Melting Away The Ice (THE ICE SERIES)

by Smith, Mary

  Melting Away the Ice

  By

  Mary Smith

  Published by Nevermore Press

  Cincinnati, OH 45224. 2013

  Text Copyright © 2013 Mary Smith

  All Rights Reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Copyright © 2013 Nevermore Press

  All rights reserved

  Published by

  Nevermore Press.

  Cincinnati, OH 45224

  Edited by: Dawn White

  For Nevermore Press

  Cover by: Brandy Dull

  Formatting by: Brandy Dull

  Dedication

  Bret, forever my Lucas Sharp

  Bailey, Kelly, Kathryn and Candace, forever my friends, sisters and fellow lovers of Fictional Boyfriends

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1 - Sara

  "No!" I said yet again.

  "Please?"

  "No!" I pushed my hand through my natural curly, brown hair in frustration.

  "When was the last time you were out?"

  I stared at my best friend right in the eyes. "I went to the grocery store last night.”

  My petite friend put her hand on her hips. “That is not what I meant."

  I slapped my hand to my forehead. “Rachel, I do not like hockey. Why would you want to go with me?”

  Rachel looked at me once more and pointed her manicured finger at me. “Look, I got a great deal on these tickets and you’re going. I will pick you up at six pm. No excuses.” She turned and walked out of my office. I really don’t know why I even try to argue with her.

  Rachel had been my best friend for as long as I can remember. Every good and bad memory I have, she’s right there with me. I know that she is just doing this because I haven’t been out in almost a year.

  Wow, has it been that long! It seemed like yesterday that I remember waking up, only seeing the ceiling above me in the hospital. I could still feel every pin, needle, and stitch that was in my body. I could still hear Rachel crying in the corner waiting for me to wake up. The smell of disinfectant and sadness still haunted me.

  I closed my eyes so the tears wouldn’t show themselves. I knew that I could not cry about it, anymore.

  Push it out of your mind. Don’t think about it.

  However, with everything that happened, I did care for him. He was in my life every single day for two years and even though a long time had passed, my thoughts still wandered back to him, despite knowing that they shouldn’t.

  No! Let's focus on work.

  Being an attorney is what I’m good at and being here is where I felt more complete. I turned my attention back to the brief that I was drafting when my legal assistant, Charity, came in.

  "Do you need anything before I leave?” Charity was the kindest person that I knew and the greatest assistant anyone could ask for.

  "No, thank you. I’m going to try to finish this up before I am forced to be with Rachel tonight.” Though, I really didn’t want to go.

  "I heard Rachel talked you into going to the game."

  "Like I had a choice with her," I scoffed. Charity laughed.

  "I think it’s great. See you tomorrow." Charity always had a positive attitude. I smiled at her as she walked out the door.

  Looking at the clock, I realized it was five pm. Ugh! If I was going to make it home to change and go with Rachel, I had to leave now. Good thing this brief was not due tomorrow. I shut down the computer, grabbed my jacket and purse, and shut my office door. I turned and headed toward the stairs. I was still scared of small spaces so I never took an elevator. It’s a fear that I have not overcome since the accident.

  "Sara, are you leaving already?" Charles, the security guard, looked over at me. He was an older man, with a very kind heart. He was retired military and in better shape than I could even think of. Rachel had hired him and he was always looking out for me and the girls.

  "I know it is almost unheard of, but Rachel is forcing me to go to a hockey game with her tonight."

  “That little girl is something else. You have fun tonight.”I smiled my best fake smile and headed down the eight flights of stairs.

  Mother Nature brought cold winds from the lakefront in Chicago. I should be used to this, I thought as I headed down the street to my apartment. I have lived in the city all my life and had no use for a car. Instead, I clenched my jacket tighter and pulled my scarf higher.

  I walked home in the brisk wind. The air was filled with the sounds of the streets. Memories of us walking hand-in-hand came flooding back to me. We would talk about our future, our lives together, but that all is changed now. Closing my eyes I can see his smile, hear his laugh, feel all the love I felt for him. His words that he loved me would make my heart beat until I felt it would burst. We were perfect together in every way, until that day.

  As I reached my apartment the tears were close to spilling over. I can’t keep thinking about the old days, I need to move on.

  Rachel found this place for me and moved everything in for me. Although, I have been here for a month, it still does not feel like home. I have not put anything on the walls. Packed boxes lined the corner. Looking around I realized I could not keep this up.

  I need to decorate soon.

  I realized that I would need to hurry. If there is one thing that Rachel was never late for, it was hockey. She lived and breathed the Chicago Eagles. Why does she like the dumb sport anyway? All they do is fight. I rushed to get ready and with ten minutes to spare I had on a pair of jeans, red polo shirt, gray jacket, and my hair was in a low side ponytail to hide some of the scars. My contacts were killing me, so I put on my glasses. The thick purple frames brought out the green in my eyes but Rachel still called them "nerd" glasses. I looked in the mirror and decided I looked okay. I was average height with long curly hair. I have a good build, a little thick here and there but still pretty. When I was with him, I cared about what I ate and worked out all the time. Mainly, because that was what he liked. Even though I never had a serious complex about my size, like other girls had, I did it for him. Now, I worked out when I had the time and ate when and what I wanted.

  A loud knock brough
t me out of my thoughts. I knew she would be early. "Let's go! I don’t want to be late." Rachel hollered through the door.

  "I thought the game started at seven." I said as I opened the door and looked at my petite-with-supermodel-good-looks friend. If she was taller she would be on every magazine cover in every country. However, she was short and had the brains of a genius.

  "It does, but they warm up first." She flipped her blonde hair and headed toward the stairs. I rolled my eyes and sighed, then grabbed my purse and followed.

  As we pulled up to the Chicago Center, Rachel was on the verge of losing her patience. Traffic was crazy around the Center and it seemed to take forever to get there. We had to walk a short distance to get to the check-in line and Rachel was bouncing around like a giddy school girl.

  When we made it through the large crowd to our seats I stated to her, "This is not your first hockey game."

  "No, but it’s my first in the glass section." She firmly clarified.

  "True. How did you get these tickets again?" I knew these seats had to be expensive since we were right against the glass.

  "I got them from the greatest site ever, the NHL Exchange.” Just then she squealed and was on her feet, cheering. The Eagles were taking the ice for warm ups. The people around us looked just as happy as Rachel, yelling for their favorite player, and talking trash to the other team. All I could do was shake my head as I noticed that she was wearing Eagles gear from head to toe. She beamed with pride as the team skated around. She does love this team.

  I looked all around me. I was used to the Chicago Center since I came for NBA games, but the interior looked much smaller with the huge hockey rink in the middle. I had been to a few hockey games in my lifetime, but never liked the sport, considering it’s just a bunch of toothless, barbarians, skating around and fighting all the time. I sighed hoping that this game would go fast because I just wanted to go home.

  "Are you paying any attention?” Rachel stared at me.

  "Did the game start?" I snapped back.

  "No, they are warming up and you look like your puppy just died,"

  Close, I have a broken spirit.

  "Why should I care about this warm up?"

  Rachel crossed her arms and gave the "stare down" that was quite frightening. "You will have fun tonight or so help me I will toss you in the lake." With that being said, there was no point in arguing.

  "Fine," I sighed. Just like that Rachel was a giddy school girl again. She began rambling about the players and the game. I stared at the ice as Rachel kept talking.

  There were red jerseys everywhere. They all looked graceful on the ice, as I watched them skate. Some looked so serious like number nineteen. Others were smiling, laughing and joking around like number eighty-eight and number ten. Except there was one, number eighty, just standing there, and not really moving.

  Strange, I thought. Why isn’t he skating? He was off to the side just watching the team. There was something about him, through. I couldn’t quite read his face.

  "Rachel, who’s that, number eighty?"

  “Who is that?" She looked at me like I was an alien. "That is only the greatest hockey player ever! That, my friend, is Lucas Sharp." She beamed with pride for the player.

  "Oh, I was just wondering." I looked over at him again. Lucas Sharp. Well, the name fits him. All I could see was his profile, but he had dark hair peeking out of his helmet, a strong jaw, and he was good looking. I bet all his teeth are fake.

  "Why is he just standing there and not warming up?" I asked.

  "He’s the captain and he’s watching over his team,” she informed me. I watched as he looked over his team intently and was shouting commands at them.

  "Oh okay." I watched them for a few more minutes before the team skated off the ice. Rachel waved down an attendant to purchase hot dogs and beers before the game started.

  "So, what do you think so far?" Rachel shined with glee as she finished her hot dog. Where does she put all that food? Rachel could eat a hundred times a day and never gain an ounce. She would always say that it was because she has a high metabolism. Though, I know the truth, she worked out all the time.

  "Nothing has happened." I stated, taking a sip of my beer.

  "Come on, where is fun Sara? I miss her." She gave me her sad face and I knew that I had to answer the question.

  "I haven’t seen her in a year and a half," I said quietly thinking of the good times Rachel and I had before my life changed.

  "She needs to come back." Rachel laid her hand on mine. "I know that you are still hurting, but you need to start taking small steps towards coming back to being you. It will be okay. I promise." She gave my hand a squeeze. I looked over at my dearest friend. Her big blue eyes looked sad for me and I knew it wasn't fair to bring her down with my own emotional issues.

  I took a deep breath and put on my bravest smile. The one I plaster on my face when people asked me how I was doing. "You’re right. Let’s have fun."

  Rachel giggled. "I know you are faking it, but it’s a start." I could not help but giggle back at her. She could call me on all my lies. She is the greatest friend. Just then the arena went dark and the Jumbotron started introductions and the crowd went wild. I stood up with Rachel and did my best to "have fun.”

  Chapter 2 – Sara

  I watched the game, mainly because I promised Rachel, and she made me. She kept pointing out players, reasons for the penalties, and key points of the game. I mostly watched number eighty skate. Every time he was on the ice it was with determination and purpose. He was a natural on the ice. It was like he belonged there and nowhere else. We were so close that I could hear the skates on the ice, snow from the skates flying everywhere. I could hear the command of the teammates yelling at each other and I watched them flow through each play. The air became thick with sweat, purpose, and the desire to win. The crowd was on their feet yelling at bad calls, or cheering for good ones, and as the seconds ticked by they shouted for the win.

  The Eagles won two to one. I did actually enjoy myself, a little bit. It took my mind off stuff for a while, even though I still thought the game was barbaric.

  At the end of the game they announced the three stars, which Rachel said was very important. Lucas Sharp, number eighty, was the top star of the game and crowd went wild for him. When all was done, I started to turn to leave.

  "Where are you going?" Rachel asked with a confused look on her face.

  "Aren’t we leaving?”

  "No!" she shouted. “I have special passes for us for the meet and greet. We need to go this way.” She pointed in the opposite direction of where I was standing.

  "What? You never said that before!" But she couldn’t hear me; she was already running, yes running, in that direction. I sighed and chased after her. I almost felt like a mother chasing her child.

  We got to the far side of the rink and Rachel showed the guard two bright yellow passes. He looked at them and waved as through. Rachel grabbed my hand and off we went down the long tunnel, still running.

  "Can you smell that?” she asked with bliss in her voice.

  "Sweat?" It smelled horrible.

  "No, the smell of real men and the victory of winning," she proclaimed.

  "Yeah that smells like sweat, sweetie." Rachel looked at me like I had lost my mind.

  "Whatever,” she rolled her eyes and drug me further down the hall. We got to a large door where two very large security guards stood. Rachel showed them the tickets and they waved us through.

  We walked into what seemed to be a large conference room. There were about fifty men, women, and children all with excitement plastered on their faces. Every single one of them was decked out in Eagles gear. There were jerseys, shirts, and hockey sticks everywhere. I just rolled my eyes as Rachel began talking to a couple about something hockey related. I wasn’t paying attention to their conversation. I just slinked over to the far wall near and exit door and stood there. This is too much fun for me, I thought, rolling my
eyes again.

  Just then another set of doors opened and several men came out. Well they aren't that bad looking, for guys missing most of their teeth. The crowd rushed toward them with excitement and Sharpies. I stood there and watched as each player posed for pictures and signed whatever was handed to them. I never saw a player complain or even seem annoyed by the fan’s requests.

  "You shouldn't miss the opportunity to meet them," a male’s voice said next to me. I jumped with a start. I didn’t even realize that anyone was around me. It was then I noticed the exit door was ajar and I could feel the brisk cold outside.

  "I’m fine. I don't need to meet them," I said as I quickly looked up at him. He had to be at least 6'2” with dark hair, but I quickly turned away.

  "Not an Eagles fan?” he asked.

  “Not a hockey fan," I stated back. I search for Rachel in the crowd. I spotted her bouncing all around getting a t-shirt signed that she brought with her.

  "Not a hockey fan. That can't be true," he scoffed.

  "Nope, it’s true. I do not like hockey," I shifted uncomfortably. In my head I was trying to figure out a way to run away from him. Will I always be this uncomfortable around men?

  "Wow, I don’t think I have ever met someone who didn’t like hockey. Especially at a hockey meet and greet.” I could hear the laugh in his condescending tone. I just nodded, ignoring his tone. I was still looking anywhere but at him.

  "Sara, Sara," I heard Rachel call as she came bounding over to me. I sometimes forget she was a few months older than me. I still couldn’t believe we were twenty-six. It was always Rachel that was the free spirit. She would say the most outrageous statements and did things her own way. I was the opposite of that. I was awkward at times and blurted stuff out. I had goals, priorities and wanted to achieve them. Even though Rachel was the genius she never really talked about goals. Good things just seemed to find her and she deserved each and every one of them.

  It was then that she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide and her mouth dropped. "Oh. Eem. Gee.” she said quietly. I followed her gaze to see she was looking at the man next to me. It was then I realized who I had been speaking to. If I thought he was good looking on the ice he was a hundred times better up close.