Page 93 of Worth the Risk

Bennett clears his throat. “We’ve learned Caroline was much more involved in Woodward’s plans than we originally thought. You were a plant, Hannah. Caroline never went to Europe. In fact, she’s the one who brought Jefferson here. She called your mother and told her you were miserable, and that you wanted to get back together with him. Your mother was all too thrilled to give out your information to Jefferson, because she assumed he’d force you to move back to Georgia and be under her control again.”

Hannah’s eyes fill with tears. “My mother is responsible for all of this?”

“She was involved, yes. Caroline was mostly responsible, but I’m sure neither of them thought he’d hurt you.”

“Mother knew he had hurt me, Uncle Bennett. She knew. For her to ignore that and send him here … that’s unforgivable. She’s … I’m done with her,” Hannah whispers, frantically swiping at her eyes to wipe away the errant tears. “Who does that? Who writes off abuse like that?”

“A nobody, Pixie. She’s no one. Nothing. You don’t ever have to see them again, okay? I promise you, I’ll never let them hurt you again,” I tell her deeply. I hate that she’s hurting. Hate that so many of her blood family took advantage of her like this, and didn’t care about the results.

Hannah rests her head against my shoulder. “I know.”

Bennett clears his throat. “Caroline was arrested as well.”

“Oh. Are you — are you doing okay with that?” Hannah asks quietly.

“I had come to terms with my lack of relationship with my sister years ago. I had no idea she’d stoop so low as to set up family, but it is what it is. She made her bed.”

“How long will it take to hire a new GM and coach?” I ask.

“The GM will take a bit. My family has always had an ideal for what we wanted in the GM role. But we’ve already hired a coach,” Mr. Crawford says with a smile.

“Who?” I ask.

Mr. Crawford tilts his head toward Bennett with a brow raised. “The only one for the job.”

Hannah gasps before jumping up to hug her uncle. “I’m so happy for you! Are you excited? Are you replacing your role then? Wait! Can you still date Elsie if you’re the head coach?”

Hannah’s eyes widen as she frantically covers her mouth with her hands, making Mr. Crawford bark back a laugh. “It’s okay, I already know. Bennett disclosed the relationship as soon as I offered him the position. We have never had a strict no fraternization rule. As long as relationships aren’t with direct subordinates, and they’re disclosed to Human Resources, there isn’t an issue. And anyone could see the two of them making eyes at one another for a while.”

“Am I in trouble for how I left?” I blurt out.

“No. I’m sure if Woodward was still in control, you’d have been fined up the ass for every infraction he could think of, but this is my ballgame. If you want to come back and finish your year, or your career, we will welcome you back. But if you’re completely done, we can retire you effective immediately. It’s up to you. But I’m still waiting for an answer from Ms. Beauregard on returning to her job, and I assume your answer about returning is dependent on hers.”

Hannah looks at me, and it seems like we have a nonverbal conversation.

I’m happy, she says.

Me, too, I respond.

Do you want to finish out the year? She asks.

Not really.

Me either.

Turning back to Mr. Crawford, Hannah speaks first. “I truly appreciate the offer, Mr. Crawford, but I’m really happy with my job at Luca’s family hotel.”

Mr. Crawford smiles. “I figured you’d say that. Mr. Santo, I assume your answer is the same?”

I nod. “I don’t want to burn bridges or anything, and I’ll come back if it’s a big deal. But I’m happier than I thought I’d ever be. I’m okay with moving on from hockey.”

“Generally there aren’t many athletes who quit midseason, so I’ll have to consult our legal and PR teams to determine how we move forward. But, honestly, I’d like to ask you to finish out the season. You’ve been with the team for quite some time. Hometown kid. The fans will be upset if they don’t get to say goodbye to you.”

“That’s true,” I murmur. I turn to Hannah, and she gives me a reassuring smile.

“It’s okay, Luca. It’s just a few more months. Besides, I never got an opportunity to cheer you on publicly. I wouldn’t mind wearing your jersey while you’re out there,” Hannah says sweetly.

Sitting in front of a billionaire owner is not the best time for my cock to twitch, thinking about Hannah wearing only my jersey, but here we are.

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