Page 26 of Reputation (Toronto Royals #1)

“When has saying no ever stopped you” Eavie answered, trying to hide her nerves.

Joyce rolled her eyes. “You know I love you, but sometimes you have a tendency to look for all the reasons not to do something, instead of just waiting to see what happens.” The words were spoken softly as if she were talking to a scared animal, but Eavie felt the sting of it anyway.

“Maybe,” she continued, “you need to set the feelings free. Let life happen the way it’s supposed to. ”

“Are you trying to say that Jax is supposed to happen to me? Like some pre-ordained destiny?”

Joyce laughed. “No,” she said, eyes dancing with humor.

“All I’m saying is that sometimes I worry that you’ve surrounded your heart under such a thick wall of ice that you can’t see when something is right.

” Eavie opened her mouth to argue, but Joyce held up her hand, stopping her.

“Look, I know what you’re going to say, and I get it, babe.

What Derek did and said to you would scar anyone.

” She reached out and clasped Eavie’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“And don’t think I’m not aware about exactly what you’ve been trying to prove all these years. ”

Shock stung her, causing her to draw back slightly. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Babe, from the day I met you, I could see every decision you made was to prove him wrong, but I’m not sure you even realize how cold and calculating it’s made your life.”

“That’s not true,” Eavie protested.

As the words came out, they felt more like a reflex.

Considering Joyce’s words, she realized she was right.

She’d become so focused on how every move she made would be perceived, so focused on protecting her reputation, that she’d forced her heart into silence.

And after all these years, Jax had awoken it.

Joyce gave her a sympathetic smile as awareness coated her stomach.

“I’m not saying you don’t have good reason to be careful.

Some things that happen to us shape us in irreversible ways.

It would be easy for people to think your beauty is all there is to you,” Joyce said, still holding her hand comfortingly.

“And even easier for some to assume you only took the job because you had your sights set on being Mrs. Hockey Wife. That’s probably the reason for the policy they made you sign.

” She laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

Eavie’s lips lifted at the corners. “Actually, I’m pretty sure that’s exactly why,” she said, shaking her head.

“But you said so yourself—you can’t explain what you feel around him.

Maybe you’re not supposed to. Maybe…” she paused, giving Eavie a wicked look, “You’re supposed to let your body guide you.

For once, don’t think, just feel. If that means it guides you to get under Jax Morghan , you should let it,” she finished, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Oh my god,” Eavie said as she burst out laughing. “Where do you come up with this?”

Joyce held up a hand to the side, a self-satisfied smirk on her lips, “It’s a talent.”

Eavie dropped her face into her hands. A sound crossed between a groan and a whimper puffed out between her lips. Her mind twisted and contorted like a circus performer, as she tried to sort through everything Joyce had said. Sitting up, she chewed on her bottom lip, unsure of what to say.

Joyce looked at her with a small smile, apparently taking pity on her. “All jokes aside, what I mean is try to let your heart have a say sometimes.”

Eavie nodded, unsure how she felt about the revelation.

Joyce was her best friend, the one person outside her brother who truly knew her.

She knew she said it out of love. Eavie had buried the hurt and devastation all those years ago, but somehow, it had leaked, spreading to her heart like a poison in the earth and unwittingly influencing how she lived her life.

“Or maybe,” Joyce said, flashing a cheeky grin as she picked up her wine. “You need a distraction. Has the guy Elizabeth told you about called?”

“No, not yet. But who knows, maybe she hasn’t seen him,” Eavie said with a shrug.

“Will you go out with him if he does?”

Eavie turned her head, staring out her living room window.

She could see the multicolored lights of the city beyond, creating a sparkling landscape in the dark sky.

On nights like this, she would often stare out the window, enjoying seeing the life that thrived around her.

It made her feel like she was a part of something.

Now, the sight made her wonder about her life.

She’d never felt like someone who needed a man to feel complete, but suddenly, her life felt empty, as if, perhaps, having someone to share it with would fill that empty space.

Finally, she looked back at Joyce, a small smile tugging at her mouth. “Maybe you’re right. Perhaps a distraction would help, and someone to focus my energy on. So, yes, I think if Austin calls, I’ll go out with him.”

She said it with more conviction than she felt.

She wasn’t sure someone else would help these feelings she had for Jax.

Something about them made her think they were entirely specific to him.

Regardless, she had to do something because letting him be the one to release the tension building inside her was not an option.

Satisfied for the moment, Joyce sat back, changing the subject. “So, when does Eric’s flight arrive? You two are going to your parents’ this weekend, right?”

“He’s arriving tonight, actually,” Eavie said, glancing at her watch. “He’ll be here around nine if you want to hang out and say hi.” She smiled at Joyce innocently.

Shrugging one shoulder, Joyce said, “I have laundry waiting for me upstairs. I need to fold it so I can finish packing.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” Eavie remarked, shaking her head.

Of course, two hours later, she was not surprised Joyce managed to hang around until her brother’s expected arrival.

She could deny it all she wanted, but Eavie knew Joyce had a weakness where Eric was concerned.

It was just a matter of time before they finally gave in.

Eavie determinedly ignored the irony of how the thought echoed her own problems.

A knock sounded on her door a little after nine, followed by its opening. Getting up from her stool at the kitchen island, Eavie ran over and launched herself at her twin.

“Whoa!” Eric said, catching her mid-leap. Eavie wrapped her arms and legs around him, hugging him like a koala bear on a tree. “I missed you too, sis,” he said, laughing.

Despite his joking, Eavie could tell he had, in fact, missed her too by the way he squeezed her for a second before putting her back on her feet.

“It’s been way too long since I’ve seen you,” Eavie complained, pouting at him.

Looking at her brother, so similar to her in coloring, gave Eavie a sense of calm.

Born only one minute apart, they’d been inseparable for the entirety of their lives.

Best friend almost didn’t encompass her relationship with her brother.

Being twins had forged a connection that ran deeper, almost to a soulmate level of understanding, and despite the current physical distance between them, they had remained close.

His blond hair was a little shaggy, the ends curling around his ears. His eyes were the same blue as hers, with the only difference between them being that his jaw was more square and he was taller than she, at six foot two.

“I know, I’m sorry. Work has just been crazy, but I promise to come visit more often,” Eric said.

A noise from the kitchen caught his attention, and he looked over Eavie’s head. His smile twitched at seeing Joyce, but Eavie caught the flash of interest in his eyes. She moved from in front of him, grabbing his coat to hang in the closet.

“Hey, Joyce. I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight,” he said, all his attention now focused on her.

“Hey, handsome. I thought a hot-shot doctor deserved a welcoming committee,” Joyce responded, smiling at him in her usual sassy way.

“Well, don’t I feel honored,” Eric smirked. His eyes scanned her up and down in the chair she was perched on. “How have you been?”

“Absolutely fantastic,” she replied, batting her lashes at him. “Dominating the world of ballet, crushing hearts of men—you know, the usual.”

Eric smiled at her and said, “And humble as always, I see.”

Eavie, shaking her head at how quickly they started flirting, walked past her brother toward the kitchen.

“Joyce stopped by for some impromptu drinks and pizza. Are you hungry? There’s some left, and it’s still warm,” she said, nodding toward the box on the island.

“Grab a slice, and I’ll get another bottle of wine. ”

Hopping down from her stool, Joyce started backing toward the door.

“I should get going. I’ve got an early train to catch and haven’t finished packing yet,” she said to Eavie before turning her attention to Eric, who had come over to stand near the island.

“Nice seeing you, handsome.” She gave him a wink, turning gracefully and sauntering toward the door.

“Night, doll! I’ll talk to you later,” Eavie called after her.

Eric’s gaze followed Joyce’s retreating figure until she was gone from view. Hearing the soft click of the front door closing, he turned back to face Eavie, who smirked at him from the other side of the counter.

“What?” he asked innocently.

“I have an excellent chef’s knife you could use to cut the tension in here. Want to borrow it?” she joked, looking at him with her eyebrows raised.

“Oh, do you think you’re funny?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” she replied. Laughing, she moved toward her wine fridge and grabbed a bottle of her brother’s favorite cab sav. “I don’t understand why you haven’t asked her out. You’re clearly both into each other.”

“It’s complicated, Vie,” he said, using the nickname he’d called her since they were kids.

“How?” she asked, looking at him as she uncorked the bottle.

“My career is in Baltimore. Hers is here. And she travels. How exactly would that work?”

A doctor who’d studied at Harvard, Eric currently worked at Johns Hopkins. He had a point about location being an issue, but both were the “distance makes the heart grow fonder” types.

“Well, based on the reason you broke up with your last girlfriend, I’d say a woman busy with her own career would be perfect for you,” she replied.

“A woman busy with her career, yes, but not one that’s busy in another country. I doubt it would work.”

“What about the offer you received from Wilson Hospital? Your career could bring you to Toronto.”

“I haven’t decided yet. It’s a really good offer. I’m just not sure it’s the right move for me,” he responded, shrugging.

“Well, girlfriends aside, I would love to have you here. I’ve missed you so much, and it would be great if you were close by,” she said, leaning her elbows on the counter.

“I’ve missed you too. It would be nice to be here and closer to Mom and Dad. I worry about Dad sometimes, running the farm alone. It would just be a big change for me, not that this new job wouldn’t be rewarding. It’s just a tough decision to make.”

Nodding sympathetically, Eavie said, “Well, I know you’ll do what you think is best for you, and I don’t want to influence your decision. It would just be nice to have you around. Anyway, enough with the serious talk. We have a lot to catch up on, and you must be hungry.”

Turning the pizza box toward him, he grabbed a slice as Eavie picked up the glasses of wine and moved around the island to sit on the stool beside him.

“Oh hey, guess who I ran into? Patrick O’Toole. He plays for the Royals.” Eavie said with a fond smile.

“Right, I’d heard they drafted him,” Eric said around a bit of pizza. “How’s he doin’?”

“He’s good, doing well so far this season. He says hi, by the way.”

“Tell him I say hi back. It’s too bad I have to head back to Baltimore on Tuesday. I would have liked to stop by and see him.”

“Well, you’ll have to come to a game soon. I can arrange for you to visit,” Eavie said.

Eric chuckled. “Are you trying to bribe me to come visit you again soon?”

Eavie couldn’t stop her smile. “Is it working?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

They stayed in the kitchen chatting for a while, Eric eating the last slices of pizza as they sipped on their wine.

“Why don’t you head to bed, and I’ll tidy up,” she said, popping off her stool. She collected the glasses and plates and placed them in her sink to rinse.

“What time do you want to leave tomorrow?” Eric asked, bringing the pizza box over to the garbage.

“I was thinking around ten. That’ll get us there for lunch.”

“Works for me. Thanks for dinner,” he said, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight,” she said over her shoulder. Turning back to the dishes, she rinsed them before placing each in the dishwasher. Moving through her apartment, she flipped the deadbolt on the front door and turned off the lights before heading to her bedroom.

She was looking forward to being back home with her parents.

Spending time baking with her mom and drinking coffee on the porch in the crisp autumn morning sounded like heaven after the rollercoaster that had been the last two weeks.

Maybe she’d even go for a ride. Taking Snow for a run always helped clear her head, and God knew she needed to.