Page 43 of Breakaway

“I know.”

“They’re really not that bad, Remi. If we hadn’t won the Stanley Cup two years ago, most people in this city wouldn’t even know who I am.”

She nodded and, with a sigh, he put the Jeep in gear and backed out of the parking spot. He drove through the cavernous concrete parking structure, used a card to exit and pulled out onto the street.

She didn’t know what to say. Her stomach felt all tight and achy. The drive to her place was silent.

He walked her to her door and paused. “We’re off to New York tomorrow. Back Sunday. I’ll call you when I’m back”

She watched him walk back to his Jeep through a blur of tears.

“Is this you?”

Jennifer walked into Remi’s classroom during lunch period the next day, holding the newspaper.

Remi looked up from her sandwich and the spelling tests she was marking. “Is what me?”

“This.” Jennifer held out the newspaper and showed Remi the photograph.

Remi’s heart lurched. “Oh. My. Damn.”

The photograph was of her and Jase leaving the restaurant, Jase’s arm slung around her shoulders pulling her in for a hug, both of them smiling at each other. The caption read “Is one of Chicago’s most eligible bachelors off the market already?”

Remi stared at the photo, her breath stuck in her throat, the sandwich in her hand forgotten.

“Are you dating Jase Heller?” Jennifer asked.

“Um…” Jennifer was her boss. Was this going to cause a problem? “Not really. We’ve gone out a couple of times.” Was she supposed to tell Jennifer they were just having fun? Hot, sexy, no strings-attached fun?

“Well.” Jennifer grinned. “It’s a nice picture.”

Remi grimaced. Actually, it was a good picture. She looked kind of pretty, cheeks flushed, smiling at Jase, and of course Jase always looked good. Except the looks on their faces had an air of…intimacy. Like they were in love or something.

Ha. In lust was more like it.

She had to read the article, which to her dismay talked a lot about Jase and Brianne and how’d they only recently broke up—how recently?—and how they’d been such a stunning, elite Chicago couple, rich, beautiful, talented. Although what kind oftalent did it take to be a model? Then Remi frowned at her own snarky thoughts.

She buried her face in her hands. Once again, this was just another sign that she was in a world she had no business being in. She might as well have landed on another planet and started hanging out with space aliens for all the familiarity she had with paparazzi, publicity, money and models.

Only every other teacher on staff at Abraham Lincoln Middle School saw the newspaper that day and remarked on the photograph to Remi. By the end of the day she was shaking her head. What the hell had she’d gotten herself into by hooking up with a famous superstar hockey player?

Then came the phone calls from not only Jasmine, who’d moved back in with Ethan, but from Kyle, good lord, away at Illinois State, who’d somehow come across the photo on the internet.

“Don’t worry,” she assured each of them in turn. “I’ve only seen him a few times, it’s not serious.”

And then came the calls from Emily, Sarah and Delise. They arranged to all get together for pizza at Remi’s place on Saturday night. “I’ll tell you all about it then,” she told them.

Jase’s cell phone rang with the Sexy Chick ring tone that—dammit—he’d forgotten again to change. Brianne. Shit. He tossed down the clothes he was packing for the road trip.

He debated ignoring it, but then flipped open the phone to talk.

“Who’s the girl, Jase?” Brianne demanded immediately.

“What girl?”

“Didn’t you see the paper today?’

“Uh…no.”

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