Busted (Promise Harbor Wedding) - By Sydney Somers Page 0,12
of the doubt. She’d made that mistake too many times in the past not to learn from it.
“I do have a date, actually.” Or she had until a few minutes ago.
His disbelieving look grated on her last nerve. She tried hard to let it roll off her shoulders. Really, really hard.
“Let me take you, Hayley. Please? It’ll give us a chance to catch up.”
“You’re not trying to steal my date, are you, Thorton?”
Hayley couldn’t have been more stunned had the entire NHL All-Star team skated through the police station. She stared at Jackson, her brain scrambling to piece together what he’d just said about Eric stealing his date.
Eric, who was clearly struggling to make sense of it too, tried for that charming smile he could call up at a moment’s notice, but it fell wildly short. “Not at all. Hayley and I were just reminiscing about old times.”
Jackson glanced at Hayley like he didn’t believe a word and wanted her confirmation.
Eric didn’t give her a chance to respond. “I hadn’t heard you two were seeing each other.”
“It’s a pretty recent development.” Jackson shrugged as though admitting even that much was more than Eric was entitled to know.
Instantly suspicious, Hayley kept quiet. Awkward silences tended to make people ramble, and she was fine with the two of them oversharing until she could figure out what angle the both of them were working here.
“Most guys would move on after last night,” Eric pointed out.
“Hayley was just doing her job.” Jackson actually sounded like he meant it, and when he met Hayley’s eyes, those clear baby blues reflected only sincerity.
Jackson Knight was a far better actor than she would have given him credit for. She knew popular hockey players like Jackson routinely had microphones shoved in their faces after a game and were expected to say all the right things regardless of a win or a loss. She hadn’t remembered Jackson being quite that good though.
“Yeah, well, let’s hope everyone else forgives her as quickly as you have.”
Eyes narrowed, Jackson moved a little closer to Hayley. The sharp, clean scent of his skin filled her senses. “She doesn’t need anyone’s forgiveness. She didn’t do anything wrong.”
With a humoring smile firmly in place, Eric stepped back. “I guess I’ll see you two at the wedding.”
Jackson waited until Eric was out of earshot. “He’s going to Josh and Allie’s wedding?”
She shrugged. “He’s a Thorton.” Eric’s family owned numerous businesses in Promise Harbor, including the fish plant and the newspaper. And like much of the country, the Thortons hadn’t escaped hard economic times.
“You ready to go?” Jackson’s voice carried far enough for at least half the small police station to hear him.
Preferring not to give her fellow officers anything else to talk about, she led the way outside and down the sidewalk to where her truck was parked.
Jackson shoved his hands in his pockets and studied the street.
Crossing her arms, Hayley gave him a once-over. “What was that about?”
“Seemed like a good idea at the time.” He paused, watching two kids on bikes ride past. “I can’t believe you actually dated that asshole.”
“That makes two of us.”
“I forgot Matt had mentioned it until I saw you two talking. Given how red the tips of your ears were turning, it’s a wonder you didn’t arrest him instead of me last night.”
She started to raise her hands, then let them drop back to her sides. “They do not turn red.”
“Sure they do. Not nearly as noticeable now with the blonde hair though.” He leaned back against her truck, looking way too comfortable.
“No offence, but I don’t think I can trust your judgment about my ears or anything else from high school after you confused me with Helen-basement-blowjob-Anderson.”
Jackson laughed. “I thought that was just locker room talk.”
“So her supposed skills weren’t the reason you borrowed my parents’ truck and took her up to Sunset Bluff?”
“Those supposed skills were exactly why I took her. I just didn’t realize the whole school knew that about her.”
“It’s kind of a small town,” she confided.
“Yeah, it is.” The playfulness faded, replaced by something else. Regret?
When his attention dropped to the pavement, she decided to change the subject. “Thanks for stepping in with Eric, but—”
“You could have handled it yourself,” he finished for her.
A smile tugged at her lips. “Maybe.” Jackson had certainly saved her from having to endure Eric’s presence. If she’d told her ex how she really felt, then she’d be just giving her captain more grief, seeing as Eric’s father was