by Lynn Rush
Just me.
“Brodie,” she whispered, her hand resting on my chest.
The warmth of her touch seeped through my shirt, sizzling everything inside me. I had no business standing this close to her. I’d sworn off drama. Coach said no fraternizing. And she was going to leave as soon as she got on a figure skating team. I didn’t need that kind of heartache.
Yet I found myself stepping closer to her. To her warmth. “You’re really pretty,” I said.
“Hey, Brodie!” Preach’s voice ripped through the hallway, and I pushed off the wall, instantly missing Willow’s warmth.
Preach came around the corner and skidded to a stop. “Just the two I was looking for.”
“What’s up?” Willow straightened and took a sip of her soda.
“Air hockey!” He pumped his fist. “You two against me and Nathaniel.”
“Be there in a second,” I said, my heart drumming against my rib cage. I couldn’t believe I’d told her she was pretty. What was I thinking? It was the honest truth, but still, I needed to back the hell away from the captivating Willow Covington.
Preach grinned and hustled away, yelling, “Nathaniel, get over here!”
I chuckled, then glanced back at Willow. “I got you something.”
“What?”
I pulled the gift card out of my pocket. “Since I haven’t been able to actually take you out for the coffee I owe you, I got you this.”
“Coffee Cabin?” She held up the card.
“I owe you, remember?” I winked.
“Yeah, you do.” She grinned and smacked my chest lightly, and I snatched her hand.
“There’s that smile,” I said. “I like that smile.”
“Thanks, Brodie. For everything. All the training…” She held up the card. “I owe you lots.”
“Americanos are my favorite.” I tugged her hand gently to get her to follow me, then let it go. “Let’s go kick some air hockey ass.”
She followed me into Preach’s four-season room. As usual, dog toys were scattered everywhere and clumps of fur mashed into a large cushion on the floor. His family had two great Danes. They were around somewhere, probably eating pizza or drinking soda out of someone’s cup. The place was messy, but it was familiar. Like a second home.
“You’re going down.” Nathaniel stood tall and pointed at me as he bellowed. “Let’s go!”
“You any good?” I asked as Willow and I went around the table to our side.
“Don’t worry, I can hold my own. We had these and foosball tables at my training facility in Colorado. After my injury, if I wasn’t rehabbing or at home with my host family, this was all I did in my spare time.”
I laughed and pointed at Preach. “Oh, you guys are in so much trouble!”
Preach looked at me as if I’d sprouted a second head, but I just grinned.
“I’ll take the left side,” Willow said, setting up. She clearly knew what she was doing.
“Ladies first,” Preach said, handing Willow the puck.
“Hah, Brodie can serve first,” she said. “Best to let the weaker player start.”
“Ohhhh.” Nathaniel covered his mouth with one hand and then pointed at me with another. “Spitfire you got over there, Wind.”
I hip-checked Willow, and she laughed, then I served it up.
As soon as the plastic disk hit the table, everyone else in the room faded away. The clapping and laughing morphed into white noise.
It was just me and the puck. Well, and Willow, defending the left side of the table.
She jumped right in and hammered the first two goals past Preach and Nathaniel in back-to-back fashion.
Preach answered her last goal with a hit so hard, it bounced off the sides of the table four times before sliding into our goal.
“That’s my boy.” Nathaniel pointed at Preach, then nodded.
“Nice one, Toe Pick,” I said, leaning into her. Tingles shot down my spine as my forearm brushed against hers.
“Totally your bad,” she said, then stuck her tongue out at me.
The next point went on for an eternity before I finally slid one by Preach.
“Three to one,” Teddy shouted from the front of the table. “The weak one scores!”
“Yeah, Puck Head,” Willow said.
“Ice Princess.” I jabbed her with an elbow, then looked up at Preach. “Are you going to serve it this century?”
He dropped the puck, and before I could even move my mallet, he shot the disc across the table. It sailed into the back of my goal with an audible click.
“Dang, Preach. All-star status over there,” Willow said.
“Whose team are you on, Toe Pick?” I said, reaching for the disc.
I served up the puck so hard, it bounced off Nathaniel and Preach’s side and rebounded directly into our goal.
“Damn it!”
“Own goal.” Preach high-fived Nathaniel. “All tied up.”
“Weak link.” Willow laughed. “Just sayin’.”
“Not only can she defend the goal, she can shut Brodie ‘Wind’ Windom up!” Nathaniel pointed at me.
I served up the puck, and we battled down to the wire.
“We only need one more score,” Willow turned to me and said.
“We got this.”
Preach dropped the puck, and it fired toward my side. I smacked it, and the thing zig-zagged across the table. Preach went to block it, but it blew by his paddle.
“Yes!” I tossed the paddle onto the table and scooped Willow up into my arms.
She curled her arm around my neck, then held up her free arm in victory. I hoisted her into my arms and raised my arm up as well.
“Damn it!” Nathaniel tossed his paddle and shoved Preach. “Dude. We choked.”
“Yes. Yes, you did!” I yelled at Preach as Willow slid down my body.
The feel of her against me sent a shockwave straight down my spine. I dropped her and jumped back. Letting out a whoop, I gave her a high-five, hoping she couldn’t tell what her body had done to mine.
Damn, this girl is dangerous.
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
Willow
My worst nightmares had come true. I was back-to-school shopping instead of skating on an Olympic training team.
“Do you like this one?” Jessa frowned and bit her lip as she held up a flowery romper against her body.
At least I was hanging out with my best friend. It’d been a little over five weeks since I’d gotten cut by the skating team, and most of my so-called friends out in Colorado had dropped me like last year’s skating costumes.
“It’s cute.” I nodded at Jessa. “You should get it.”
Of all my skater friends, Aaliyah was the only one who texted me once in a while. No texts, calls, or even likes on my Instagram posts. Not that I posted many new pictures. I’d stuck to throwbacks of competitions or pictures of me and Jessa. No need to let anyone else know I was still struggling to recover from my injury.
School shoppers packed the store aisles. Moms trying to wrangle little kids and preteens rolling their eyes as they passed by clothing they deemed uncool. We had to drive almost an hour to get here.
Back in Colorado, there were loads of stores within a ten-minute radius. Not that it mattered. I couldn’t afford to buy anything new anyways.
She flipped the hanger and held it against me. “I think it would look better on you. You should totally try it on.”
“I’m good.”
My phone vibrated, so I pulled it out of my back pocket.
UNKNOWN: Hey, it’s Matthew from the Vikings.
“No freaking way.” A streak of heat shot through my chest, and my cheeks instantly flamed hot as I showed Jessa my phone.
“Whoa!” Her gray eyes widened as she reached for
my phone. “What is he doing texting you? Omygosh, he sent another.”
UNKNOWN: Look. I’m sorry. I was a total jerk to you at the game.
“What do I do?” I all but squealed. I kind of wanted to block his ass, because he was a jerk. But here he was texting me? Apologizing? I wasn’t sure what to think of that.
UNKNOWN: You’re a good goalie. Do you forgive me?
I stared at the screen, my blood pumping through my body like a raging river.
ME: I don’t tend to hold grudges.
UNKNOWN: Oh, good! I’ll be in Woodhaven tomorrow. Wanna grab coffee?
“Dude. He just asked me out, I think,” I said, showing Jessa.
My heart hammered in my chest, but whether it was from nerves or excitement, I wasn’t sure.
“He sure did.” Her voice cracked, and she jumped up and down. “Oh, wait. He’s Twin River. You can’t date him.”
“I’m not going to date anyone, Twin River or Woodhaven.”
She slouched. “You wanna get out of here that bad, huh?”
“No. No.” I reached over the cart and rested my hand on her shoulder. “It’s not that. I just…I plan to get back to competing. I can’t do that from here.”
“Maybe you should just play hockey? Or…better yet, do both. Can you do that?”
I grinned. “You’re so sweet. No. I can’t. I…don’t want to. I want to skate.”
And I did. Sure, I was loving being part of a team, it was a different experience and actually it was pretty nice not having everything rest on my shoulders alone to do it all perfectly. But still.
UNKNOWN: Or not. I just thought maybe if you were up to it. I really am sorry.
ME: It’s all good.
ME: Just shopping with Jessa.
UNKNOWN: Phew!
UNKNOWN: I thought you were ignoring me.
UNKNOWN: ((laughing emoji))
ME: Nope!
ME: Thanks for the invite, but I can’t meet up with you tomorrow.
ME: I’m busy!
UNKNOWN: Next time.
My fingers started shaking as they hovered over the phone.
ME: Okay.
I slid the phone into my pocket again and faced Jessa. “That was weird.”
“Matthew is cute, though.” Jessa tossed the romper into her cart.
“Yeah.” But not as cute as Brodie. Dang it. I did not just think that. “Back to us. This is our day. What’s next?”
Jessa let go of the cart and yanked me into her arms.
“What was that for?” I asked, hugging her back.
“I’m just so excited to be going to the same school with my bestie again!”
My stomach cramped at Jessa’s excitement. While I was glad to be here with her, I was also struggling with the idea of not being out in Colorado, training for the Olympics.
“Preach told me that he and Wind are staying in town for their few days off from practice before school starts.” Jessa grabbed a folded tank top and plopped it in the cart. “He asked if we wanted to hang this weekend.”
I rolled my eyes, feigning disinterest. After that air hockey game at the party, specifically that wicked hot hug Brodie had given me…no. I needed to steer clear of him.
He ignited way too many warm, tingling feelings I didn’t need to be dealing with right now.
“You want me to hang out with Wind outside of hockey practice? On purpose?”
“Come on,” Jessa pleaded, pressing her hands together in front of her, like she was praying. “It’s the last weekend before school, and you’re not bogged down with hockey practice. We need to have some fun!”
It would be pretty fun seeing Brodie in a setting other than hockey or training. Though our training sessions were pretty hot. Literally and figuratively. That sweaty, sexy body of his—I shook my head, bringing myself back to the moment.
“Fine. Whatever you want to do, I’m in.”
“Yes!” She scurried around the cart and gave me a hug.
My phone buzzed again, so I pulled it out.
BRODIE: Bar Down
I huffed, and Jessa looked at me. “Matthew texting you again?”
“No. Brodie. He’s testing me with hockey vocabulary.” I shook my head as a smile tugged at my lips. “He’s such a dork.”
BRODIE: Don’t know it? You owe me coffee.
ME: I know it.
ME: Relax. I’m shopping.
BRODIE: ((bored emoji)) Best not be googling it, Toe Pick.
ME: Bar down: when the puck goes in the net off the bottom of the crossbar.
BRODIE: Sauce.
ME: A pass that leaves the ice.
ME: To make it harder for someone to intercept.
“Yes! I so nailed that one.”
Jessa laughed beside me and leaned over. “Dang, he really is quizzing you.”
BRODIE: Nice. Have fun shopping.
BRODIE: I owe you coffee.
ME: Damn straight.
ME: ((trophy emoji))
“Coffee, huh?” Jessa asked, her left eyebrow quirking up.
“If he stumps me, I owe him coffee. If I get them right, he owes me coffee.” I smiled. “I think he really likes coffee.”
“Oh, he definitely likes something.” Jessa laughed.
“It’s not like that, Jessa. He’s uber-competitive and knows I can help the team win.”
“Sure,” she said with a wink.
“Hey, I’m curious.” I pushed the cart to the side of the aisle. “How’d his mom pass away?”
“Terrible car accident almost two years ago. A drunk driver rammed into her, sent her over the edge into a lake.”
“Oh my gosh.” My stomach churned, and I clutched my chest. “She drowned?”
Jessa sagged against the cart and let out a sigh. “They say she died from the crash. It was bad. The driver is in jail for, like, ever.”
“I can’t believe it. That’s really sad.” My heart sank. I couldn’t even begin to fathom losing my mom. Even though she hadn’t been around much lately, I loved her with all of my heart. Losing her would be completely devastating.
“Don’t tell him that I told you this, but he has a little brother who’s sick. He’s got terrible asthma that’s always acting up. After they lost his mom, Wind took over taking care of him.”
I frowned as we walked over to a new rack of dresses and halter tops. So he was captain of the hockey team, he had all of us to deal with, and on top of that, he had his brother and school to take care of. “What about his dad?”
“He’s at work, like, twenty-four seven.” Jessa shook her head. “Haven’t seen much of him at anything since Brodie’s mom died.”
I never would have guessed Brodie had all that going on. How did he do it?
“Thanks for telling me.” I let out a breath, still reeling from what I’d learned. “Um…you ready to head out?”
“Hey! Hey, that’s her!” A little girl with fire-red pigtails tugged an older boy behind her in my direction. “Are you the goalie for the Falcons?”
“Um, yeah. I mean, yes, I am.” This was so weird. Even when I was winning championships, it was rare that people recognized me off the ice.
“It’s sooo cool that you made the team. You’re the first girl ever to do that!” She clapped her hands together and jumped up and down, then glanced up at the skinny boy beside her. “This is my brother. He thinks you’re awesome, too.”
I took a deep breath as a massive smile crossed my face.
A bright shade of red colored his light-skinned cheeks as he shrugged. “I play goalie, too. Brodie coached me last year.”
“That’s awesome. He’s a good coach,” I said. “He’s been helping me, too.”
“One day, I want to be on the Falcons and beat Twin River just like you!” the little
girl said. “I can’t believe we’re standing here with the Willow Covington!”
“Come on, dork, Mom’s looking for us,” the boy said as he dragged the girl away. “It was really cool meeting you.”
“Great to meet the both of you, too.”
I watched after them, frozen in place and totally out of breath. Talk about a rush. And that little girl. She was so cute.
“Would you look at that? I’m shopping with a hero.” Jessa smiled and wiggled her eyebrows at me.
“Whew.” I fanned my hot face. “That was…pretty cool.”
“The town does love its hockey.” Jessa chuckled as she guided us toward the checkout lanes.
The thought of Brodie losing his mom like he had jumped back into my thoughts. While I couldn’t relate to losing a parent, I could relate to a parent working around the clock and being gone at a job out of town for months at a time.
Dad was gone from eight in the morning until eight at night, driving around and stocking stores in nearby counties with bread and other baked goods. Most weeks, he worked Monday through Saturday, only having the day off on Sunday.
But the thought of never seeing one of them again…it made my chest ache.
We pulled up to the line for one of the checkouts, and I reached down and rubbed the back of my heel. Per usual, it was sore.
“How is it?” Jessa asked.
“Not great.” My Achilles tendon sure was angry about my most recent attempt at landing a Salchow.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get it back.”
“Totally.” A ping of doubt stabbed at my chest. What if I didn’t? I was getting stronger and stronger every day, but what if…
No. I would be landing all my jumps by December and starting to send out some videos to coaches and hopefully nailing a tryout to get on a team. Level assessments were in January.
Figure skating was my future.
Nothing would ever change that.
CHAPTER
TWENTY
Willow
MATTHEW: How’s day one at WH going?
ME: WH?
ME: The White House?
MATTHEW: Woodhaven High
MATTHEW: ((three laughing so hard they’re crying emojis))