Page 19 of Worth the Risk
“You are seriously only like nine years older than me, Uncle Bennett. Don’t treat me like a child,” I tell him. His smile fades.
“I know that, Hannah. I just want you to be careful. You could have a real career here. I know you were really unhappy in Georgia, and getting away from your parents was a goal for you. I don’t want you to fuck it up,” he says.
My mother and my uncle never got along. My mother was fifteen when my Aunt Caroline was born, and then a few years later Uncle Bennett came along. My mother had already met my dad when Bennett was only a toddler. My grandparents moved from Atlanta to Denver, but my mom stayed in Georgia for my dad. Well, for his family. For his wealth, his connections, his status. I was born a few years later and became a pawn in my mother’s goal to become a southern socialite.
“Don’t worry about me, Uncle Bennett. I can handle myself. Let me do my job, okay?” I tell him somewhat stiffly, but give him a small smile to let him know I’m not upset. He nods in understanding.
“Okay. Let’s have dinner this weekend to catch up before the season really gets going.”
“Sounds good.”
As my uncle leaves, I stand to stretch and face the windows of my office. Taking in the beautiful mountain view, I stretch my arms up high and bend my back as someone knocks on my door.
“Hi, I’m Luke Santo, I’m here for the meeting…”
I stiffen and forget how to breathe. I know that voice. Intimately. I had it in my ear only hours ago as I orgasmed by a man for the first time. My hand goes to my mouth as I swiftly turn around and take in Luca’s stunned expression.
“Hannah?” he asks incredulously. I don’t answer. I can’t answer.
“Your name is Luke?” I finally ask, but he shakes his head.
“I go by Luke in hockey. I go by Luca in my personal life…” he trails off. “What the fuck, Hannah? Did you know it was me?” His eyes become angry and accusatory.
“No. No! I swear I didn’t know! I didn’t research anyone, I wanted to meet everyone first without any preconceived opinions.” I can hear the emotion battling in my voice. My heart feels broken. I barely know Luca, but the connection felt real.
We stare at each other, neither one knowing how to move forward. His eyes search mine, looking for answers I can’t give. Answers I don’t know how to give. Answers I wish were different.
I feel my eyes fill with tears as I realize at the same time as Luca that any relationship we may have had is done. His head shakes emphatically as he walks toward me.
“No, bella, no. We can figure this out,” he says, but he stops before he gets to me. Luca reaches around to grab the back of his neck in frustration. “I don’t know how, but we have to figure this out. Fuck. We have to.”
A tear slides down my cheek and I wipe it away furiously. I’m so pissed at the universe right now. This isn’t fair.
“It’s not fair,” I whisper to myself. Luca looks up at me with pain in his eyes.
“Yeah. It’s not fair.”
We stand quietly for a few moments, both of us clearly in our own heads. I close my eyes as I remember last night and this morning. How perfect it felt. How for the first time in my life, I felt like I was with the right person. I mentally shake my head at that thought. How could I think that? I barely know the guy. I didn’t even know his last name.
The quiet allows me to control my emotions as I focus on my breathing. In and out. This will be okay. I can handle this. In and out.
A knock on the door startles me back to the present.
“Hannah, I just wanted to touch base with you about the schedule…oh, hey, Santo. This your first meeting with Hannah?” Coach Woodward says as he struts into my office authoritatively. At this moment, I despise the head coach. Frankly, I haven’t gotten a good feed on him from the moment I met him. He seems really sketchy and snakelike. And right now, I loathe him for interrupting whatever this is with Luca.
“Uh, yeah, coach. First time meeting Hannah,” Luca says, his eyes meeting mine with uncertainty.
“I hope Santo hasn’t been giving you any trouble, Hannah. I can tell your uncle if he is.”
“Uncle?” Luca says quietly.
Woodward sneers at Luca. “Coach Davenport is Hannah’s uncle. Surely you knew that?”
Luca’s eyes meet mine briefly, and I see the pain I feel. Just another complication. My heart drops as he takes a step back toward the door. “Uh, no. I didn’t. It was nice meeting you, Hannah. Let me know when you need me to do anything for the social stuff.”
I nod, unable to find the ability to talk. I watch Luca’s retreating back as he walks to the door, glancing my way one last time before exiting my office.
“Hope he didn’t give you any trouble,” the coach says as he walks behind my desk to stand beside me. “Santo is a loose cannon. I don’t think he’ll be with us after this year.”