Worrying my lower lip between my teeth, I tried to think of what I could say to smooth things over. “That’s… good.” I didn’t sound entirely convinced.
But I did trust Will. And I’d been right to do so: he obviously cared about keeping Vega safe, just like I would do. I sniffed, reaching up to rub my nose. “Sorry. I should probably have asked before now or not at all,” I apologized.
Will looked genuinely frightened briefly, perhaps assuming that there might be tears involved. But if he was, he seemed to shake that thought out of his head. “It’s cool, I don’t mind you asking,” he told me, a small frown settling against his brow.
“What’s... this about?” he asked. “Are you worried that... I don’t even really know. That something will happen to Vega? I promise, I keep a close eye on her.” The assurance made me feel even worse. Of course he did, I shouldn’t have even questioned it!
Fucking Harlan and getting in my head.
Regret crawled through me, making me wish I’d never brought this up. Especially when I was supposed to be asking Will about dating.
“I’m not worried,” I assured. “I know how good you are with Teddy. I just…” It was stupid. I saw that now. But Will deserved an explanation.
Steeling myself, I took a sip of my juice. “My ex pointed out to me that I didn’t even ask if you were going to keep an eye on her,” I said. “I assumed you would. And maybe that was, I don’t know, naive? Too trusting?”
“Oh,” Will said. If the fact that it had been Harlan who I had spoken to surprised him, I couldn’t really tell. Whatever flashed across his face was gone too quickly for me to identify. “I don’t think you’re naive,” he told me gently. “But I also think it’s okay to worry. We don’t know each other well.” Having him assure me of it, telling me I wasn’t being foolish, it made me smile.
Will looked like he was about to take a step closer but then changed his mind. Instead, he shook his head. “I promise that all Vega and I do is run. You’re welcome to join us on a run if you’d like.” The last bit was said teasingly, since we might not know each other well, but Will did know I was not going to run anywhere.
I laughed, the strong surge of regret ebbing. I liked Will. I liked that he kept surprising me with the depth of his personality. I wanted to get to know more about him, and that did mean taking a risk.
“No, I don’t want to join you on a run,” I answered honestly. “I’d only slow you both down.” I’d watched Will run off with Vega, his pace was more than I could have handled. “But would you like to join me for something else?” I asked. “Dinner sometime, maybe?”
We’d already had lunch together. But dinner was much more like a date.
This time, the flash of surprise was definitely there. And then it was replaced by a frown. Before Will had even answered, I knew what the answer was. My stomach dropped.
“I’m sorry, Lacey, I don’t... I’m not looking to date someone,” he told me honestly. At least he wasn’t pretending that he didn’t understand what I meant. And he was answering the question I hadn’t asked. It sucked and made me feel a bit awkward for asking, but at least now I knew.
It was disappointing, but I made the effort to smile. “That’s too bad,” I said, giving a slight shake of my head. I had hoped that maybe Will was interested…
And I was sure he did look at me sometimes as if he were. But maybe it was only physical. I wondered whether I should ask why, or if that would just be uncomfortable. I didn’t want to put Will on the spot and force him to come up with a reason he didn’t want to date me.
“I think you’re missing out,” I said, trying to sound teasing. “I don’t mean on me. Though, obviously, that too.” I grinned. I was a great girlfriend. But that wasn’t really what I was getting at. “Dating is fun.”
Despite my attempt to lighten the mood, Will still looked a bit awkward. “Yeah, I don’t think so,” he shrugged. “Seems like a waste of time.” That made me frown. How could anyone think that dating was a waste of time? It was fun. Getting to know someone, spending time with them, those were exciting things.
Then again, I had also been confused about how anyone could not be romantic. Or not want to be romantic. Perhaps Will and I really were just too different. It wasn’t something I wanted to focus on but it did make me feel better about his rejection.
I wanted to know more. But I figured that now was probably not the right time. Any questions I asked about why Will thought dating was a waste of time would seem like I was pressuring him to give dating me a try. That wasn’t what I wanted to convey.
If I asked him later, once this conversation was safely in the past, then maybe I could learn about what made Will tick.
“Alright, I think we should be able to drill some new holes now,” I said, returning my attention to the reason I was there. “Do you want to watch while I set up the first bracket, and then I can help you do the second one?”
Will seemed grateful for the change in track. And I did my best to put my disappointment out of my mind. If Will didn’t want to date, he didn’t want to date. But that didn’t mean we couldn’t try to be friends.
Friends who were attracted to each other. Or at least, I was attracted to Will. And I still felt sparks fly between when he looked at me sometimes. I’d have to do my best to ignore that.
And ignore the way my stomach fluttered at the thought of spending time with him.
But that would be possible, I was sure. It might not be easy. But a thing worth doing is a thing worth doing well.
Chapter Nine
Will
Putting Lacey’s question out of my mind turned out to be pretty difficult. And I tried. The way she’d asked me if I wanted to get dinner kept repeating in my head. As did the way I’d told her I didn’t.
Was it stupid? Probably. But on the other hand... dating wasn’t me. Inevitably it would lead to us arguing and being unhappy. I liked Lacey too much to do that to her. She was nice. And yeah, admittedly, she did seem to make my heart beat harder every time I saw her, but that would pass, right? Right?
Thankfully, there was something that distracted me from thinking about Lacey - I had a doctor’s appointment.
Not getting my expectations up was almost as hard as not thinking about Lacey. I desperately hoped that this meeting would lead to me being cleared to go on the ice. Over the past six or so months, I’d gotten to know our team doctor pretty well. He was nice and helpful, but at the same time, I couldn’t help the dread I felt every time I went to see him.
“So, Doc, is it going to be good news today?” I asked, dropping in the chair across from him.
He smiled, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. One thing I had learned over the past six months was that progress that seemed frustratingly slow to me could still be viewed as ‘good’ news in medical terms.
“I think, for once, I might actually be able to tell you something that pleases you, Will,” Dr. Rhys answered. My heart did a little quickstep, leaping up in my chest before I tried to force it to settle back down.
Dr. Rhys’ smile only widened. “I’m prepared to clear you to skate,” he announced. “But there are some conditions.”
My eyes must have gone comically wide because the doc laughed. “Really?” I asked, trying hard to stop the way my heart beat at the news with excitement. “I mean, yeah, sure, what conditions?” I assumed it would involve starting slow and I might be allowed to re-join training but wait for games but... I could skate again!
“Does the coach know? Can I start tomorrow?” Today’s training was already over but tomorrow was fine, too. I could wait a day, I’d waited half a year!
“Yes, really,” he promised. “I know better than to joke with a professional athlete over something like this.” Yeah, that was fair. Dr. Rhys had clearly been around for a while, he’d had plenty of time to learn about how seriously NHL players took their ability to skate.
He opened up a folder, presumably of notes on my progress so far. “You�
�ll have to start with no-contact,” he informed me seriously. “I don’t want anyone checking you into the boards for at least another month. Maybe two.”
Two months of no-contact meant I wouldn’t be allowed to play in games but I would be allowed onto ice, I’d be able to play with the guys. That was definitely better than nothing. It still sucked that I’d have to wait so long to play a game, but two months was less than what I’d waited already.
“Cool!” I nodded. “Sure, no-contact.” As much as I wanted to argue that I was fine, only one of us had a medical degree, so I had to take Dr. Rhys’ word for it. “And the coach?” I repeated since he hadn’t answered the first time.
Dr. Rhys nodded. “Yes, I called him this morning to let him know the good news,” he agreed. “As far as I’m concerned, you can get on the ice this afternoon, if you really want to.” From the twinkle in Doc’s eyes, I guessed he knew exactly how much I wanted to.
“Just… don’t do anything stupid,” he warned me. “I know you might want to blow off some steam after you’ve been cooped up for six months, but if you fall on that shoulder, it could set your recovery back weeks.”
“Right, no falling.” I nodded. Dr. Rhys gave me a look that clearly implied that was not what he’d meant but I just grinned. “Thanks, doc,” I said, standing up and holding my hand out for him to shake. “I really appreciate the help.” And, of course, I did. I wanted to recover and play many more seasons.
Just the thought that I could go on the ice today was thrilling! Once I’d left the office I headed for the changing rooms. No one was there. The guys had gone home after their practise.
I could text someone. I thought about getting Luke to come over to skate with me. He definitely would. Yet, when I pulled out my phone, it wasn’t Luke’s name I typed in. Before I knew it, I was texting Lacey.
‘Hey,’ the text read, probably awkwardly. God, why did everything I ever say to her sound so awkward? ‘If you’re free, do you want to come meet me at the rink? I have a surprise that might cheer you up.’
It wasn’t that Lacey had been sad. Last we’d seen each other, she had seemed worried. I tried not to think about how it was her ex who’d managed to make her so upset. Hopefully, a bit of skating might take her mind off things.
And if the first person I wanted to tell I could skate was a girl I accidentally met at a dog park, well... that didn’t have to mean anything at all, did it?
A reply beeped through almost immediately. ‘A surprise? I love surprises! Yeah, I’ll be there in half an hour?’ Even over text, Lacey’s enthusiasm was infectious. If I felt awkward every time I tried to talk to her, she very much didn’t appear to suffer the same problem in talking to me.
Half an hour felt like forever, but I could hardly complain. Presumably, Lacey needed to finish whatever she’d been doing, as well as drive over to the rink.
Since there was no point putting my skates on until she got there, I waited for her out front.
Right on time, her car pulled into the parking lot and she waved at me as she walked over. “I don’t see a surprise,” she teased.
I laughed, ignoring how my stomach flipped just at the sight of her. Lacey was wearing jeans and a sweater, hardly the sexiest of outfits, yet she still looked stunning. I had to look away so she wouldn’t catch me staring.
“The surprise is inside,” I informed her, leading her through the reception. It was all locked up now, end of a working day and no games on. In a few hours, the arena would be flooded with kids as they started their training sessions. But between now and then, the arena was just ours.
And, I supposed, anyone else’s who wanted to skate. But I was pretty confident there wouldn’t be anyone else on the ice.
“I love it when it’s quiet like this,” I told Lacey as we walked. One more door and we were at the ice. The rink was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The smell of ice and the chill of it all made goosebumps break out on my arms. I could barely contain my excitement.
As we approached the ice, I’d set out skates for us. I had to guess Lacey’s size, but I’d gotten a few in case I was wrong.
“How do you feel about going for a skate?” I asked her with a grin.
Lacey’s eyes widened, as if she’d only just realized that I was suggesting we actually get on the ice, rather than just looking at it.
“Are you allowed?” she asked. Before I could even answer, she was grinning widely at me. “Oh, Will, that’s so great! That is an excellent surprise.” She looked genuinely so happy for me that she might burst. My heart sped up, pounding against my ribs.
Fortunately, Lacey’s next comment threw a little water on my excitement. “I, uh. I don’t actually know how to skate. But I can watch you! I’m sure you look great.”
“No,” I shook my head straight away. I hadn’t invited Lacey to watch me skate. Her excitement reminded me why I had invited her. It felt good to know how genuine she was in her delight that I was allowed back on the ice. Luke was going to be excited, sure, but he wasn’t going to react the way Lacey had.
Waving my hand towards the skates, I shook my head. “I hope I got the right size. I got a few,” I told her. “Let’s lace up and I’ll teach you how to skate. I’m only cleared for no-contact, so try not to body check me,” I teased.
Lacey actually snorted at that, which only made me more glad I’d invited her. Not a lot of women I’d met would do something so ‘inelegant’ as snort a laugh without trying to cover it up.
“Like I could,” she muttered. “Even if I was Michelle Kwan on the ice, I doubt I could knock you over.”
Possibly she had a point. But she picked the pair of skates closest to her size and strapped them on with plenty of enthusiasm. As soon as she tried to stand up, though, she wobbled.
Rushing forward, I let her grip my arm for balance. She peered up at me, her light brown eyes sparkling in the light off the ice. “Are you a good teacher?” she asked.
“Guess we’ll find out.” I shrugged. I hadn’t taught anyone anything, apart from maybe some of the rookies, but that hardly counted. I’d definitely never taught anyone to skate. But I knew how to skate, so that was a good start.
Telling Lacey to sit for a moment, I got my own skates on. It felt great to be lacing up again. Despite it having been months, my muscle memory took over as soon as I stood up.
“We’ve got to get to the ice, take off the protectors before we go out,” I told her. “Just balance. It will be a bit wobbly but you’ll be alright.” Still, I did stay close to Lacey, in case she would fall. I hadn’t really thought about her falling before she got to the ice.
`Luckily, that didn’t happen. Carefully, Lacey made it to the ice. I was first on, tossing the protectors to one side. God, it felt amazing to feel ice under my skates once again! I skated a loop, before returning to the entrance and holding my hand out to Lacey.
“Hold onto me,” I told her.
Her hand looked so small as it settled on my arm. I’d half-expected her to grip me tightly, but maybe I’d underestimated Lacey’s willingness to try new things. She had said that she wanted to learn to paraglide, after all.
She rested her hand lightly on my arm, more for support and balance than to actually hold onto me if she should fall. I led her along the side of the rink, watching her pick her feet up awkwardly. She walked on the ice the same way she’d walked on the floor of the rink.
“How are you moving so smoothly?” she asked.
“It’s called skating,” I told her deadpan. When Lacey shot me a look, I laughed. “Well, it is. You’re just shuffling. Try... sliding.” Honestly, I couldn’t remember learning to skate. I had been so young and so fearless, the way only children could be. I recalled dashing across the ice with no care at all whether I fell or not.
Despite my teasing, Lacey did try to slide more, giving a surprised ‘oh’ when she actually managed to skate. “Yeah, that’s good,” I promised, skating backward so she could follow me, her hand still against my arm.
>
“Now you’re just showing off,” she teased, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. It took me a moment to remember that I was supposed to look away.
Being back on the ice was liberating. I felt like I belonged here in a way I didn’t anywhere else. Instead of feeling awkward around Lacey, cringing over what came out of my mouth when I tried to speak to her, I felt confident.
I’d always been confident on the ice.
Lacey skated after me, taking the corners at a bit of a precarious wobble, but otherwise gaining grace with every slide of her skate across the ice.
“Okay,” she announced. “Now how do I go faster?”
The question made me give a surprised laugh. “Just go faster,” I told her with some amusement. “Give yourself a push with one of your feet and then skate with the other,” I added a bit more helpfully. “I’ll show you.”
It was invigorating to dash across the ice! I skated circles around Lacey before returning to skate in front of her. Not too close, though, so I could encourage her to skate to me. “Come on,” I said, holding my hands out. “I’ll help you stop,” I promised.
I had teased her about not body checking me, but she was right, there was nothing to her to throw my balance.
Determination seemed to radiate from her as she slowly put on speed. The faster she moved, the faster I retreated, until it genuinely felt like a bizarre kind of race. She laughed as she felt the cold air of the rink whipping across her skin, chasing me down as I pulled away from her, but never so far that I couldn’t catch her if she fell.
Which she did. She must have put a skate down wrong, because suddenly she pitched forward. Without thinking, I turned one skate to bring my momentum to a dead stop and threw my arms out.
Lacey crashed into my chest, face first. Despite the sudden strain, I managed to stay upright. My arm wrapped instinctively around her, one hand lifting to her hair so I could push it out of her face.
Body Checked (Salt Lake Pumas #2) Page 9