Chapter Three

Jesse

"Thought you"d changed your mind," Hal said as I get out of the car, stretching my legs from the longest journey. I'm looking forward to the next few days; a bit of rest and relaxation is just what I need.

"I"m sorry. I should have been here sooner." I say to Hal, as he answers the door. "I had a meeting with the team about strategies for next season." I follow Hal inside as he invites me in. "Man, I love it here. I"ve been here only twice but every time I come here, it"s like a new experience."

"Make yourself at home, buddy. Liv is making dinner."

"Liv? Wait. Your girlfriend is here?"

"Liv as in Olivia, my half-sister. You remember Olivia, right? You met her a long time ago but she was ..."

"Your baby sister?"

"Trust me, she"s not a baby anymore."

Olivia Torres ... I can"t remember the last time I saw her but she was still a little girl. How long was it? 20 years? Hal always talked about her fondly. She was the only one that he had any type of relationship with. The rest of his half-siblings treated him with grudging cordiality, just like his stepmom. Hal was the only child of his late mom and Mr. Alejandro Torres. Hal"s mom died when he was five, and his dad remarried Olivia"s mom 10 years later. Hal had an uneasy relationship with his stepmom, but he tried to maintain a relationship with his half siblings. Olivia was the only one who reciprocated right from when she was little ... and Hal loved her so much.

As I walk deeper into the cabin, I notice that the place seems to have been newly decorated. The fireplace beckons me to come closer and savor its warmth. I hear the clanging of pots and pans in the kitchen and look around for Olivia. I have no idea what she looks like now, as the last image I have of her is from her childhood.

Hal offers to show me to my bedroom. I follow him up the wooden stairs to a hallway with four doors. He points to the first one on the left and opens it.

He turns on the heater and drops my luggage. I take off my jacket and toss it onto the bed, kicking off my shoes.

"Thanks for inviting me here, Hal. You have no idea how much I needed this."

Hal sits on the bed and watches me unpack. "I figured you would want to come. It"s been a long time since we were up here."

"Tell me about it."

"Um..."

"Yeah?" I remove a few shirts from my bag and watch Hal closely. There appears to be something on his mind.

"Listen, I need a favor from you."

"Anything."

Hal looks at me. "My sister just got a job with Sportza ..."

"Sportza ... that big-shot sports magazine?"

"That's the one. Well, she's worked her ass off to get that job and she's been given her first proper assignment …" Hal stops and looks up at me with his big puppy doe eyes, his hands together as if in prayer. I get what he's asking me now, but he understands that I don't give interviews. I don't get why the public need to know the ins and outs of my life. Besides, the last interview I gave went well, until I read it in the tabloids and every word was twisted to make me look really bad.

"If you're asking me to give your little sister an interview, then forget it. You know how much I hate the press …"

"I understand. I really do, but Liv isn't like that. She'll even make sure you get to see the final version of the interview in black and white before it's published, I'm sure you can make an exception this one time. For me? Please?!"

Hal is practically begging me now, and it's getting a little weird. But I need to stick to my guns.

"Hal you know I hate sensationalism and press attention. If I grant her this exclusive then the other media houses will come breathing down my neck."

"See it as a personal favor to me. I"ve never asked you for anything before, have I?"

I sigh deeply then take a deep breath.

"Fine Hal. Fine. I'll do it."

"You're amazing and you won't regret it!"

"Dinner is ready Hal!" A sweet female voice calls up the stairs.

"Is that her?" I say with a smile.

"Yep ... let"s go. All that begging has made me one hungry man," Hal says with a mischievous laugh. I playfully punch him on his arm before the two of us walk downstairs into the dining room.

A young woman, who looks to be in her early twenties, is bent over the large dining table. Her long black hair reaches to her tiny waist.

Whoa.

She turns to greet us with the most amazing smile I have ever seen. I feel like I've been hit with a bat. She is gorgeous! She shares some of Hal"s features like his full dark eyebrows. The brows perfectly complement her large almond eyes. Her lips are small but plump and pink ... I find myself staring at her lips wondering what they might taste like. Do they feel as soft as they look …

Hal punches her playfully in her upper arm and her eyes turn to me. I smile at her but she looks straight at me, reluctant curiosity written all over her face.

"Jesse, meet my sister Olivia. Olivia this is Jesse Edison. Captain of the New York Giants, and my best friend."

I smile and extend my hand. "It"s nice to meet you, Olivia. I doubt you even remember me. The last time I saw you was years ago and you were so little then. You've changed so much since I last saw you …"

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Edison ... I …"

"Please. Call me Jesse."

"Jesse ..."

Her eyes are so beautiful I find myself getting lost in them and I lose my train of thought. I stand there, just standing and staring at her whilst Hal continues talking—about what, I'm not entirely sure. The way she looks at me fascinates me. It's almost with … disdain. Usually, women are giddy with admiration but there wasn"t any sign of that from Olivia. I find it slightly unsettling, and yet intriguing. I want to get to know this woman more. Find out what makes her tick.

I wonder what she's thinking.

"Can we eat now?" Hal says, looking from me to her.

I study her throughout dinner as she and Hal reminisce about their time in the cabin over the years. I wish I could pry my eyes away, but I find myself staring at her. As they talk, she laughs and it fills the room. It's a wonderful musical sound. I don't think I've ever heard such a beautiful sound before and I yearn to hear it again and again. As she chats, she involuntarily plays with her hair and tucks it behind one ear. Her cheeks flush with the wine and heat from the fire. And she"s so articulate, bright and intelligent for her age. How old did Hal say she was again? 20? My God, she makes me feel alive.

She stands up now and begins tidying the plates away. Maybe if I offer to wash the dishes, I could spend more time with her in the kitchen.

"Hi!" she says, as she catches me watching her from the entrance of the kitchen.

"Hi. Do you mind if I help clean up. I can wash."

"Sounds good. Thanks."

I begin washing the dirty plates and cutlery. Meanwhile Hal is in the lounge watching TV.

"So, Jesse ... I've been meaning to ask you something since you got here …"

"Sure. What"s up?"

"I work at Sportza … and … well …"

God, she's even more fucking gorgeous when she's nervous, biting her bottom lip like that. Wait. Am I making her nervous?

"Well, the truth is I … Sportza … would like to interview you. We"re writing an article on the biggest sports stars and we"ve covered several in different sports. You"re the best in basketball and we would like people to get to know the real you better. You don"t mind, do you?"

"I don't mind if you'd like to get to know me better, Olivia."

"Well, it's for the magazine. Sportza." And her walls are back up again.

"Yes. Sportza. Sure."

Olivia frowns at me. She knows I'm getting to her.

"Look, Hal already told me. It's no big secret that I"m not one for interviews and all that. There"s a reason I don"t give the press anything."

"But that"s why there are so many crazy things out there about you!" She looks at me earnestly now. "Don"t you want people to find out the truth about Jesse Edison?"

"Honestly? I don"t care what people think of me."

But I do care about what you think …

I step closer to her, I can almost feel her body heat on my skin. "The people I care about know who I am and that"s all that matters. And if those I care about don't know yet, then it's my job to make that right."

I stop talking and stare down at her, a beat or two passes between us. Her mouth opens to say something and then closes. That wasn"t what she expected to hear. I hate interviews but, for her, I"ll make an exception. Besides, it"ll give me time to get to know her better.

"We can start tomorrow," I say as she turns to leave.

"Really?"

"Yes. I"ll grant you an interview, but it"ll be on my terms."

"What terms?" She says, raising an eyebrow.

"I"ll let you know soon enough."

"You have to tell me now so I know if it"s something I can do. Or something ridiculous."

"Olivia, I won"t ask you to do anything ridiculous. Trust me … Those are my terms, Miss Torres." I smile at her. This will give me ample time to spend with her. Let"s see what"s beneath that beautiful harsh exterior.