Page 15 of Fate on the Ice

She laughs, shaking her head a couple of times. “I’m not sure how old you are, but you don’t look a day past twenty.”

It’s my turn to laugh at that. “So, it did shave a few years off,” I say with a smile. “Considering I'm twenty-five.”

“So it did,” she whispers. “Well, I better go,” she exhales.

She takes a step backward, but I reach out, wrapping my fingers around her wrist to stop her. My grasp is gentle and light. Even though I want to tighten it and tug her to my lap, I don’t. Grace’s eyes widen at the same time her cheeks tint pink.

Fucking perfection.

We stare at one another in silence for a moment, and then I clear my throat, tugging her closer to me. She takes one step forward, then a second before she stops. She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, and at the same time, I hear something buzzing. Her eyes widen, and her hand slaps against her apron.

Chapter

Seven

GRACE

Otto is so close to me that I can smell his cologne. Oh my God, he’s beautiful. I don’t know how else to describe him. Beautiful fits. Then my stupid phone starts buzzing again inside my apron. I slap my hand against my stomach. I’m not sure what to do or why I’m worried about it.

It’s not like he’ll know who is calling me or why. I should just turn around and walk away. But I can’t. I’m held in place by his eyes. He renders me frozen, completely. My breath hitches, and I wonder what is going to happen next.

“You’re not answering your phone,” Otto points out.

“I’m not,” I whisper.

I don’t know what to say or how to say it, so I don’t say anything else. Otto doesn’t like that at all. He reaches into my apron and takes out my phone. I hold my breath as he flicks his gaze down at the screen.

“Do you know a Hayze?” he asks.

Pressing my lips together, I wonder if I should answer that and, more importantly, how I should answer it.

I don’t want to.

What I want to do is hide away in the back room and pretend he hasn’t been calling me all day long. Pretend he won’t continue to call me over and over until I pick up. Because I know he will. Deep in my bones, I know without a doubt that he won’t stop until I relent.

But when Otto slides his thumb across the phone, then brings it to his ear, and says just one single word—hello—my heart stops.

Lifting my hand, I reach out to take the phone from him, but he has a firm grasp on the device. I begin to tremble and wonder what the fuck is going to happen next. I open my mouth, then snap it closed and open it again.

I have no idea what Hayze is going to say. I don’t know if I want Otto to know anything at this point. I’m trying to start anew here, and he will not help anything. Not a damn thing. But Otto is unbothered by my anxiety and this situation.

“There a reason you’re harassing Grace?” he asks.

My heart stops beating completely. My breath stills. I can do nothing but stare, open-mouthed, at this man. He doesn’t sound angry, but his jaw is set, and he is clearly not thrilled by this situation.

Maybe it’s me he’s not happy with. Maybe it’s something that Hayze says. I don’t know, but I can’t breathe until this conversation is finished. This is far too much for me to stand here and listen to without being able to be part of it, without being able to defend myself.

“Yeah?” Otto asks. “Call back again, and you won’t like what happens.” My breath hitches, and my eyes widen even more. I didn’t think that was possible, but I’m sure they look like they’re about to actually pop out onto the floor. “No. That’s a promise.” He ends the call. Then I watch as he continues to move his thumb around on my phone before he hands it back to me.

“I blocked his ass,” he states. “He tries to call you any other way, I want you to let me know.”

“Why?” I rasp.

He snorts. “Because he was harassing you, honey. And no man should ever harass a woman.”

Tears prick the backs of my eyes. I blink them away, trying not to cry in front of him. “I don’t know what to say,” I whisper.

It’s true. I am at a complete loss for words. I don’t think I’ve ever met a guy who would have done what he just did. Sure, it was just a phone call, but at the same time, nobody has ever stood up for me like this before. Defended me. Whatever you want to call it.

---