Crossing the Ice

by Jennifer Comeaux

  “I know this might shock you, but not everyone is obsessed with money and having expensive crap. If you spent less time focusing on material things and more time learning how to treat people decently, you’d have a lot more friends.”

  “I have plenty of friends at home.”

  “I can only imagine what that group is like.” I shuddered.

  Mark pushed our half-open door and stuck his head inside. “We need to go down to the welcome session.”

  I shut my suitcase, grabbed my purse, and brushed past Stephanie, not waiting for her to join us.

  ****

  A couple of hours later I returned to the dorm, fired up from the keynote speech given by one of the country’s most decorated skaters. I was also feeling good because I’d avoided saying more than hello to Kyle, and I’d enjoyed a fun dinner catching up with friends I didn’t get to see often.

  After my shower, I retreated to my room with the plan to ignore Stephanie. It was the only way to maintain my positive mood. I could only hope she’d deem me unworthy of her attention, and she’d likewise pretend I wasn’t in the room.

  “Please tell me you don’t snore,” she said as I picked up my hand lotion and sat cross-legged on the bed.

  I sighed. So much for that hope.

  “No, but oh how I wish I did,” I said.

  She flipped off the overhead light, sending us into total darkness, and the lotion I squirted missed my hand and landed who knew where.

  “Hey! I was still doing something here.”

  “We have to get up early, and I don’t want to feel jet-lagged while skating tomorrow.” Her bed squeaked as she climbed onto it.

  “I just needed a few more minutes,” I said through gritted teeth.

  I patted the blanket and felt the dollop of misfired lotion. My eyes adjusted to the darkness as I slowly massaged the soothing liquid into my hands.

  Burying myself under the covers, I took my phone from the nightstand and turned to face the wall. The message light blinked, and when I saw the text was from Josh I smiled against the pillow.

  Josh: Just checking that you and Steph haven’t killed each other.

  I pulled the blanket higher over me and the phone. Stephanie would most definitely murder me if she knew I was texting with her brother.

  Me: I’m gonna sleep with one eye open.

  Josh: She sleeps like the dead so you should be safe for the night.

  Me: Can I ask you something?

  Josh: Sure

  Me: Why is she so mean?

  A long minute passed with no response, and my neck tensed. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so blunt.

  Josh: If you met my mom, you’d have a good idea.

  Me: They’re a lot alike?

  Josh: Exactly alike

  Yikes. The idea of a Stephanie clone gave me an ice-cold chill. Good thing Josh and I weren’t going to date because Mommy Dearest would surely hate me.

  Me: What’s your dad like?

  Josh: He’s very smart, very outgoing.

  I could picture that. I vaguely remembered his parents from competitions — they didn’t exactly hang with my parents’ crowd — but I’d seen photos of them when I’d checked out Stephanie’s Facebook since Josh didn’t have one. I could totally see his dad as a smooth-talking Beverly Hills attorney. His mom had looked like the stereotypical socialite with too many visits to a plastic surgeon in her past.

  Me: Are your parents going to come for a visit on the Cape anytime?

  Josh: Probably not. They’re always pretty busy.

  What was his mom busy doing? Going to yoga and getting a mani-pedi?

  Josh: I won’t keep you up. Big day tomorrow.

  I wasn’t ready to say goodnight, but we did have a big day ahead with our short program evaluations and a slew of meetings.

  Me: Yeah, I get to show off my tango moves. Thank you again for helping me. It made a world of difference.

  Josh: You’re welcome. I’m glad you trusted me not to sabotage you ;)

  Me: Like the time you tried to kill me by inviting me to hot yoga? ;)

  Josh: LOL well played

  I closed my eyes for a moment and imagined him lying in bed typing on his phone, one arm resting above his head, his wrinkled T-shirt riding up just enough for a glimpse of his tight abs. Knowing he was just down the hall made the vision even more real.

  I opened my eyes and saw the red light flashing.

  Josh: See you in the morning

  Another vision flashed through my mind — Josh waking up, his brown hair messy, his long eyelashes fluttering as his blue eyes opened to the world…

  I gulped and put my fingers to the keys.

  Me: Goodnight

  ****

  “What do you think they’re going to make us do this year?” Mark asked as we left the dorms and headed for the swimming pool. “Water polo? Synchronized swimming?”

  I took a hair band from the pocket of my denim shorts and secured my hair into a ponytail. The federation staff had told us to put on our swimsuits for the evening’s team-building activity. Every year they split us into groups and made us do some goofy exercise. I had no idea what we could be doing in the pool. I was just ecstatic Mark and I had gotten through our program evaluations with mostly positive feedback. Now we could relax and enjoy our last night of camp.

  “I’m glad I just bought a new suit.” Liza looked down at the purple polka-dotted bikini top she wore with her shorts.

  “It’s super cute,” I said.

  I wore the green bikini I’d had for two summers, but I liked the way it fit me. I didn’t have much in the chest area to show off, and this suit somehow made it look like I had more going on there.

  We arrived at the pool, and I shaded my eyes from the late afternoon sunshine. There was no mistaking this was a gathering of skaters from the number of pasty bodies present. I gave Josh a quick smile as we walked past him, and his eyes swept over me and followed me all the way to my chair. Green bikini, you done good.

  Two of the federation’s team leaders called for everyone’s attention and explained we would be split into groups of five to build boats with nothing but cardboard and duct tape. We all snickered and then laughed even louder when we found out we had to float the boat across the pool with all five members of our team in it. Points would be awarded for design and execution, and the winners would get the usual camp prize of bragging rights.

  We listened as the teams were read, and my stomach turned when I heard my name after Kyle’s. Then it did a happy flip when Josh’s name came next. Liza and Zach rounded out our group.

  “Your old love and your new love,” Liza said quietly. “This could get interesting.”

  I picked up a roll of duct tape. “This makes a good gag, you know.”

  “See, that’s how I know you do like Josh because you always get so testy when I bring it up.”

  “I’m testy because this isn’t something that should be joked about around certain people—”

  “Hey, Court.” Kyle walked up behind me. “Guess we’re working together.”

  I slowly turned to face him. “Yahoo.”

  Zach and Josh joined us, both carrying large flattened boxes. They dropped them next to the pool, and the five of us sat in a circle.

  “We need a strategy,” Zach said. “I was thinking of something like a canoe.”

  He started sketching his idea on a scrap of paper, and Josh and Liza huddled beside him. Kyle scooted closer to me, and his spicy cologne reminded me of when we’d been a happy couple at camp the previous summer. I’d thought he was such a good guy. Thinking back to how much I’d stupidly trusted him, I recoiled as he invaded more of my space.

  “How have you been?” Kyle asked.

  “Wonderful,” I said curtly.

  “Are you seeing anyone?”

  Josh glanced up at us, and I looked directly at Kyle. “Nope.”

  He swiped his shaggy blond hair out of his eyes. “I know I didn’t handle things well with u
s, but maybe I could call you sometime.”

  “What? Don’t you have a girlfriend?”

  “We broke up.”

  My stomach twisted again. I’d meant so little to him that he’d betrayed me for a quick fling. I’d thought he’d ditched me for the love of his life or at least a long-term relationship.

  “Are you serious? So you cheated on me for nothing?”

  All three of our teammates were now staring at us. Liza’s mouth had taken the shape of a huge O.

  Kyle turned his back to them. “Can we talk later?”

  I gaped at him. “There’s nothing to talk about. I don’t want anything to do with you. Ever.”

  I moved over to Liza’s side. “Let’s figure out this damn boat.”

  Josh looked down at Zach’s sketch, but one side of his mouth curled up. Liza watched me, still wide-eyed. Meanwhile, Zach resumed drawing.

  “Alrighty then,” he said. “Why don’t we calculate how big we need to cut the cardboard?”

  Once we figured out the measurements, the boys did the cutting while Liza and I connected the sides of the boat. Pulling hard on the thick rolls of tape helped me let out my disgust with Kyle. He didn’t speak to me again, even when we all had to work together to make sure our vessel was secure.

  Josh asked me to help him add another layer of tape to one corner, and he peeked up at me while we bent over the boat.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  I nodded. “I can’t believe he actually thought I’d give him another chance.”

  “He’s an idiot.” Josh knelt and pressed hard on the boat. “In more ways than one.”

  He lifted his head, and our eyes connected for just a moment, but long enough for me to see the intensity behind what he’d said. I fumbled with the roll of tape and winced as I had to unstick a long piece from my fingers.

  “I think we’re good on this end,” Josh told Zach.

  Zach came around as he inspected all sides of the boat. “This baby’s gonna win. She’s a lean, mean floating machine.”

  I examined our creation skeptically. It looked sturdy, but once the five of us got on board, we might be at the bottom of the pool in a few seconds.

  We were informed that our group would be first to sail, and our maiden voyage was only moments away, so we carried the boat to the pool. The guys stripped off their T-shirts while Liza and I shimmied out of our shorts, and then we all gathered around our captain Zach.

  “Josh, you take the back and I’ll take the front,” he said. “Kyle, you’ll be in the middle, and then the girls can fill in.”

  Liza went near the front with Zach, so that meant I’d be sandwiched between Kyle and Josh — the guy I didn’t want touching any part of me and the guy I wanted touching every part of me. Was I being secretly filmed for some sort of reality show?

  Josh and Zach carefully climbed into the boat, anchoring each end, and Josh extended his hand to me. I gave him mine and slowly put one foot on the cardboard. When I set my other foot down, the boat wobbled and I swayed with it, stumbling backward. Josh gripped my hand tighter and grabbed my thigh, and his fingertips brushed the edge of my bikini bottom. The sizzling sensation only made me feel more off-balance.

  “You um… you got it?” He took his hand off my thigh.

  I eased down into a sitting position, settling between his legs, and I realized just how small the boat was. I had no choice but to back up against Josh’s chest.

  I rocked the boat even more as I inched backward between his blue board shorts, and he held the sides to steady it.

  “Sorry,” I said.

  “You’re perfect,” he said softly.

  I almost swooned overboard.

  The temptation to look at him was so great, but I’d die inside even more if I saw those blue eyes right now. His arms rested on the sides of the boat, and it felt like we were sitting in a bathtub together. Being practically naked further enhanced that feeling. There was so much skin-on-skin contact between us that my body couldn’t handle it. Goosebumps were popping up everywhere, and Josh had a close-up view of the ones all down the back of my neck.

  I turned my head toward him, and my ponytail swung with me. I heard “Pfft” behind me.

  “Did I whack you?” I asked.

  He chuckled. “It’s okay.”

  Holy crap, he was close. Closer than the airplane, closer than the tango. I could feel the warmth of his body surrounding me. If I leaned back just a little, I’d be flush against him.

  Yeah, that would go over real well with Stephanie and Mark watching us poolside.

  I’d never experienced anything so torturous yet so achingly wonderful.

  Kyle positioned himself in front of me, and I squirmed and moved my legs so they wouldn’t touch his. That resulted in my calves bumping Josh’s. What was another body part when we were already fused together everywhere else?

  He leaned over my shoulder, and his hot breath wisped over my ear. “Can we still win if we push Kyle overboard?”

  I grinned. “I’m tempted to find out.”

  “Time to set sail!” Zach said.

  We pushed away from the wall and paddled with our hands to steer the boat. All the other skaters lined the pool, cheering and laughing as we drifted away from the shallow end. When we crossed the center line, I felt water on my butt, and I looked down to find a layer of it seeping into the boat.

  “Uh-oh,” I said.

  “Keep paddling,” Josh said. “We can make it.”

  Our arms flapped faster, but our butts were getting wetter. I could sense the rear of the boat starting to sink.

  “We’re going down like the Titanic back here!” I yelled.

  Zach leaned forward, paddling furiously, and we kept up behind him, even as we dipped further into the water. Soon the entire back of the boat would be flooded.

  “Hurry!” Liza screeched.

  The cheers grew louder, and I zoned into the finish line, smacking hard at the water. The nose of the boat touched the wall, and Zach threw his arms into the air.

  “We did it!”

  The water overtook us, and we all tumbled with laughter into the pool. I came up for air, and Josh and Zach were slapping hands and shouting, “Teamwork!”

  Josh turned and pulled me into a hug, and I looped my arms around his shoulders. He gave me a gentle squeeze, and I relaxed into him. He was solid muscle everywhere.

  Damn, this feels so perfect.

  It took everything in me not to wrap my legs around his waist and kiss the hell out of him.

  As soon as we split apart, I met Stephanie’s lethal gaze from the edge of the pool, and the magic was gone. I boosted myself up and out of the water and went in the opposite direction, wringing out my ponytail as I headed for the stack of towels.

  I stayed far away from Stephanie for the rest of the event, but I couldn’t evade her at the dorms. Dread filled my gut as I neared our room because I knew she was going to come at me full force with snippy comments about Josh and me.

  When I reached the room, the door was cracked and I could see Stephanie talking on her phone. I was about to barge in, but I heard her say, “Mom, I told you they loved our programs. Why do you have to keep harping on the one negative thing?”

  There was a pause and she let out a deep sigh. “We have time to get new costumes made. We don’t compete until September.”

  More sighing followed another pause. “I don’t know why the judges didn’t like the costumes. You know how picky they are.”

  I peeked inside and saw Stephanie throw her suitcase onto her bed. “I have to pack, Mom. I’ll call you when we get home.”

  I backed away from the door to wait a minute before entering. Mommy Dearest sounded like one of those nitpicking skating moms who made their kids’ lives miserable. I could see how that may have helped shape Stephanie into the brat she was, but it didn’t excuse her awful behavior. Josh had managed to rise above the negativity surrounding them.

  I went inside, and Stephanie gave me
a cursory glance before returning to packing. She remained quiet, and I wondered if the conversation with her mother had distracted her from what she’d seen at the pool.

  After I shoved all my dirty laundry into my suitcase and carefully packed my costumes in their garment bag, I sat on my bed to return a text from Meredith. Stephanie sat on hers and stared at me, so I stopped typing and braced myself for the end of our peaceful evening.

  “I’m going to tell you this because I think it’ll save you some heartache,” she said.

  I rested my head on my hand and glared at her. What kind of angle was she taking this time?

  “You might think because Josh is nice to you and shows you affection that he’s into you, but he knows what we’re all fighting for, and he’s a smart guy. He knows if he gets you to fall for him, you’re not going to be as focused on skating.”

  My God, there was no limit to the garbage that came out of her mouth.

  I sat up straight. “You must think I’m really stupid if you think I’d believe Josh would be that calculating.”

  “You don’t know him as well as you think you do. He’ll do anything to get on the Olympic team. It’s all he’s wanted for so long.”

  I didn’t doubt Josh’s strong desire to fulfill that dream. I had the same goal pushing me every day. But the idea that he would cook up a scheme to hurt me was preposterous.

  “I know him well enough to know he could never do something so devious. That’s all you.”

  “You believe what you want. I was just trying to give you a heads-up because I don’t agree with what he’s doing. I’d rather beat you on the ice without any outside games.”

  I looked down at the bed. There couldn’t possibly be any truth to what she was saying. Josh was one of the most genuine people I’d ever met.

  You thought Kyle was genuine, too.

  I shook my head. No, Josh wasn’t Kyle. Stephanie wanted me away from her brother, and making him seem like a jerk was the only way she knew how to accomplish that. I couldn’t wrap my mind around that level of shadiness.

  I grabbed my shower kit and stalked to the door. “You’re really messed up, you know that? When I come back, don’t speak another word to me.”