Crossing Center Ice

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  “Ready to get to work?” he asked with a grin.

  “Yep.” Avery followed him out of the room into the short hallway that led to the main part of the house.

  The kitchen managed to combine all the things a professional chef could want with the warmth of a family home. Emily was seated on a bar stool at the counter with a recipe book open in front of her. Steve sat next to her, a cup of coffee in his hands.

  “We’re here to supervise,” he said with a grin.

  Avery was glad to see that the stress the man had carried in the weeks following his wife’s aneurysm was finally fading away. “My mom has made these cookies before, but this is the first time I have.”

  “First time for me too,” Kenton said as he crossed his arms and leaned a hip against the counter across from his parents. “So what are we doing first?”

  Though they could have just taken the book from Emily and followed the recipe themselves, by unspoken agreement, she and Kenton waited for the older woman’s direction. It was slow going, partly because Emily’s speech was still a bit delayed, but also because Kenton had no idea what he was doing.

  Avery helped with measuring and such, but Kenton was in charge of the mixer and adding the ingredients as they went along. He had managed to add the eggs without mishap, watching carefully as the wet ingredients mixed with the cocoa. Once they were all combined, he increased the speed in order to mix the wet ingredients and the cocoa more thoroughly.

  She set the bowl with the dry ingredients beside the mixer then turned to grab a wet cloth to wipe up the bits of flour that had gotten on the counter. As she turned back around, she saw Kenton pick up the bowl.

  “You might want to—” Avery could only stand and watch as Kenton dumped the flour into the wet ingredients without turning down the speed of the mixer.

  “Hol—eeee!” Kenton exclaimed as his hand shot out to turn off the mixer, but the damage had already been done.

  Once the cloud of flour settled, Steve began to laugh loudly, and soon Emily was giggling as well. Avery tried not to join in, but the sight of Kenton covered in flour was too much. Given that his hair was still damp from his shower, there was no brushing the flour away. Before Kenton could move, his dad had whipped out his phone and snapped a few pictures.

  “Your siblings are going to love this,” Steve said as he lowered his phone and began to tap on his screen.

  Kenton groaned and shook his head. “I’m going to get cleaned up.”

  Avery watched him walk out then turned back to see a smile on Emily’s face, bigger than any she’d seen before. Though she knew the incident had probably annoyed Kenton when it happened, if he could see the look on his mom’s face now, Avery guessed that he’d probably do it all over again.

  “Is there any chance we can recover this?” Avery asked Emily. “Or should I scrap it, and we’ll start over?”

  Given that it was impossible to tell exactly how much of the flour mixture had made it into the wet ingredients, she wasn’t surprised when Emily said, “Start over.”

  Though she hated to waste food, if the end result wasn’t edible it would be wasted anyway. By the time Kenton returned, Avery had cleaned up the mess and washed up the dishes to start over again, all the while chatting with Steve and Emily. They had talked about the Christmas program and Dalton’s role in it, as well as the upcoming Christmas Eve service which apparently the teen was also a part of.

  “Okay. Take two,” Kenton said, rubbing his hands together as he approached the counter. Since his hair was once again damp but flour-free, she assumed that he’d taken another shower. He’d also switched out his T-shirt for a new one which had a Nike logo on the front.

  “So as I was about to say before flour-ageddon, you should probably turn the mixer speed down before adding the dry mixture,” Avery said with a grin.

  “Yeah, I kinda figured that out. I might not always think things through to their inevitable end, but I learn quickly from my mistakes.” Kenton gave the mixer a wary look. “That being said, perhaps you should be at the controls this time.”

  “Now, son, is that what I’ve taught you?” Steve asked, his eyes crinkling as he grinned. “If you get kicked off the horse, you get back on.”

  Kenton let out a long sigh. “Fine. But if this machine acts up again, I’m done, and Avery is taking over.”

  “I believe that was more a case of user-error, son,” Steve said.

  Working more smoothly since this was their second time around, they made it past the previous point of disaster without the same result. Avery realized that perhaps she should have read through the recipe herself when Emily made it known that they needed to refrigerate it for four hours.

  “Four hours?” Kenton asked as he glanced over at Avery. “I’m not sure Avery can hang around that long.”

  “Put it in the freezer or outside for a half hour,” Emily instructed slowly. “Will firm up more quickly.”

  Avery helped Kenton cover the bowl with cling wrap, then he stuck it on the table on the back porch. Given how cold it was, Avery was sure a half hour out there might well equal four hours in the fridge.

  Back in the kitchen, Avery once again set to work cleaning up, this time with Kenton’s help. As they cleaned, Emily explained the next part of the process and had them turn on the oven. She sent Kenton out to get the bowl and then tested the dough when he brought it back in.

  “That’ll work,” she told them then motioned her hand as if to tell them to get to work.

  Having enjoyed playdough as a child and having done some baking with her mom over the years, Avery was able to get the hang of rolling the dough into balls much more quickly than Kenton.

  “A ball, Kenton,” Emily said. “Not an oval or a puck.”

  “There’s a reason I’m a professional hockey player and not a professional baker, Mom,” Kenton said, exasperation in his tone as he rerolled the ball for the third time before his mom finally gave her nod of approval.

  Meanwhile, Avery had already made four balls and rolled them in the powdered sugar.

  “Okay,” Kenton said as he stared at the cookie sheet. “Change of plans. Let’s play to our strengths. Clearly, your strength is rolling the balls while mine is…not rolling the balls. How about you make them, and I’ll do the powdered sugar step and put them on the cookie sheet?”

  Avery smiled, enjoying the feeling of working alongside him a bit too much. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Soon the smell of chocolate filled the house, proof that they had managed to get their act together and get the first sheet of cookies into the oven. Though Avery had initially thought Emily would participate more actively, she and Kenton had ended up doing all the work. It didn’t matter though. Seeing Emily smiling and laughing had been even better than seeing her practice her fine motor skills or standing and moving around.

  “You’re baking?”

  Avery looked up from the cookie sheet where she was transferring the cookies to the cooling racks. Dalton came to a stop next to his dad, a grin on his face as he looked at his older brother.

  “Eh, you got a bit of flour there, Kent.” Dalton brushed a finger along the end of his nose.

  Turning to Kenton, Avery stifled a laugh as he mimicked his brother’s movement which resulted in him transferring powdered sugar onto his previously clean nose. Dalton didn’t bother to hold back his laughter, and once again Steve was taking pictures.

  “You’ve clearly been hanging around Gabe too much.” Kenton sighed as he lifted his arm and wiped his nose on the sleeve of his T-shirt. “And just for that, you don’t get any of these cookies.”

  Dalton arched a brow. “Are you planning to sleep with them under your pillow and with one eye open?”

  “I’ll do what I have to do to protect my cookies from thieving siblings.”

  Dalton hopped up on one of the barstools and rested his arms on the counter. “I’m pretty much the only brother still talking to you, so one would think you’d be a little nicer to me.”


  Kenton gave a growl as he began to put more unbaked rolls of dough unto the next cookie sheet. “You need a brain to mouth filter, boy. Not everything that pops into your head needs to be said.”

  Avery saw the puzzled look Emily gave Kenton and then Steve. Clearly, she hadn’t picked up on the tension between her boys.

  “You did a really great job during the Christmas program, Dalton,” Avery said, hoping to diffuse the situation. “We really enjoyed it. Thanks for inviting us.”

  “Are you coming to the Christmas Eve service?” he asked.

  “Yes, and I heard you are going to be part of that one too.”

  For the next few minutes, Dalton happily talked about the upcoming program and his part in it. The confused look on Emily’s face passed, and she smiled when Dalton used his phone to hook up to a Bluetooth speaker in the room and started playing Christmas carols. He sang along with them, as did Emily, though it was clear the words didn’t come as easily for her.

  Grateful that the moment had passed, Avery continued to help Kenton finish up the last batch of cookies. She tried to ignore the light touches of contact from him as they moved around each other. The gentle brush of his hand along her back as he leaned past her to rest the cookie sheet he’d just pulled out of the oven on the hot pads on the counter. The bump of his shoulder against hers as he helped to transfer the cooled cookies into the waiting container. All of it made her hyper-aware of his presence.

  “Give some to Avery,” Emily said. “For her boys.”

  Avery opened her mouth to object, but Kenton was already searching for another container in the drawer. When he began to fill it, Emily smiled, obviously pleased that he had followed her direction.

  Once the cookies were all done, Avery quickly rinsed the last of the cookie sheets, handing them to Kenton to dry. She hummed along with the music as she worked, feeling surprised at how much she’d enjoyed the afternoon. Not that she had anticipated it being bad, but she had thought it might be a bit awkward. Instead, it had felt amazingly natural—well, except for that moment with Dalton—and she was glad she’d agreed to the cookie baking session…even if her protective instincts had been screaming at her not to.

  “Thanks for spending the afternoon doing that,” Kenton said as he walked with her back to the therapy room. “I think Mom really enjoyed it.”

  “You’re welcome.” Once again, he held her coat for her. “I had fun.”

  After she’d buttoned her coat, Avery picked up her purse and turned to the door. A touch on her arm had her glancing back at Kenton. His gaze was intent as he looked at her for a long moment before speaking.

  “Thank you.”

  Avery frowned. “For…what?”

  His hand remained on her arm, his fingers tightening briefly. “For everything, really. You’ve gone over and above with my mom and with me. Among other things, you didn’t have to deflect Dalton’s remark earlier, but I appreciate that you did. It was upsetting my mom.”

  Avery tilted her head. “Is it true though? Or was Dalton just exaggerating?”

  A pained look crossed Kenton’s face. “He was exaggerating, but not by much.”

  “Even Tristan?”

  If anything, the pained look deepened. “Yeah. We had a disagreement and haven’t managed to work through it just yet.”

  Avery covered his hand with hers and squeezed. “Don’t let it drag on. Life can change in an instant.”

  “You’re right,” Kenton said with a nod. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “I’d better go, or my mom will start to worry.” Avery lifted her fingers from his as she stepped to the door, missing the warmth of his touch as his hand slid from her arm. “We’ll see you on Christmas Eve.”

  “That you will.” Kenton smiled. “Drive safe.”

  Even the cold couldn’t rob her of the warmth Kenton’s smile had filled her with, and for the length of the drive home, Avery allowed herself to revel in it. Only realizing as she pulled into the garage that she’d forgotten to text her mom that she was on her way home.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “Want to talk about it, son?”

  Kenton looked up from his phone to see that his dad had joined him in the therapy room, leaning against the door jamb, a mug of coffee in his hand. Kenton had come to the room after supper to spend some time on the stationary bike. He told himself he wasn’t avoiding the others, but that was pretty much a flat-out lie.

  He could have pretended to not know what his dad was talking about, but he respected him too much to do that. “Just a difference of opinion on something.”

  His dad frowned. “One that has you on an opposing side to Tristan? I can sort of understand if that was the case with the twins, but Tris? It must be pretty significant. Why don’t you tell me what it is? Or do you want me to start guessing?”

  There was no sense in making his dad guess since it would all come out in the end anyway. “It’s about Avery and her son.”

  “They think you’re getting to close to them?”

  Kenton began to pedal again—slowly, so as not to overdo things—as he nodded. “It’s not that I think they’re wrong.”

  “Then what it is?” His dad took a sip from his mug, apparently in no hurry to leave.

  “I just…I can’t seem to stay away from them. I enjoy spending time with Avery, and her son is great.”

  “I get that you have to see Avery pretty much every day, so I’m not sure how they expect you to keep your distance from her.”

  “Yeah, but it’s times together like this afternoon when they think I’m pushing it. Plus, they think Benjie might start to get ideas since he doesn’t have a dad in his life.”

  “You mean like you and his mom getting together?”

  “Yep, but this kid is so hockey-crazy…he reminds me of myself. The passion for the game, and the kid is talented. You should see him play.”

  His dad’s look was contemplative as he continued to drink his coffee. “And Avery?”

  Kenton’s gaze dropped to his knees. “I understand that even thinking about getting closer to her isn’t fair since I am committed to LA for at least another eighteen months.”

  “You’re getting distracted,” his dad said bluntly. “For the first time since you started playing in the NHL, other things are grabbing your attention. But is it just because you’re injured and bored?”

  Even as Kenton considered his words, he knew that wasn’t the case. Besides, he didn’t like the idea of relegating Avery and Benjie to the role of just easing his boredom. If that were the case, it would be much easier to step away from them. No, they were much more important to him than that.

  He didn’t want to hurt Avery or Benjie, but he felt a battle raging within himself. The desire to have them both in his life warred with the knowledge that he couldn’t give them what they would need from him—at least not yet. And it wouldn’t be fair to ask her to wait indefinitely.

  “I like Avery, and I hate to say this, but I kind of agree with your brothers. She’s had a lot of heartache in her life. She really doesn’t need more.”

  Kenton slowed his movements, frowning at his dad. “Do you know something about her that I don’t?”

  His dad shrugged. “I think I know that the last thing you would want is to hurt her. At least I hope I’ve raised you to be that way. Maybe you need to have a conversation with her. Talk to her about what you’re feeling.”

  “That might make things awkward if she doesn’t feel similarly. For now, I’m just being…a friend. To her and Benjie.” Though he suspected that if his family knew how he’d taken Benjie and Elliot shopping, they might argue that point.

  “I can’t tell you what to do, but I’ll be praying for you.” His dad straightened. “One thing I would ask, however, is that you try and work things out with your brothers before Christmas.” He turned to leave then swung back around. “And I would appreciate it if that would include Bennett.”

  Kenton nodded, even though at that poi
nt he’d rather face the league’s toughest goalie in a shoot-out than talk with his brothers.

  With Christmas only a couple of days away, Kenton bit the bullet and sat down with the twins and Tristan the next morning to hash things out. He listened to their concerns again—without the defensive anger this time—and then shared what he was feeling. In the end, they’d just had to agree to disagree on how Kenton should handle things.

  Surprisingly, Gabe seemed to be most accepting of that. “I know what it’s like to love someone and at the same time know that you can’t be what they need. It hurts, so I get why you’re struggling with pushing aside what you’re feeling for Avery. But you have to consider how it might hurt her in the end. Pretty soon, if your feelings for her are strong enough, you’ll get to the point where you’d rather cut off your own leg than hurt her. That will clarify a lot of things for you.”

  Kenton took his words to heart, not even trying to deny that his feelings for Avery were anything but love. Tristan said his piece again and then fell silent, but the tension that had existed between them seemed to dissipate. It also seemed that perhaps Tristan finally realized that Kenton wasn’t selfishly using Avery and Benjie, but that his brother truly was in love with Avery and didn’t know what to do about it.

  Mitch seemed happy to have the other two do the talking, but when they were done, he clapped Kenton on the shoulder and gave him a squeeze before leaving. “I know you’ll do the right thing.”

  Which now left Bennett.

  He would have loved to just put that conversation off for another day, but at this point, he might as well try and get it all taken care of. The thing was, he needed to talk with Grace too. The conflict that existed was really among all three of them. Even though Bennett and Grace had worked things out, Kenton knew he now needed to clear the air with each of them.

  Back in his room, he found Bennett’s contact info and, after letting out a deep breath, he tapped the screen and put it on speakerphone.