Page 93 of A Taste of Trouble

She wasn't blaming her mother for keeping the truth. Things had worked out this way for a reason. “Maybe I would be able to love a man…and let him love me back.”

Her mother had tears in her eyes now. No doubt blaming herself for something else that was out of her control.

Regardless of the new information, it was still her father's fault. He had obligations. A child. There was no reason for him to disappear without a trace. He could have kept in touch.

“I always wondered how this conversation would go.” Her mother shook her head and smiled. “It's surprisingly calm.”

Liv didn't expect to ever have this conversation. At least not such an honest conversation.

“Who is this Jake fellow?” her mother asked.

Liv's heart fluttered at the mention of his name. She was hopeless. “He's no one.”

“That can't be true if he loves you.”

Liv tensed. “Who said he loves me?”

“Olivia, even you can't be so blind.” Her mother slid off the couch and returned to the chair. “He might have been wrapped up in a situation that ended badly, but a man who cares about only himself would not have followed you out of the room and asked you to forgive him. It's as simple as that.”

It wasn't so simple in Liv's mind. It was betrayal.

Ruth stood and fixed her robe. She leaned down and cupped Liv's cheek, wiping away the tears with her thumb. “You may have the door to your heart locked, Olivia, but there is one person in this world who has the key. Don't be so blind that you let him get away.”

If that were the truth, Jake would have thrown out the key days ago. How was she supposed to forgive? How did she forget? She'd given him more than any other man, ever. And he'd taken advantage of that.

With a final squeeze, her mother let go and walked toward the stairway.

“I love you, Mom.”

Ruth stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned with a smile. “With icing on top.”

Liv fisted her hands and dropped them against her sides. This was not her. This was not the woman she had wanted to be. She was not the type to lie on a couch pining away for a man who had stolen her heart. She had a business to rebuild.

She was hiding. And it was time to come up from under the covers. Liv ripped away the blanket and stood. It was too late to venture home today, but first thing in the morning, she'd go back to her life. And set things straight. Without Jake Miller.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Jake loved the smell of the ice. Especially on a crisp February morning when the sun peeked from behind large, billowy clouds.

It was Sunday. His favorite day of the week, when he and his friends played their favorite game. Hockey. It wasn't competitive, but it was organized, with goalies and line changes and the score being kept. But regardless of who won, it was about the love of the game.

He loved the zip he got in his stomach when the buzzer went off, signaling a goal. He loved the sound of the puck slapping against the boards. He loved the way it set everything into focus.

Under normal circumstances.

This week, however, his focus wasn't on getting the puck in the net. It wanted to check the display on his BlackBerry to see if Liv had called him back. According to Patti's message, Liv had finally come home.

Two weeks ago, Jake was a no-show for the game. He had more important things to do, like Liv. On the kitchen island. With icing all over her body. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

The whistle brought Jake back to reality and he skated to center, extending his stick, catching a pass from Brian on his left. He skated over the blue line along the boards, narrowly missing a body check. He staggered, ducking, sliding across the ice on one knee, then scrambled up. He grappled with one of the players on the opposing team, winning away the puck and racing around the net. But the goalie was too fast. His foot had blocked the side of the net, denying him a classic wrap-around goal.

The whistle sounded when the goalie gobbled up the puck in his glove and Jake returned to the bench. He was greeted with encouragement from his teammates, like Tony, who had by-passed him on his way to take a faceoff.

Jake took a seat and grabbed his water bottle. Why hadn't she called him back? She should have been home by now. He needed to apologize. And it was going to happen today. She wasn't going to hide from him any longer.

“Jake.” He barely registered his name being called over his own thoughts. “Miller? You're up,” one of his teammates yelled from the end of the bench. Had it been two minutes already?

Brian nudged his arm, probably hoping it would snap him out of his trance. He stood just as Tony returned to the bench and shot B

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