Page 87 of On the Power Play

Once Jack was up three to one, Jenna joined Country’s team, then switched to play with whoever was down a goal. Even though her toes were cold, it was worth it. Watching Jack skate up close, especially without pads, was like going backstage to a concert. Every movement, every muscle flex, created new shapes—beautiful shapes—and for the first time since high school, Delia thought about picking up a sketchbook.

Jack turned his skates parallel and stopped in front of her. “You going to come out?”

She shook her head and pointed between the three of them. “Not with all that going on.” The air was crisp, and despite wearing Country’s extra gloves, she had her arms wrapped around herself to keep warm. Jenna had vastly underplayed her skillset in the studio. The moment Delia watched her push onto the ice and do a crossover, she’d committed to standing with her blades safely planted in the snow-covered grass.

“Jenna says we have to get back to work.” Country stopped with a scrape next to Jack, sending a snow cone over his skates.

Jenna threw up her hands behind him. “You have a playoff game in four hours. How am I the bad guy?”

Delia breathed a sigh of relief, then shuffled to the log bench next to her and leaned down to unlace her skates.

“Not so fast.” Jack laughed and reached for her arm.

Delia groaned as Country and Jenna slid off the ice and took her place, tugging on their laces. Was Jack really going to make her do this? She turned to the bench. “Neither of you are allowed to watch.” Really, she didn’t want Jack to be the one watching, but since he was holding on to her, it wasn’t a safe option to blindfold him.

Jenna gave her a thumbs-up as Jack led Delia onto the ice. She felt like a toddler, her legs shaking like a newborn foal. She gripped Jack’s arm. “Country wasn’t lying about the pond being frozen through, right?”

He turned them to the middle. “Should we find out?”

“Jack!”

He laughed. “I’m kidding. You saw us skating all over this thing. Yes, it’s frozen.”

It was different when she was the one on the ice. She’d watched them stealing the puck from each other and sprinting down the pond. But since her mind had latched on to the idea of cracking ice and drowning in freezing cold muddy water, she wasn’t thinking straight.

“Okay, let’s start with something simple.” Jack flipped backward and positioned himself in front of her. “Just try to march in place.”

Delia attempted to mimic him. At first, her stiff movements were more akin to stomping than marching, but after a minute she started to feel more steady.

“Is it coming back?” Jack asked.

“Is what coming back? The shame and humiliation of holding onto the boards the whole way around the rink?”

Jack nodded soberly. “Unresolved trauma. Got it.”

Delia rolled her eyes, then gasped as Jack let go of one of her hands.

“You’re okay, I’m just moving back a bit to give you space to push off.”

“Push off where, exactly?” Her voice was tight. Panicked. She wanted to be the cool, easy going girl. The athletic girl who could jump in and try something new and not look like they needed training wheels. But that had never been her lot in life.

Jack grinned like he was enjoying her consternation, his eyes glued to her skates. “Push off with one foot and just let yourself glide. I’ve got you.”

“I can’t.”

“That four-letter word isn’t allowed on my ice.”

“Your ice?”

Jack nodded as he met her eyes. Delia was about to say it wasn’t technically a four-letter word since there was an apostrophe, but the argument died on her lips. Jack’s eyes darkened. That hunger she’d seen the other night in the living room shifted beneath the surface.

She teased her teeth over her lower lip, stuffing down her complaints. “I’ll try.”

“That’s better.”

If her heart hadn’t been in her throat already, it was then. She didn’t want to fall, but with that one phrase of approval, she craved Jack’s praise more than she feared the crash. Delia pushed off into a shaky glide. It lasted barely a second.

“Good.” Jack’s voice was warm as he backed up again. “Bend your knees a bit. Lower center of gravity equals more stability.”

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