Page 34 of Rebel Secrets
You’re not here to interrogate her.
No, but I found I wanted to know more about her.
“So, you’re from New York City, right?You grew up there?”
She nodded, eyeing me like I was trying to pry state secrets out of her.
“I did.”Her teeth lodged in her bottom lip like she was trying not to say anything more, but then it was almost like she couldn’t help herself.“Upper West Side.”
“Your family has money.”
It wasn’t a question.It took money to live well on the Upper West Side.And it wasn’t a dig.My family had money.My great-grandparents had built a small-time whiskey business into an empire.A small one, but still enough that my parents had been able to build the Northeast Professional Hockey League into a viable business when so many other leagues had failed through the years.
Erin had been chewing over her response for several long seconds, until she finally nodded.It wasn’t like it was a big secret.Everyone knew her grandfather was loaded.The guy had outright bought the local newspaper and the building from the former owners and had kept everyone on the payroll until they had either moved on or retired.
Which was how Erin had come to be here.
“Did you always want to work in journalism?”
She blinked, as if her brain was trying to compute the change in conversation.
“No, not at all.I studied pre-law in college because I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life.My dad’s family is into real estate, and I thought I’d work there after law school, but I never went.”She shrugged, her gaze falling away for a few seconds.“I worked for the company for a while until Mom asked me to come help Granddad close down the paper.”
“But you ended up staying, and St.David still has a newspaper.”
Her left shoulder twitched.“Things changed.”
“That have anything to do with your broken engagement?”
She stiffened, her gaze flitting around the room, as if she were looking for something or someone to save her.She got lucky.Luna returned with her our salads.But it was only a brief reprieve.I found myself wanting more, wanting to know more about her.
“Have you ever been in long-term relationship that ended…badly?”she asked after a few bites of her salad.
Payback time.“Yeah.One.”
Her eyes widened.She hadn’t been expecting that.
“Really?”
I didn’t know whether to be amused or offended.“Yeah.In college.”
“I’m not sure I knew you went to college.”
My turn to shrug.“I wasn’t going to.I was just going to join the team.All I wanted to do was play hockey.”
“What changed?”
“Have you met my pop?”
Her spontaneous laughter seeped into my bloodstream and made it heat.A slow burn that felt almost uncomfortable, like an itch under the skin I couldn’t scratch.
“I have.”
“He told me it was either college or service.”Then I told her something I’d never told anyone else.And I had no idea why.“There are times I wish I’d enlisted.”
Her eyes widened.“Really?Why?”
I nodded.“I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps.But I’m not my dad.”
