Page 50 of Rival Season
I sigh. “Yes, Mom, I’m very sure.”
She tuts. “Whatever did or didn’t happen, did you consider that perhaps he didn’t mean it? He’s such a nice young man.”
My spine straightens in irritation. “So, because you thinkhe didn’t mean it, I’m supposed to turn a blind eye?”
“Sweetheart, his father is in parliament in Canada. The Weatherbys are a well-to-do family, and we’ve known them for ages. If you two break up, things are going to feel awkward when we vacation with his parents in Turks and Caicos this summer.” She sighs, collecting herself. “Please stop embarrassing yourself with random men and make things right with Chadwick. He loves you, and I can see you two getting married someday. And his family has enough money to support you while you do your little social work hobby...since you refuse to come work for your father’s company where you’d receive a six-figure starting salary.”
“Social work isn’t a hobby; it’s a career where I can have an impact, Mom.” Before I know what I’m doing, I stand up, my anger roiling through me. “I don’t want to be with, or marry, anyone who would cheat on me and disrespect me. No matter how well-to-do their family is.” I take a breath, my temper still propelling my words. “Not everything is about money.”
My mother responds to my rant with another heavy sigh. “Hazel, I can't speak to you when you’re like this. Once you’ve calmed down and are finished being dramatic, we’ll talk.”
The line goes silent, and I realize she’s hung up on me. My mouth drops open at her audacity. “I’mbeing dramatic?”
Penn stands and wraps me in a hug, and I’m thankful for the grounding contact. I let my body slump against him as he holds me. “How much of that did you hear?” I ask, my voice muffled against his soft hoodie.
“Enough to know that I hate your mom.”
An unexpected laugh bubbles out of my mouth. Penn hugs me tighter. “Does she always talk to you like that?”
I nod against his chest, and he smooths a hand up and down my back. “I think it’s amazing you want to be a social worker. There are families and children who need people like you.” He pulls back enough to look at me. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you,” I tell him as tears fill my eyes, and I sniff.
He looks down at me, his gorgeous blue eyes are soft and sweet. Something in his gaze makes me think he might kiss me again, and I’m so tired—physically and emotionally—I would let him. More thanlet him,actually.I’d welcome it; the opportunity to get lost in him again and forget everything else for a while.
But we need boundaries or things will continue getting hazy. I’m already more attracted to him than I should be, and I like him as a personwaymore than I ever imagined I would. It would be stupid to catch feelings—Penn is freshly out of college, in his rookie year of the NHL and living the high life, and I’m a twenty-six year-old grad student with no social life. It would never work long term, so it’s not even worth going there in my mind. I want us to still be friends at the end of this, and I can’t risk being left with my heart broken…again. Right now, no one is around, so I can’t justify leaning in and allowing him to kiss me.
I release my arms from his waist and take a step back. A brief look of disappointment crosses his face, so quickly I wonder if I imagined it. “Did you save me any tiramisu?” I ask, keeping my voice as upbeat and casual as possible.
He smirks. “Would you stab me with your fork if I told you I ate it all?”
I smile back, glad we’re back to normal after he almost kissed me again…or maybe I’m just reading into things.
CHAPTER 18
PENN
“Hockey players eat a lot,but there’s no way you ate that whole dessert in the two minutes I was on the phone,” Hazel says.
My heart is beating too fast, thumping almost uncomfortably in my chest, but I hold my teasing smile in place. “You’re right. I didn’t take a single bite when you were on the phone.”
“Phew.” She grins. “I really didn’t want to have to stab you.”
“Of course you didn’t. You’re secretly obsessed with me.” My voice is carefully light and playful, and I’m hoping she can’t see how shaken I am inside.
No. Not just shaken. I’m indignant.
I can’t believe all that garbage Hazel’s mom just said to her.
The stuff she said about me, I don’t care about. Mrs. Palmer doesn’t know me, and honestly, people have said worse things about me many times before. But to tell her own daughter she should accept being cheated on? That's wild. Then she had the gall to add insult to injury and demean the career Hazel has worked her ass off for. “No,” Hazel says now, smiling like she wasn’t just trampled on by the person who’s supposed to love her unconditionally. “I didn’t want to have to stab you tonightbecause I don’t feel like cleaning up the mess it would make. I’m tired.”
“You could’ve just left it; the mess would’ve fit right in.” I gesture around me to the heaps of dirty dishes and laundry strewn everywhere. Hazel’s apartment is much smaller than the loft, but it’s warm and cozy—or, it would be, if it wasn’t for the mess.
She groans, then says what I was expecting. “That’s all Chadwick’s doing. He’s such a pig. I think he’s waiting for me to tidy it all up for him, but I’m not doing that. I’m not responsible for cleaning up his messes anymore.”
I stare at her, this incredible woman who doesn’t know how amazing she is, and say, “Hazel, you wereneverresponsible for cleaning up his messes. I’m no expert, but I’m pretty damn sure that’s not what a relationship is.”
She sighs and sinks back down onto the couch. “I guess not.”
