Breaking the Ice (Timberwolves #1)

by Lizzy Ripp

  He was settling in and changing into his practice gear in the change room, lost in thought, when he heard a voice behind him.

  "Interesting weekend?"

  He almost jumped out of his skin and whirled to find Jonathan, smirking at him in amusement.

  "Bit wound up, bro?"

  "I'm not wound up," Yaro grumbled, turning back to his locker and starting the process of padding up. "I was just thinking."

  "I bet. You got something you want to tell me?" Jonathan asked, and Yaro turned back to find his face solemn.

  "Ah man, I didn't mean for it to come out like that," Yaro began, "I'm sorry, I just -"

  He was cut off by Jonathan giving him a shove on the shoulder and breaking into a big smile, the kind that made him look like a giant five-year-old.

  "I'm just screwing with you," he said, laughing and turning back to his locker to start gearing up.

  "Dick," Yaro said, smiling.

  "You really dating the girl upstairs though?" Jonathan asked, a glint of interest in his eyes.

  "It's uh - a little hard to pin that down right now."

  "Oh I bet it is," Jonathan grinned, waggling his eyebrows.

  "Dude."

  "I'm just saying."

  "Yeah."

  Fifteen minutes later, they were out on the ice and Yaro momentarily felt that sense of exhilaration he used to get as a child from whizzing around as fast as he could go. It rarely came to him after all this time, but every now and again he'd get a hint of it - and today, with so much extra energy to burn off, he found it coming to him easily. He slowed to a more even pace and let his mind wander. He was so lost in thought he didn't notice everyone else crowded around Jerry, who had already begun laying out the drills for the day's practice.

  Crap.

  "Nice of you to join us," Jerry said, his customary scowl in place even at this relatively early hour.

  "Least I could do," Yaro said. "Literally."

  Jerry ignored him and laid out a series of agility and speed drills on ice, to be followed, he dictated, by an hour-and-a-half of strength and agility in the gym. The usual. But today Yaro was glad for it. Anything to keep his mind off of her.

  Until of course, she came waltzing down to the rink looking... Well, mind-blowing, frankly.

  He has seen her "clean up" for big events before - but at work, she was usually all about the task at hand. Her blonde hair would be swept up in a ponytail, she'd be wearing her black-rimmed glasses and the professional attire that said, ‘This is my very first job out of college and I got this at H&M’.

  But today - today her blonde hair was down and gently curled, her makeup had been carefully done and the glasses were nowhere in sight. She was dressed professionally but playfully - the cut on her clothes were work-appropriate but the colors were eye-catching and the fit... Well. All that yoga was clearly paying dividends. And she was wearing heels - something he didn't think he'd ever seen her do before their disastrous night out at Blue Rock on Saturday. It was something he wouldn't mind seeing a whole lot more of. Clearing his throat, he looked down at his skates, ostensibly clearing the ice buildup off them, but keeping close watch on every move she made out of the corner of his eye.

  She looked him over coolly, but gave no hint of recognition, instead making her way straight to Jerry, leaning forward and saying something into his ear. Following this, the two of them glanced up at him briefly and Jerry gave a small nod before looking around at the rest of the team, still assembled before him, nearly all of them with their eyes glued to Julia.

  "Do you need my permission to go to the bathroom too? What are you waiting for? I gave you your instructions. Get going," he barked, and with no further push necessary, all the players skated off to begin agility drills. Yaro was about to join them when he heard, "Sharapova!" barked behind him.

  He turned back. "Coach."

  "Ms. Delroy requests a meeting with you after practice. You can cut out at gym as long as you finish the workouts before you leave for the day. I don't want her waiting around for you."

  "Yes, coach." With that, he turned off to join in the drills, Jonathan making an amused face at him whenever he caught his eye. It was going to be a long day.

  CHAPTER NINE

  LONG WAS RIGHT. Yaro was off his game nearly all day. His stick-work was all over the place, his passes were wide or short or just completely off the map, one even heading into the air and over the safety net to land somewhere around the third row of the empty bleachers. He got used to hearing his name interspersed with every colorful swear-word in as many languages as the team collectively possessed. He couldn't even be angry about it - he was so comically bad today that it was impressive.

  "Bro," Jonathan said, skidding to a stop before him, showering him in a small spray of shaved ice. "Whatever you did on the weekend, don't do it again. You're a mess."

  "You don't have to tell me," he muttered. "I think half the team wants to kill me. Jerry's about to have an aneurysm."

  "Half is generous," Jonathan shook his head. "You gotta get your head in the game."

  "I know," Yaro said, hackles finally beginning to rise. "I'll take care of it. Just having an ‘off’ day."

  Jonathan's expression clarified this as the understatement of the century, but he said nothing except, "Maybe you'll have better luck in conditioning."

  Luckily, this turned out to be the case. He was full of pent-up energy - frustration, eagerness to set the record straight, and of course, a desire to see her again. Or touch her again if it were remotely possible. It all combined to make conditioning in the gym, normally an exhausting and draining endeavor, a game to be sailed through with energy to spare. He felt like Popeye on a spinach high, floating through the routines with ease. Jonathan was beside him, gasping and cursing with effort in their umpteenth Tabata drill, shaking his head in amazement.

  "Afterwards, dripping with sweat, the two of them chugged water amidst a field of groaning men, splayed out all over the floor, Jerry on the bench, watching impassively.

  "Well now I don't know where I stand," Jonathan said in between gasps. "Super strong, but also super clumsy - she's got you all over the place."

  "I'm as surprised as you are," Yaro said, his heart going a million miles a minute and not just from the drills. Truth be told, he was counting down the minutes until he could explain. He'd gone over it in his head a million times since she'd left yesterday afternoon. He knew exactly what he was going to say - what was less clear was whether or not she'd listen.

  As the rest of the team headed off to the gym for strength training, Jerry motioned with his head to Yaro, indicating that he was excused. With a nod of his own back, Yaro trotted off to the shower, taking advantage of one last opportunity alone to rehearse his mea culpa. Of course, by the time he had actually showered, gotten himself somewhat presentable and headed up to Julia's office, most of what he'd intended to say had flown straight out the window and by the time he actually found himself outside her door, waiting for her to answer his knock, he felt like he probably couldn't have even answered with his own name if asked what it was.

  What was it about this girl that put him off his game like this?

  Just when he was about to turn and leave, figuring maybe he'd caught her in between meetings, the door flew open and Julia stood before him.

  For a moment the two of them simply stared at one another - but then Julia took up that air of cool detachment that was the universal indicator of "I'm still pissed at you and you should know that."

  "Yaro, come on it," she said, her tone aloof, standing aside and gesturing with her arm to her desk. Silently, he did as she requested, taking a seat in a chair clearly not designed for people his size and looking around him with interest. He'd only been in her office once before - a long time ago, and really only to discuss what charities he wanted to work with over the coming months - a meeting she held with all the players, and which he hadn't had much interest in participating in at the time. He hadn't been able to r
ecall a single thing about her office - but now, as he looked around him, he found traces of her everywhere.

  There were books on marketing and sports psychology lining the shelves, as well as pictures that had to have been with family. He saw a much younger Julia, beaming with gap-teeth amidst a sea of boys who could only have been her brothers, in various locations - but mostly at the hockey rink or out in nature. There were several pictures of her with her parents, both of whom looked outdoorsy and loving, their arms flung around their children, smiles on their faces, ruddied by chill weather. On her desk, there was one large photo of her with one of her brothers, staring at one another with ecstatic faces and laughing at some shared, secret joke. It was impossible not to smile at it.

  "Who's that?" He asked, indicating the picture. "Your favorite brother?"

  Julia's eyes widened for a moment, and he thought he saw a flash of some emotion - sadness or anger or some mixture of both - overtake her. But before he could be sure, it was gone, and a cool expression had settled back over her face.

  "Yes, one of my brothers," she said shortly. "Can we stick to business, please?"

  Yaro sighed. So that was how it was going to be apparently.

  "Look, Julia..."

  "I want to make it clear that I'm committed to making this work," she said loudly, cutting him off. "Much as it might be - awkward - right now, we both need each other. So I wanted to let you know that despite what happened," her face reddened furiously, in a way he found adorable - "I can still be a professional about this, and I want to make it work."

  She finished firmly, giving him a challenging look. You got a problem with that? it said, quite clearly.

  Yaro hesitated for a moment. "Okay, that's fine. But I just want to say that... It absolutely wasn't what it looked like. On the weekend, with Rhochelle."

  She was already rolling her eyes, making a small sound of derision and pursing her lips.

  "Really? Because what it looked like was you forgetting you had another fuck-buddy lined up for the day - one you conveniently forgot to mention at any point during our conversations both in a professional and a - a personal capacity," she stammered, clearly annoyed. "So, are you going to tell me that's NOT what happened?"

  "Okay, I mean - yes, that's exactly what happened but if you could just let me explain..."

  She rolled her eyes, gesturing for him to go on. "By all means."

  "Okay, so what I'm saying is this," Yaro went on. "It wasn't that I was trying to be... Deceptive or whatever about Rhochelle. I honestly forgot because she kind of just turns up when she feels like it. We have - had - a standing arrangement that she would keep sometimes and if she didn't it was no harm, no foul. She is just a friend - well, a friend with benefits - but that's it. She's a working girl if you catch my drift. Not that I ever - never mind," he shook his head. "The point is, it was just sex and she wasn't someone I felt would be an impediment to this relationship, so I didn't mention her. Okay? But for what it's worth, we decided to call it quits last night. So to speak. So you don't have to worry about that anymore."

  She cocked her head at him. "The only reason I'd be 'worried' about that is if it affected our little operation here. Aside from that, it's none of my business what you do with your free time."

  Yaro sighed, "Julia, come on. Yesterday was -"

  "Yesterday was a mistake," Julia said firmly. "We work together and I think it's for the best if we keep things professional. That means that we'll go along with things as usual for image's sake but other than that -", she shrugged her shoulders. "When the job is done, it's done. Do you understand?" She was looking him square in the eye now, her face earnest. Yaro felt a sinking in the pit of his stomach, and coughed to cover up his disappointment, shifting uncomfortably in the seat that was clearly built for some kind of doll and not a human being.

  "Yeah, okay," he shrugged. "If that's what you want, then... That's what we'll do I guess."

  "Good," she said after a beat. "I'm glad we can be... Civil about all of this. Anyway, we have the Beyond the Ice charity ball for you - us, I mean - lined up for Wednesday night in between the Detroit away game and Pens home game. I'll fly out beforehand. Does that work for you?"

  "Uh... Sure."

  "Great. Sorry about the late notice, but Jerry's finally given the go-ahead for it after sitting on it for about a month. For some reason," she rolled her eyes before going on, "I’m not sure if you know about it but Beyond the Ice is a national charity that focuses on depression in sports teams, especially in junior leagues. It's a really amazing organization and I've been trying to get the League behind it for years, so I'd appreciate it if you make a good impression.”

  "Sure..." he said slowly. He wanted an opportunity to try again, to make her look at him the way she had before, to wave his hand and have this strangeness between them melt away. But now wasn't his moment.

  "Was there anything else?" He asked at last, after an awkward moment of silence.

  She shook her head - too quickly and vigorously - and said, "Nope. That's it."

  "Okay." He got up and headed for the door. "I'll catch you on Wednesday then, I guess."

  "Yep," she walked him to the door, avoiding eye contact. "I've already emailed you your itinerary. We fly out at noon, so you'll have time to have a nap and settle in before the benefit. There's a packing list in it for wardrobe. I assume you can make your own way to the airport."

  "I don't know," Yaro said at the door. "I can be kind of clueless."

  A flicker of a smile crossed her face and she looked up into his eyes briefly as she closed the door. "You don't say."

  Then with a click, the door was between them and each on their own side exhaled deeply and went their separate ways.

  CHAPTER TEN

  "THAT'S THE STUPIDEST plan I've ever heard," Jonathan told him over the rim of his beer as the two of them sat enjoying a post-practice brew - the natural antidote to a three-hour workout and two-hour practice game - at their favorite sports bar, the Keg and Brew, just a few blocks from the stadium.

  Having just brought Jonathan up to speed with the events of the past week, Yaro had to concede that his friend might be right about that.

  "I mean - why is it even necessary anymore?" Jonathan asked. "The Internet's full of your 'local-white-boy-stands-up-to-racism' story... Your image is on the up without this stupid stunt."

  "First of all, I'm not a local any more than you are, and second, you know that wasn't the only incident. Remember there was the guy uptown who challenged me to a fist-fight and then cried when I won?"

  Jonathan grinned. "Of course I do, it was the highlight of my entire year."

  "Yeah, well. If he hadn't have been the mayor's son it might have been the highlight of mine, too," Yaro admitted with a small grin, taking a deep sip of his beer.

  "And then there was the chick who sold your pictures to the Herald..." Jonathan went on.

  "She was trying to blackmail me," Yaro shrugged. "A one-night-stand. What do I care? I said, 'Go ahead, hopefully they'll pay you more than you were after with me.' Probably not though," he grinned again.

  Jonathan shook his head. "Maybe it has been a colorful year for you. But is this really the way to fix it? A stupid... Fake relationship with the social media girl?"

  "Well, it was meant to be with Cassie West, but..."

  "Exqueeze me? Baking powder?" Jonathan asked, leaning forward and gulping down his current sip of beer. "As in Cassie West the actress? As in Cassie West the incredibly HOT actress?"

  "Yeah," Yaro took another sip of beer.

  "Why are you wasting time with Julia then!?"

  "I'm not wasting time with her. And for the record, Cassie West is 100% not my type."

  "She's everyone's type!" Jonathan shook his head, his mouth falling open. "She's a literal goddess. Have you - wait, have you actually met her in person?"

  "Yeah. She came in for a meeting and then we met briefly over the weekend but there were - uh... extenuating circumstances," Ya
ro said, wondering how he could possibly begin to explain that one.

  "She wanted some publicity for the next season of that show she's on... I can't remember the name, I've never seen it."

  "Wild Rovers", Jonathan said, rolling his eyes.

  "Right," Yaro nodded, "That's the one. Anyway, apparently they're setting her up with Torrence instead."

  "Torrence?" Jonathan echoed in outrage, his eyebrows leaping up to his hairline.

  "Yeah, Torrence. What's your problem?"

  "Why didn't anybody come to me with this?" Jonathan demanded.

  "Because your image hardly needs any boosting, Boy Scout - not since you literally rescued a cat from a tree for a little old lady," he snickered.

  "First of all, it was a fire escape, not a tree, and second of all, it wasn't a little old lady, it was my neighbor Pete, and it was his husband's dog, Tawny, and he was freaking out because he had prepared an anniversary dinner and lost track of the dog, and Tawny is Andrew's baby and he would have lost his mind if he found out Pete had let him get away and - okay, I get your point," Jonathan glowered under Yaro's stare.

  "It's still not fair though. Man, I'd give anything for a date with Cassie West," he said dreamily. "I cannot believe you turned that shit down."

  Yaro shrugged. "Like I said, not my type."

  "God," Jonathan shook his head. "Who do I talk to to get her off Torrence?"

  "Take it up with Christina, man, not with me."

  "Christina. The scary lady with the stilettos who always gets into the cougar juice on game night?"

  The corner of Yaro's mouth tugged upward. "That's the one. Though if you want a favor from her you might not wanna mention it."

  "Right, right," Jonathan drained the rest of his beer then and sprang up from his seat like he had a fire lit under him.