by Jen Gilroy
“I haven’t checked my phone in a while.” The lie burned Luc’s tongue. He’d checked his phone obsessively, but none of the texts or calls had ever been from Cat. He hadn’t thought he could love again, but he’d been so wrong. His stomach fluttered.
“I admit I wasn’t totally thrilled at first with you and my sister getting together, but you’re good for Cat. You calm her down and make her laugh. She hasn’t been as serious lately.” Nick crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Is everything all right with you two?”
“Why don’t you ask Cat?” Luc swallowed.
Nick had his court face on and that was never a good sign.
“I did, but she told me to stay out of her business.” Nick’s don’t-mess-with-me voice was another bad omen.
“Then I can’t tell you anything more.” Luc kept his voice even. “She’s a grown woman.”
“Fair enough.” At Nick’s hesitation, Luc sweated even more. “However, if you do anything to hurt Cat, I won’t stand by. Our dad leaving nearly destroyed all of us, and Cat has never really gotten over it. Then there was Amy’s dad. If I’d ever gotten my hands on that rat bastard…” Nick flexed his fingers, as if to remind Luc that, although he sat behind a desk all day, Nick had a trainer on speed dial.
Luc gave what he hoped was an offhand, no-comment kind of shrug. Except, maybe he had hurt her. His knees wobbled. He hadn’t said he loved Cat because everything about her threw him so off-balance he hadn’t been able to get the words out. He thought she’d know how he felt. Which made him a bigger dumbass than he’d ever thought he could be.
“Hey, Coach.” Amy skated onto the ice and waved at him. “You ready for me?”
“Sure.” At least he’d make himself go through the motions, and Amy was a distraction from her way-too-sharp uncle. The guy had worked in New York City for years, and despite settling into Firefly Lake and a cozy life with Mia two weeks out of every four, he hadn’t lost either his big-city savvy or his ability to cut through bullshit and read people. “I gotta go.” Luc gave Nick the smile he’d perfected through dealing with nosy reporters his entire adult life; slick and meaningless but with a carefully honed air of sincerity.
“I have to take care of some paperwork, Amy, but I’ll be right up there in the bleachers.” Nick shot another speculative gaze at Luc. “Let me know if you need anything, or if Coach Luc works you too hard.”
“Okay.” Amy blinked at Luc. “Why would you work me too hard?”
“No reason.” Except, her uncle had a stick up his ass, and, like a hound tracking a scent, he guessed something was up and wouldn’t rest until he’d figured out what it was. “Let’s do a few laps to warm up. I’ll skate with you.” Even though Luc didn’t usually do laps with Amy, and he was already warmed up to the boiling point, he wanted to keep an eye on her for Cat. It had nothing to do with keeping as far away as possible from Mr. Hotshot Attorney.
“Good job, Amsey.” Twenty minutes later, Luc’s breathing had eased. Hockey was his place and still, to his surprise, coaching got him into almost the same zone playing once had. Especially coaching Amy, because she was magic on the ice. Except, the thoughts of Cat were still there. The love was, too. A love that he’d been too stupid to tell her about.
“Coach?” Amy glided to a stop beside him. “I know we’re not done with practice yet, but can I talk to you for a minute?” She glanced at Nick, who was on his cell and focused on his laptop screen three rows back from the ice. “Kind of in private?”
“Sure.” Luc gestured to the away team’s bench on the other side of the arena from Nick. “Is here okay?”
“I guess so.” Amy undid the strap on her helmet and pulled it off. Her hair was plastered to her head, and her usually rosy face was white.
“Do you need a rest?” Unease pricked Luc. She wasn’t sick, was she? She was so keen that he sometimes forgot to slow down. “You should have said so earlier.”
“I’m not tired.” She licked her chapped lips. “I’ve made a big mistake, and I don’t know how to fix it.” She sat on the bench and her shoulders slumped inward.
“Have you talked to your mom?” Luc sat beside her.
Nick was still on the phone, but once he got off, the guy would be over here sticking his nose in like the best of the Firefly Lake gossips.
“Mom’s part of the mistake, so I can’t.” Amy’s words came out in a burst.
Luc’s stomach quivered. “Are you or your mom hurt or in some kind of trouble?”
“Not exactly.” She laced her fingers together. “But I’ve done something really dumb, dumber than anything I ever did before. And I’ve made Mom sad and maybe even sick. Aunt Georgia took her to the doctor. Mom didn’t want to go, but Aunt Georgia made her.”
“How could you have made your mom sick? Your uncle Nick said she’s got bronchitis or something.” Luc’s tight breathing eased.
“Even though she’s still coughing a lot, I don’t think it’s bronchitis. When Aunt Georgia told my mom she had to go to the doctor, Aunt Georgia also said Mom couldn’t leave it any longer, but I don’t know what it is. Mom would be mad if she found out I talked to you, but you’re part of the problem.” Amy’s eyes were anxious.
“How so?” Luc tried to make his voice gentle.
“Mom doesn’t want to see you anymore because of me.” Amy’s voice wobbled. “Even though I said I was sorry and you’re still coaching me and everything, it’s because you’re coaching me that Mom doesn’t think she can go out with you. I was afraid Mom would like you better than me, so I said some bad stuff to her.”
“Aww, Amsey, it’s not your fault.” Luc put a hand to his head. “Your mom will always like you best. As for me coaching you, it’s my privilege. It doesn’t have anything to do with your mom.”
“I get that now, but even though Mom likes you a lot, she won’t go out with you because people talked about her and you coaching me. If you don’t coach me anymore, you can date Mom again and she’ll be happy, like she was before, instead of so sad.” Amy’s trusting expression made another fissure in Luc’s heart. “Even though the kids at school haven’t said anything since Coach Scott talked to them, I’m scared they still could. If you’re not coaching me, I wouldn’t have to worry about that, either.”
“It’s not that simple.” Luc’s stomach clenched. What had he said to Amy once? He wouldn’t have any bullies on his team. “I appreciate that you’re trying to help, but you’re only twelve.”
“Twelve and a quarter. I’ll be thirteen in nine months.” She let out a long breath. “If I had to, I’d even give up hockey for my mom, not only coaching with you.”
“Even though your mom is anxious about you getting hurt, she wouldn’t ever want you to give up hockey.” Luc rubbed his forehead. The bullies might not be on his team, but they were still out there. No matter what happened between him and Cat, he had to take a stand.
“But… Mom’s not happy, and I don’t know how to fix it.” This time Amy’s voice broke. “She also made tuna noodle casserole twice this week.”
“What does tuna noodle casserole have to do with any of this?” Luc gave Amy’s shoulder a rough pat.
“Mom knows I hate tuna, but I ate three helpings of that casserole anyway and she never noticed.” Amy made an aggrieved face. “And she’s watching really lame movies over and over. Pride and Prejudice and a whole bunch of other ones she borrowed from the library. Then she cries, except for when she’s being sick.”
Luc’s legs shook. “What do you mean she’s being sick?”
“Throwing up sick. She says it’s because of Aunt Josette’s lobster bisque, but that was ages ago. Even though that soup was gross, why would Mom still be sick now? When I had food poisoning last year, I was sick as sick but it didn’t last long.”
Cat couldn’t be pregnant, could she? Luc’s head got light. They’d used a condom every time. New condoms. Apart from the first time. The condom he’d had in his wallet. The trembling spread from his legs to his chest
and then his hands. He’d told her… oh crap… he’d said he didn’t want kids. He’d as much as made it a condition of marrying her.
“Are you okay, Coach? You look almost as sick as Mom.” Amy’s voice was worried.
“I’m not sick.” At least not sick in the way Amy meant. Luc tried to work moisture into his desert-dry mouth.
“You said your mom’s crying a lot?” When Maggie was pregnant, the slightest thing would set her off.
“Yeah, it’s weird, because Mom doesn’t cry usually.” Amy shook her head. “I hope I never get like that.”
“You wait until somebody puts an Olympic medal around your neck.” Luc tried to smile through his anesthetized lips. “Then you’ll want to cry, for sure.”
“You think that will really happen?” Amy’s eyes widened.
“As long as you keep on the way you’re going, I don’t see why not.” He cleared his throat. “And I’ll be there cheering you on.”
“That’s years away. Right now, I want to make Mom feel better, but I don’t know how.” Amy leaned against his shoulder, and, although Luc wasn’t usually a crier either, the warmth and trust in that gesture made his eyes smart. Or maybe it was also the thought of Cat, the woman he loved, pregnant, alone, and still so determined to handle everything by herself.
“You did the right thing to tell me.” He might not have wanted to risk having kids, but if Cat was having his kid, he’d be there for her whether she liked it or not. And even if she didn’t love him like he loved her.
“You think you can help Mom?”
“I’m sure of it. I’m also sure I won’t have to stop coaching you, either.” Luc’s heart swelled with that new and still bewildering love, along with worry and a whole lot more. Cat must be so scared and confused. “How do you think I measure up to that Mr. Darcy guy?”
Amy studied him. “You’re okay-looking, almost as good as the one in the movie.” A small, sweet smile tugged at one corner of her mouth.
Almost. Luc would take that. He’d take anything if it meant he could get Cat back. “What else?”
“Mr. Darcy did some dumb stuff, but he made it up to Lizzy in the end. He was also real rich, so maybe that helped, and he had a great house. Mom likes his house.”
The band around Luc’s ribcage pressed tight. He’d done more dumb stuff than Mr. Darcy ever had, and Cat didn’t care how rich he was. Although, before the dumb stuff, she’d seemed to like his new house.
“I guess it hasn’t always seemed that way, but I’d kind of like it if you and Mom got together.” Amy’s voice was low. “Before I got jealous, I made this list of stuff I thought a great dad should do. You ticked every box.”
Luc’s eyes stung. “If I had a great daughter list, you’d tick every box on it, too. How do you feel about that?”
“Okay.” The word was a soft whisper, then Amy reached for Luc’s hand and looped her fingers with his.
“Good.” He folded her small hand in his. “I’ll talk to your mom, but I might need your help.” If Cat froze him out, he’d have to use everything he had to reach her.
“How could I help you?” Amy’s expression was puzzled.
“Your mom doesn’t want to talk to me right now.” Which he deserved, but if Cat gave him another chance, Luc would spend the rest of his life making it up to her.
“Oh.” Amy’s voice was small. “I’ll try to help, but you can’t tell Mom I talked to you.” She gripped his hand. “Promise?”
“I promise.” Luc spoke around the pulsing emotion in his throat. Amy’s trust was a precious gift he’d never abuse.
“There’s something else, maybe even worse.” Amy’s mouth worked. “I told Mom… I made it sound like if you two ever got together, I’d hate it if she had a baby, because everybody loves babies best. But if someday… I mean… it might be okay.” She hesitated. “Besides, Mom says hearts are stretchy and there’s always more than enough love to go around.”
“Your mom’s right.” The truth reverberated in Luc’s head like the big Chinese gong in the party room at the Pink Pagoda. He’d never stop loving Maggie, but his heart was plenty big enough for Cat, Amy, and dozens of babies. “Baby or not, you’ll always have a place in my heart, Amsey. Your place. No baby could ever take that away.” Luc rubbed his free hand across his eyes. “Besides, a baby couldn’t play hockey for years and years. Maybe it wouldn’t be athletic at all.”
Amy let out an infectious giggle. “It could be exactly like Mom.”
But no matter what their baby was like, Luc would love it with everything he had to give. Like he loved Cat and had assumed she knew but had been too caught up in himself to tell her. Given that half-assed proposal, no wonder she’d turned him down. He’d make this right, no matter what and how long it took. He’d make things better for Amy, too. He gave her hand one last squeeze. “We’re a team, Amsey.”
“And we’re gonna kick spaghetti.” She knocked the heels of her skates against his.
Nick appeared by the bench with his laptop under one arm. “Is practice over already?”
“No, we were talking strategy.” Luc winked at Amy. “If you’re going to play the game, you have to know strategy. Right, Amsey?” He gave Nick a bland smile.
“Right.” Amy gave Luc a high five and grinned.
“Now we have work to do.” Luc stood and rolled his shoulders.
“Very important work.” Amy clomped over to the ice and fixed her helmet back on her head. “Wanna race, Coach?”
“You bet.”
“But…” Nick stared at Luc a little too long.
Luc stared back.
Amusement twinkled in Nick’s eyes. “I’ll be damned.” He made a wheezing sound that might have been a laugh, then clapped Luc on the back. “You’ve sure met your match in my sister.”
Luc hoped like hell he had. “I…” He stopped. He wouldn’t tell Cat’s brother anything before he talked to the woman herself.
“I’m happy for you, really.” This time Nick did laugh. “But if you’ve pissed her off, Cat has sharp claws.”
Like Luc didn’t already know that. He glanced at the ice, where Amy waited for him. He had an unexpected ally in Cat’s daughter, though, and he wasn’t afraid to use it.
“Good luck, bro. I can’t help you out. Cat has always known her own mind, and she’s never thanked me for getting involved in her business, but I won’t stand in your way.”
“Thanks.” Luc skated onto the ice with new determination. The only person standing in his way was Cat herself. And a whole team of guys chasing after the Stanley Cup would be less formidable.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Cat cupped a hand over her nose and moved across the arena lobby toward the reception desk. The scent of stale beer, sweat, and hockey equipment never dissipated, despite the almost around-the-clock efforts of the cleaning crew.
“Amy? Hurry up, honey.” She glanced at her daughter several steps behind her, then nodded at a guy with a mop and bucket outside the home team’s locker room.
He gestured with his mop and grinned. “Coach Luc’s in his office.”
“Thanks, but we’re here to see Stephanie.” Luc was the last person Cat wanted to see. She rummaged in her tote bag and pulled out a sheaf of papers. She’d already dropped off Amy’s medical records once, so why Stephanie couldn’t find them was a mystery. As was why she wouldn’t accept scanned copies and insisted both Cat and Amy had to come in.
“I’m just leaving.” Behind the reception desk, Stephanie pulled a coat on over her cozy pink sweater and tailored jeans. Unlike Stephanie’s usual, several-sizes-too-small wardrobe, the outfit was one Cat might have chosen for herself.
“I thought you said you’d be here until five thirty.” Cat glanced at the wall clock above Stephanie’s desk. It was only a few minutes past five, and she’d closed the gallery early and raced over when the other woman had called to make sure she’d have plenty of time to fix whatever had gone wrong.
Stephanie made an apolog
etic face. “Something came up.”
“No worries, I’ll leave the paperwork here. Call me Monday morning if you need anything else. I dropped off copies before, remember? And why do you need to see Amy? She was in the middle of homework.” She gestured to her daughter, who seemed intent on avoiding Cat’s gaze.
Stephanie shrugged. “Bureaucracy. I have to tick all those little boxes, you know?”
“Well, now that you’ve seen her we can go. Ready, Amy?” If she could get out of here before Luc came out of that office, she could avoid talking to him for one more day.
“Mom.” Amy shrugged away Cat’s touch. “There’s no rush. Since we’re here anyway, why don’t we get a snack? Maybe there’s a figure skating practice or something going on. It’s Friday. I have all weekend to do homework.”
“You don’t like figure skating—”
“You can’t leave the paperwork here.” Stephanie’s tongue clicked against her teeth. “It’s confidential. You have to talk to Luc.” She turned to Amy. “Go right in, honey. The coach wants to talk to you as well.”
“No… Amy… come back here.” Cat bit her lip as the door of the coaching office banged shut behind her daughter. “I’ll come back first thing Monday morning.” As soon as she retrieved Amy, they’d review what listening meant.
“The camp deadline’s tonight.” Stephanie came around the desk and made another apologetic face. “Luc’s right through there. He’s expecting you.”
“But I…” Cat tightened her grip on the papers. There had to be another option.
“No exceptions.” Stephanie’s face went as pink as her sweater and she stared at her boots. “I said that to you before, didn’t I?”
“It doesn’t matter, I—”
“Yes, it does matter.” Stephanie fiddled with the strap of her enormous handbag. “If I don’t say this now, maybe I never will. How I treated you when we were kids wasn’t right. What happened to Amy at school… it wasn’t right, either. I just wanted to say… you know… I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.” Cat’s face heated.
“You were always going places. I wasn’t. The biggest thing in my life was going to the state cheering championships.” She hunched her shoulders. “My mom and I went on a bus trip to Nashville last summer when my ex had the boys, but that’s it. I’ve never even been to New York City. Every New Year’s Eve when the boys are asleep, I sit on the sofa and watch that big ball in Times Square on TV and I…” Her mouth trembled.