Page 28 of Reputation (Toronto Royals #1)

Her mom’s only response was a small laugh as she continued to fold her dough. Most people didn’t understand her relationship with her mom, but they had always been close. Talking about boys was something she’d done with her for as long as she could remember.

“There isn’t much to talk about,” she began, shaking her head.

“I met a guy one night at a bar while I was out with Joyce, and we…I don’t know.

” She shook her head, trying to find a PG version of what went on that night.

She may be close with her mom, but she wasn’t that close.

“Connected, I guess. I don’t really know how to describe it.

Honestly, I’ve never felt anything like it.

But it turned out he plays for the Royals. ”

Her mom stayed silent, listening and folding, as always, when her children needed to talk about something. She had a unique ability to know when they needed someone to listen and when they needed advice.

“The other problem is, he feels it too and has not been shy about asking me out. He’s tried several times, despite my saying no, which…

like it’s the complete opposite of how he was when I met him?

” She said it like a question, still trying to wrap her head around it.

“Does that make any sense? The insane part is, as I spend time with him, I’ve started to feel that there’s more to him, and I’m finding it harder and harder to stay away. ”

As she spoke, she focused on her tarts, using the task to help her navigate her jumbled thoughts.

She placed little leaf-shaped pieces of pastry on top of the pumpkin filling, creating an intricate wreath around the edges.

She placed each one with infinite care, focusing on them while considering her relationship with Jax.

Her mom was quiet for a minute. When Eavie didn’t continue, her mom stopped kneading. “Do you want to stay away?” she asked point blank.

Straight to the point then , she thought. Sighing, Eavie looked at her mom, rolling her lips between her teeth.

“No, I don’t,” she answered, a wistful smile tugging at her lips.

“Mom,” she said, tilting her head back and bending her knees dramatically, “he can be so charming and funny, and he’s so handsome .

But then he…Ugh! He’s just…god, so frustrating!

I’m drawn to him. Every time we walk into the same room, our eyes connect, and there is this thing between us.

There is something about him, and it’s so hard to resist.” She looked back at her mom.

Before she continued, the smile dropped from her lips.

“But, I can’t date him. I have a shot to carve out my place and have a long career with the Royals.

I’m not willing to give that up for a man. ”

Her mom nodded thoughtfully. “I get it, Sweetie. You’ve always been so driven and focused.

The moment you decided on something, there was no changing your mind.

” She paused what she was doing and wiped her hands on her apron before coming around to where Eavie stood.

She placed one hand on either of Eavie’s cheeks as she continued.

“You are my brilliant, beautiful girl, but one thing you’ve never been is a risk taker.

You follow your dreams, but you take the path of most certainty. ”

Twice in two days, she thought indignantly. After hearing her mother reiterate the ideas that Joyce had stirred last night, she wondered if that was why she’d never felt like she’d lived up to her own potential, instead stumbling down the path that was the more certain, the most safe.

“Is there something wrong with being sure about your choices? Knowing the decision you make is a good one because you’ve thought it through?” Eavie asked, frowning.

“Of course not,” her mom said, sincerity shining in her eyes. “But sometimes, you have to take a risk to be happy.”

“I love my life,” she said defensively. “I have a great career and amazing friends. I have a wonderful life.” Eavie turned her frown toward her tarts.

The kitchen was silent for a heartbeat. The only sounds were the ticking of the old Kit-Cat clock on the wall and the whirring of her mom’s mixer.

Finally, her mom asked, “But are you happy?”

That single question made her pause. Was she happy?

She loved her job and her friends. She was freakishly close to her family.

She had a great apartment in the middle of downtown in a city she loved.

Her closet was full of the latest fashions, and she had a shoe collection other women would envy.

She was intelligent, strong, and, yes, beautiful.

She had everything she wanted, way more than most people had.

But was she happy? Maybe that was what she’d felt recently, a hole in her life only a partner would fill.

In her silence, her mom continued, “If your life as it is makes you happy, then that’s all that matters.

If you think this guy will make you happy, then taking a risk by getting to know him and seeing where it goes—well, there’s nothing wrong with that.

” She gave Eavie one last “mom” look before turning and moving to the oven, leaving her to finish her tarts.

She had thought it would be good to date again, not that she’d ever really stopped. She’d just focused on other things for a while. Now she wondered—would any man help fill this hole in her life, or was it only Jax that would satisfy this new feeling?

Not to mention, even if she wanted to, how could she even contemplate forging a relationship with him when she was technically not even allowed to?