“It was open? But…” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t be here!”
“Why not?” he asked, confused. “We said we’d meet here after you had a few hours to get groceries.”
“Jack! That was before the picture and the reporters.”
He frowned. “What do they have to do with it? Did you seriously think I’d leave you alone with your worries? You were as pale as a ghost earlier, Penny.”
“That’s just the color of my face when I’m blinded by flashbulbs and insulted from all directions! And, yes, it would have been better if you’d left me alone!” she said, her voicegrowing louder with each word. “They think we’re having an affair, Jack, but they don’tknowit. That is, until you provide them with more proof!”
Jack sighed heavily and walked past her into the kitchen. “Nobody has any idea where you live, Penny. I’m not going to stop seeing you just because some reporter took a picture of us hugging!”
He couldn’t be serious. “Um, no, that’s exactly what’s going to happen!”
Jack stopped and slowly turned to her. “Excuse me?”
“Jack, it’s obvious that we need to take a little break.” Shethoughtit was obvious. “We need to put some distance between us so there isn’t a chance that they’ll catch us together. Let’s let things calm down for a while.”
His mouth gaping, Jack appeared totally perplexed—which was admittedly pretty cute. “What are you talking about?” he finally blurted out. “I don’t want any distance.”
She laughed. “Yeah, but we can’t do just whatever we want to do all the time. And right now, everyone is talking about us. Right now, they’re going to come after us, so…we should put the brakes on. At least for the moment. It’s for the best.”
“For who?” he asked sharply, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “And what does that even mean: at leastfor the moment? I don’t want to stop seeing you. Noat least for the momentabout it.”
She swallowed and wrung her hands. Why was he making it so difficult for her? It wasn’t easy for her, to begin with, but it was the simplest solution! If they were caught again now…
“Jack, it’s not forever,” she insisted, her throat dry. “Only until the press loses interest.”
He laughed mirthlessly and gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Penny, the press will never lose interest! If we start now, we’ll have to take a hundred breaks over the next fewyears. It’ll mean we’re more often not together than the other way around. That’s not enough for me.”
She swallowed and bit her lip before whispering, “Yeah, me neither. So, what should we do?”
“I don’t know.” He let go of her abruptly and ran his hand nervously through his hair. “Just…tell them? Be honest?”
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “What? No. I’ve spent the last few months trying to convince my parents that I’m not the same woman I was back then. That I don’t cause scandals anymore. That I can be responsible. That I don’t act impulsively. How will they ever believe me if, within my first two months as manager of the Hawks, I start something with one of the players and end up on the cover of gossip rags for weeks?”
Jack let out a gasp and narrowed his eyes briefly. “So what? Then that’s how it is.”
“Yeah, easy for you to say!” she snapped angrily. “It’s not your parents. It’s not your career. Everyone will probably pat you on the back.Hey, congratulations on sleeping with the boss!And me? I’m going to lose the team! I’m going to lose everyone’s respect. I…” She took a shaky breath. “I’m going to be seen as the ultimate failure again. And I don’t want to fail again, Jack. Not after I told my parents yesterday that I’ve changed!”
“But you’re not failing at your job just because you’re with me!” he snapped. “Penny, I understand that it’s going to be harder for you than for me…but you’re not alone, okay? I’m still here.”
“Yeah, and what’s in it for me?” she replied angrily.
Jack’s eyebrows shot up and he took a step back. “What’s in it for you?”
“Shit,” she whispered, rubbing her forehead feverishly. Her eyes stung, but she ignored them. “I didn’t mean it like that. But…I’m so close to finally doing something right. I’m good at the job. Lyle is impressed with me. Gareth is impressed withme. My parents…well, at least they don’t think I’m a failure right now. Not yet. I’m so sick of having to endure their indulgent looks. And now I’ve made a huge mess again and I am ruining everything and…”
“Nonsense,” Jack interrupted sharply, placing his big hands firmly around her face. “It’s my fault. I couldn’t leave you alone.”
“But I didn’t want you to leave me alone, either!” she whispered heatedly. “I knew I shouldn’t get involved with you, but I didn’t care. And that’s my fault. So now I have to do damage control.”
“By breaking up with me?” he asked coolly.
“No!” she snapped, annoyed. “Haven’t you been listening? I don’t want to break up. I just want a break. And then… I don’t know.”
“Well,I don’t knowisn’t good enough, Penny,” he whispered, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs.
Her heart skipped a beat as a few tears caught in her eyelashes. He was right, but she had no other choice. She couldn’t disappoint everyone again. She couldn’t bear the fact that her family was talking about her behind her back again and everyone was essentially wondering if she was really part of the Clark family or if she was adopted.
