Page 19 of My Lucky Charm

I can’t tell if he’s introverted or distracted, or just plain rude, but he left only moments after his plate was cleared, and I could count on one hand the number of words he said the entire time he was there.

When the door shut behind him, I think the rest of my family breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Everyone did a good job of including him—or trying to—but it wasn’t a secret that he didn’t want to be there. Which had all of us wondering why he’d come.

And it made me wonder why he took pity on me that night at Sully’s because he seems to care so little about other people. The fact that he kissed me at all is something of a mystery.

Maybe we should do it again. You know, for research purposes.

“It’s obvious why they hired you, Eloise,” Raya had said after he left. “But you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

Dallas had apologized, and my parents commended him for trying to help Gray feel included, and I spent the rest of the evening wondering if all of this was a big mistake. Never mind that I’d spent the previous two weeks back at the animal shelter, walking, feeding, and cleaning up after dogs and cats and knowing the professional step back was my own stupid fault.

On the plus side, there was almost zero chance of me repeating The Jay Mistake. My old boss, it turned out, only hired me for one reason—and it had nothing to do with my skills.

The fact that I fell for it still gnaws at me.

But that was clearly not going to be an issue with Grayson Hawke. Not only is he the polar opposite of flirty and charming like Jay, but he seems to loathe people in general.

And I’m a people person. We couldn’t be more different. We’re not apples and oranges, we’re apples and cactuses.

He’s the cactus in that scenario.

And while the fact that he doesn’t seem to remember me or my lips still bothers me a little, I’ve resolved to forget it ever happened and focus on this job.

Still, I’ll be lucky if I can get him to say two words to me the entire season. I now feel like it’s my personal responsibility to make sure this man not only acclimates well, but that he sees how amazing life in Chicago can be.

But not with me. Romance is off the table, no matter what the guy looks like.

Or how good of a kisser he is. (And for the record, he’s very, very good.)

The door opens and a man I recognize as Dallas’s coach walks in, followed by Dallas, and a predictably intense-looking Gray.

His name sure fits his mood. You’d think that would make him less attractive, but it doesn’t. Not even a little.

I sit up straighter because even though I already have the job, I feel like I’m a fraud for being here. Imposter syndrome in full effect.

They could find out at any second that I’m not really qualified to be anyone’s assistant.

Wait. Stop. That’s not true. I am qualified.

In spite of Jay Jerkface, I was an excellent assistant.

I remind myself of this silently because for reasons I can’t understand, I can’t stop thinking about the scar above Gray’s lip.

“Miss Hart.” The coach extends a hand toward me, and I shake it. “I’m Coach Turnrose.”

I smile. “Eloise, please. Good to officially meet you.”

“Dallas speaks very highly of you.” He nods in Dallas’s direction.

I shoot Dallas a surprised look. “Really?”

“Very highly.” He raises a brow. “So, don’t let me down.” When he smiles, I take his teasing for what it is, but he’s just spoken my fear out loud.

Ack! What if I can’t do this job?

I clear my throat in a futile effort to chase the fear away, but when my eyes settle on Gray, I’m a tabletop globe that just fell off its axis and rolled into the hallway and down a flight of stairs.

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