Page 27 of Ice Cold Heart

Right. Lunch. I hadn’t realized so much time had passed. Honestly, I was surprised Marco’s noise torture was working. I could barely hear his music with the door closed, and I liked most of the Broadway showtunes he seemed to prefer. A couple of them I’d seen live when they toured in Dallas.

I beckoned him to come out of the office because I refused to have a text conversation with someone I could see. The quiet undertone of Marco’s music shut off, and the man himself came out shortly after.

“Where do you want to go?” I asked him when he approached my desk.

“I know a great place.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I thought you didn’t like paying for food in the middle of the day?”

He waved away my suspicious question. “This is a special occasion. You’re new and need to be trained in the ways of eating at TU.”

I stood and grabbed my messenger bag. “I’m not that new. I’ve been here a couple of weeks.”

Marco linked his arm through mine and led me up the stairs. “You’re new to me, so prepare yourself. I know all the best places to eat for cheap in Addison.”

We reached the top of the stairs, and he steered me toward the entrance. “What about your girlfriend? Shouldn’t you be taking her to lunch?”

“She’s home sick today. I’m going to swing by and drop something off for her. She hates being babied when she’s not feeling well. Absolutely refuses to let me in, but she’ll accept food offerings.”

“Ah, so we’re doing double duty. I hope your girlfriend appreciates it.”

He led me to a beat-up Toyota. “She knows I’m a delight—an efficient delight.”

I hesitated with my fingers on the handle. Marco was outgoing and fun, but I really didn’t know him well. If he wanted to murder me, this would be a fantastic set-up.

His head popped up over the roof again. “Everything okay?”

Marco’s face was open and concerned. He didn’t look like a serial killer, but I was under the impression they never did. If psychopaths could be picked out easily, they’d be a lot less effective at murdering people.

I snorted at the train of my thoughts and smiled at Marco. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”

He started up the car as I slid in next to him. Cole was probably right about my tendency to search for danger everywhere. The habit wasn’t just a side effect of living in big cities all my life. My mom had drilled into me at every opportunity how the world was out to get us, her in particular.

I’d learned to anticipate when she’d devolve into a narcissistic spiral obsessing over all the wrongs done to her. Marco deserved better than constant suspicion from me. So did Cole for that matter. I purposely guided my thoughts away from my dad, the third man in my life. He’d made his choice, his suspicion was deserved.

Marco let me stew while he navigated the parking lot, but when he hit the road, he nudged my leg. “What’s going on with you and Cole Mathis? Tell me everything. If there’s nothing, make something up. I need to live vicariously through you.”

I let out a surprised laugh. “Why? I state again, for the record, you have a girlfriend. Live your own dirty fantasies.”

He sent me some deep side-eye. “Oh, I do, but none of my real-life fantasies involve Cole Mathis. A guy can dream.”

I desperately didn’t want to discuss Cole’s sexuality after the near miss last night, so I nudged Marco in a different direction. “Has Seb always been an asshole or is it a recent development?”

“Always, as far as I know. I’ve been working with Jonah for almost three years, and from day one, Seb was antagonistic. He’s gotten a tiny bit mellower over the years, but the day I met him, he made a shitty comment about one of the other staff writers. It was all downhill from there. He’s a senior, and I have one more year. I can’t wait for the freedom after he graduates, though I’m terrified for who he’ll pick to take his spot.”

Interestingly, Marco’s experience was similar to mine. I’d been willing to give Seb the benefit of the doubt, but his immediate disdain for Marco cemented him in enemy territory. On the plus side, Marco felt like a gift. He was easy to talk to, impressively loyal, and I already knew his mischievous streak was going to get me in trouble.

Marco nudged me again, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Now about Cole.”

Shit. I needed a better distraction—and I had a pretty good idea of something I could use. Hockey players in their natural environment.

12

Two days later, I couldn’t believe I was voluntarily attending a hockey practice. Not just any hockey practice, a TU hockey practice with my dad at the helm and the guy I was trying really hard not to think about naked stretching his groin on the ice.

I hadn’t seen Cole in days. We’d texted and made plans to meet today after practice for his second session. Despite his best efforts, I’d avoided answering Cole’s many, many questions. He didn’t give up. The constant effort of holding myself back was wearing thin.

Marco nudged me with his shoulder and nodded toward the bench. “Should we go talk to your dad first?”

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