what his friend was saying. Tru’s argument made sense, but he couldn’t imagine the guy he knew cheating like that.

  He shook his head. “Whatever demons Adam was fighting, I can’t see him taking such a dumb risk. Then again, I was such a great friend, how would I know?”

  Before the night of the crash, he’d avoided Adam for weeks. Jake had only accepted the ride to the party because he hadn’t wanted to drink and drive. He’d thought it would be okay. Adam had been in a good mood; he’d been excited about being propositioned by the twin puck bunnies.

  Unfortunately, the good mood hadn’t lasted more than a couple of miles. Jake had finally lost patience with Adam’s behavior and had planned to tackle his friend about what the hell his problem was at the party.

  Only they’d never made it to the party.

  Jake would never know if he could have saved Adam’s life if he’d just taken the time in the preceding weeks to ask a couple of simple questions. He’d have to live with the guilt for the rest of his life.

  “Adam was a grown man,” Tru said quietly. “He could have asked for help if he’d wanted it, from you or Nick or any of his teammates.”

  “I still should have made more of an effort. I let him down.”

  Tru sighed. “You didn’t, but nothing I say will stop you from beating yourself up over it.”

  Neither of them spoke for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Jake replayed the argument with Maggie, turning over in his mind what he’d learned about her past and how he’d mishandled the whole conversation.

  As Tru pulled onto the exit ramp, Jake said, “I should have learned from the mess with Adam that I’m no good at dealing with emotional baggage.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Her ex is a professional soccer player and I think he was also an abusive bastard.”

  Tru whistled. “No wonder she’s wary. But you’d never lay a finger on her or Emily.”

  “Damn straight.” His stomach turned at the thought. “But she doesn’t know that. Either way, with my reputation, I’m not the best choice for her to date.”

  “That’s bull. With the amount of time you’ve spent together lately, she must have seen that you’re more than your press.”

  “Maybe.” She’d seemed to enjoy spending time with him until he’d blown it. “But I’m still not the kind of man she needs.”

  “Because of one little argument?” Tru frowned.

  “Because she can’t rely on me to take care of her the way she needs. Maggie deserves better than that. Better than me.”

  “Get over yourself, bro.” Tru rolled his eyes. “Don’t you think you should let Maggie decide that for herself? Why don’t you give her, and yourself, a chance to see if things work out instead of dismissing it out of hand? You like her, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You find her hot, too?”

  Jake bit back a smile. “Very.”

  “So, what’s the harm in dinner or a movie? Take it slowly for once, instead of rushing things like you usually do.”

  “But my head needs to be in a good place with the season about to start. This has the makings of being a complication, a distraction I really don’t need.”

  “Seriously? A couple of dates could cause that much angst?”

  “It could, if it doesn’t work out. Anyway, the timing’s all wrong...”

  Tru cut him off. “The timing couldn’t be better. You’ve got a few weeks before opening night. Plenty of time to go out together and see whether there’s anything there worth pursuing. If it goes belly-up, no harm done.”

  Jake mulled it over for the rest of the drive home. As the car pulled into his parents’ driveway, he asked, “How do I get her to go out with me if she won’t answer my calls?”

  “You’re moving into your new place in a few days. She’ll be there to oversee things. Ask her then. Make your famous charm work for you.”

  Tru was right.

  Time for a new strategy. Time to go on the power play.

  * * *

  TOTAL BLOODY CHAOS.

  There was no other way to describe Jake’s moving-in day.

  At least, Maggie thought, it had been organized chaos. But between the movers, his family and friends, various Ice Cats and an assortment of beauties bearing covered dishes, the house had been noisy and crowded since early morning.

  She wasn’t sure whether her role was to oversee and coordinate or play ringmaster. A crash from another room, followed by swearing, made her sigh. Pass the top hat and whip.

  The rich aroma of spaghetti sauce made her stomach rumble. Jake’s mom and Aunt Karina were cooking pasta. Maggie hadn’t had time to eat since breakfast.

  Thankfully, despite the chaos, everything had gone well. The movers had left over an hour ago, as had Jake’s teammates and, more reluctantly, the women. Only family and the Jelineks remained.

  Her job was finished. Other than tidying up a few loose ends, her professional relationship with Jake was over. Her heart gave a funny little jump in her chest.

  Things had returned more or less to normal between them after his apology. Maggie grinned as she recalled the bouquet that had arrived on her doorstep. He hadn’t gone for the clichéd red roses or heart-shaped box of chocolates. Jake must have remembered a conversation from when they were looking at houses where she’d mentioned that her favorite flowers were gerbera daisies. He’d organized a glorious arrangement in a vivid array of colors, with chocolate daisies interspersed among the real flowers.

  Who could resist such a thoughtful apology?

  Maggie certainly couldn’t. That, combined with his tenacity, had convinced her
it was time to see if this thing between them—this connection, this heat—had legs. What’s more, she’d decided to take a leaf out of the old Maggie’s book. Instead of waiting for Jake to ask her out, she planned to ask him. Today, if she could ever catch him alone.

  Emily’s laughter cut into her thoughts. She smiled. Her daughter had begged to be allowed to come along. Since Jake hadn’t minded, Maggie had let her. Right now, Emily was helping him and the Jelinek brothers set up his electronic toys.

  Perhaps she should go and see how they were doing.

  As she walked into the entrance hall, she saw Jake rooting through an open cardboard box by the front door. This was her chance. She checked quickly to see if anyone else was around, but no one was.

  You can do this. She wiped her damp palms on her chinos, then squared her shoulders and walked toward Jake.

  He was so focused on whatever he was searching for he didn’t look up, even when she stood behind him.

  “Should be in here,” he muttered. “Damn box is marked ‘tools.’”

  Maggie cleared her throat. “Uh...Jake?”

  “Yeah.” He turned his head. Stopped rummaging. Grinned. “Hey, Maggie. What’s up?”

  She swallowed hard. “I was just wondering...um...”

  “What?” he asked huskily.

  He stood. Suddenly, he seemed very close.

  Very tall. Very male.

  Her heart thudded against her ribs. Her gaze flew upward. Past the rock-hard abs and broad chest that molded his much-washed Ice Cats T-shirt. The fire smoldering in the depths of his ice-blue eyes captured her. Held her. She couldn’t look away.

  She moved back half a step. Her shoulders pressed against the front door. Against the coolness of the stained glass.

  He edged closer, that same half step. Close enough that his body heat scorched her through her cotton blouse. Close enough for his masculine scent to tease her nostrils.

  She swallowed again.

  His hands settled on her hips lightly. Firmly.

  She couldn’t move away. She didn’t want to.