Page 9 of The Hockey Contract

"Research?" I scoffed. "You mean he dug into my private financial information? That's invasive and inappropriate."

"It's public record," Jax replied evenly. "The foreclosure notice, the loan."

"That doesn't make it okay to investigate me." I stood up, anger flaring. "You don't know me. You don't know anything about what this bakery means to me or what I've been through trying to keep it afloat."

He shifted closer, his presence suddenly filling the small office. "You're right. I don't know you. But I'm offering a solution to your problem."

"A solution that involves lying to everyone and entering a fake marriage with a stranger."

"A business arrangement," he corrected. "With clear terms and mutual benefits."

He reached out a hand, seemingly intending to emphasize his point, but hesitated, his fingers hovering near my arm. I looked down at his hand, then back to his face, suddenly acutely aware of his physical presence, his height, the breadth of his shoulders, the intensity of his eyes. Something shifted in the air between us, a strange electric current that made my skin prickle with unwanted awareness.

Jax dropped his hand abruptly, breaking the moment. "Think about it," he said, his voice rougher than before. "This could save your bakery."

"I need you to leave," I said firmly, still unsettled by whatever had just passed between us. "I can't even process this right now."

He nodded once, reaching into his pocket to pull out a business card. "My number. Call me if you want to discuss this further."

After he left, I sat alone in my office, staring at his card for what felt like hours. The idea was preposterous. Marry Jax? Live in his house? Pretend to be in love with him? It was the plot of a bad romance novel, not a solution to my very real problems.

And yet...

I spread out the foreclosure notice beside the latest loan rejection letter. The numbers didn't lie. I had tried everything, additional loans, payment restructuring, even approaching private investors. Nothing had worked. In three months, Grandma Rose's Bakehouse would be gone, and with it, my family's legacy and my own dreams.

Jax's offer was outrageous. Unethical, even. But it would save the bakery.

I picked up his business card again, turning it over in my fingers. The choice before me was impossible: my integrity or my grandmother's legacy. My pride or her dream.

When I finally closed the bakery that night, I was no closer to a decision. But as I sat at my kitchen table at home, spreadsheets and rejection letters spread before me, I found my gaze repeatedly drawn to Jax's card.

Three months of my life for generations of family history. A temporary lie for a permanent solution.

Chapter 4: Jax

I left the bakery frustrated but not surprised by Sienna's reaction. In her position, I'd probably have had the same response, suspicion, anger at the invasion of privacy, and outright dismissal of such an outlandish proposal.

Leo was waiting in his car across the street, fiddling with his phone. He looked up eagerly as I slid into the passenger seat.

"Well? Is she in?"

"No," I said flatly. "She's not in. She thinks we're insane, and she's probably right."

Leo's face fell. "Damn. I really thought she'd go for it, given her financial situation."

"Maybe she has more integrity than we gave her credit for," I replied, staring out the window at the bakery's vintage sign. "Not everyone's willing to compromise their principles for money."

"Says the man who agreed to a fake marriage for an endorsement deal." Leo grinned, softening the jab. "Look, don't give up yet. She'll think about it. Once the initial shock wears off, she'll see it makes sense."

"I'm not sure I want her to," I admitted. "The whole thing is starting to feel wrong."

Leo shot me a disbelieving look. "You're backing out? After all my brilliant machinations?"

"I'm not backing out. I'm just saying maybe this isn't the right approach."

"Well, unless you develop a warm, fuzzy personality in the next three months, I don't see many alternatives," Leo pointed out as he pulled away from the curb. "Think about it, Jax. This could solve both your problems."

I remained silent for the drive to practice, my mind still on Sienna's expression when she'd realized how much we knew about her situation. The flash of vulnerability beneath her anger had affected me more than I wanted to admit.

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