Love Game

Jason thought for a second and then his eyes lit up. “You could stay in the guest house! Yes! We can set up a little studio for you. A yoga area…anything you need.”

Now a sliver of unease settled into my gut. “You want me to live with Kai? Alone?”

“There’s an entire staff—gardener, housekeeper, personal cook, and his practice partner will be there. Publicists and physios, in and out. You won’t be alone. And I assure you, as much as Kai can be an insufferable bastard on the court, he’s a good man at heart.”

That was evident in the video—how Kai’s face lit up with genuine happiness when he horsed around with kids. I bit my lip.

“I’m not sure I can take that much time off here,” I said. “I might not have a job when I get back.”

“We are prepared to compensate you for your time,” Jason said. “How does ten thousand sound?”

I stared. “Ten thousand…what?”

Jason chuckled. “Dollars, my dear. Per week.”

“Per…?”

“Week. Yes. Fair?”

I kept staring. My head was spinning. Twenty thousand dollars. With twenty thousand, I could pay off some of my old student loans and have enough left over to take care of myself. To do enough Reiki to get rid of my fear of the dark once and for all.

“Yeah, that’s… fair. I’ll have to call Melanie though. I can’t just leave.”

“Fantastic!” Jason said. “You have no idea how hopeful this makes me. And if Kai hates it, at least I can say I tried literally everything.”

“But Mr. Lemieux…” I said, my hopes deflating, crushed by reality. “There are other specialists here more experienced than me. As much as I’d love to take you up on your offer, twenty thousand is a lot of money for…well, a receptionist.”

He gave me a kind smile. “Kai doesn’t have to know that.”

“But I know that. I’d hate to let you down.”

“I’m one of the best sports agents in the business,” Jason said. “You want to know why? Because I get feelings about people. I can sniff out their potential even before they do.” He slid his business card across the desk and headed for the door. “Think about it and give me a call. Today, preferably.”

“Right. Okay then,” I said, watching him go, feeling as if I’d woken from that terrible break-in nightmare and straight into a dream.

Slow down. You might fail spectacularly. Kai might reject everything you try to do. You’d be taking twenty grand you didn’t earn.

But I wanted to try. Not only for my bank account but for Kai. I’d been attracted to the healing arts to alleviate pain. And Kai was in pain. It was obvious, even in a YouTube video.

This crazy offer might be the best thing for both of us.

I sucked in a breath and ran out to the parking lot where Jason was about to climb into a rented Mercedes that gleamed silver in the Hawaiian sun.

“I’ll do it,” I said.

Jason beamed wide. “You’ve made my day, Miss Watson.”

“But if I’m going to live in the guest house, I have one condition. Non-negotiable. The deal-breaker.”

“Name it.”

“Keanu comes with me.”

Kai

“You did what?”

I whacked the ball coming at me from my practice partner so hard it sailed into the green foliage surrounding the tennis court and disappeared.