He’s on the team.
How could she have been so utterly clueless? It all makes sense now—his evasive answers at the bar, the way he skirted around any talk of work.
Anger rises in her like a storm breaking over still water.
“You lied to me,” she says, her voice sharp, cutting through the quiet of the parking lot.
Jake stops short, surprised. “Natalie?—”
“You’re on the team. With Jesse.” She shakes her head, her stomach twisting. “You knew who I was, and you still let me sit there like an imbecile, thinking you were some random guy.”
“I didn’t know last night,” Jake says quickly, voice firm but not defensive. “Not until this morning. I swear.”
He shifts on his feet, looking genuinely regretful. “I was going to tell you.”
“When? After I showed up to one of your games and saw you on the damn jumbotron?”
Jake sighs, rubbing a hand over his stubbled jaw. “I wasn’t trying to lie. I?—”
He exhales sharply, then meets her eyes. “I know it was wrong, but I liked that you didn’t know who I was. That you weren’t looking at me like Jacob MacDonald, hockey player. Just... Jake. Women act differently when they know. I liked that what we had was genuine.”
For a second, something in his tone wavers her fury. But only for a second.
“Well, congratulations,” she snaps. “Now I know exactly who you are. And it’s a problem.”
Jake’s brows draw together. “A problem?”
She lets out a humorless laugh. “I don’t get involved with hockey players. And especially not with hockey players on my brother’s team.”
Jake studies her for a moment, expression unreadable. “Because of Jesse?”
“Of course because of Jesse!” she huffs, gesturing toward the facility. “He’s worked his whole life for this, and I won’t be the reason things get messy for him. I won’t put him in that position.”
Before she can continue, the doors swing open, and Jesse walks out, laughing at something one of his teammates says. Natalie steps back instinctively, putting space between her and Jake.
Jake hesitates, then gives her one last look before nodding. “I am sorry, Natalie.”
She says nothing. She turns and walks toward Jesse, leaving Jake standing in the cold.
CHAPTER 10
NATALIE
Natalie turns the key in the lock, pushing open the front door of her family’s cozy bungalow. The familiar scent of home greets her instantly—coffee, lavender, and something faintly sweet, like the candles she always forgets to blow out. She steps inside, letting the door close behind her with a soft thud. And then, silence.
She’s never lived alone before.
Back in college, she had a roommate—until she had to leave. And for the past five years, it’s been her and Jesse. The house was never truly quiet with him around. There was always something: muffled video game explosions from his room, dishes clattering as he left them in the sink, his voice echoing through the thin walls as he yelled at his friends through his headset.
It used to drive her crazy.
Now, it’s just… silent.
The quiet feels strange. A little eerie. But also kind of thrilling. Like standing at the edge of something new.
She drops her suitcase at the front door and sinks into the couch, legs tucked beneath her, staring at her phone like it might ring on its own. She’s not even sure what she’s waiting for. A message? A call?Something. Anything. But it stays silent, and she scowls at it, setting it down on the coffee table like it personally offended her.
She shouldn’t be thinking about him. It’s ridiculous. She barely knows him. And yet, for the entire drive back to Port Perry, she had not been able to get Jake MacDonald out of her head. Every time his stupidly attractive face entered her mind, the irritation had flared up again. Heliedto her. Made her feel like some naive small-town girl who falls for the first smooth-talking guy who buys her a drink. Which, okay, maybe sheis, but that's beside the point.
