Page 56 of Breaking the Ice

“I didn’t have time,” I tell him. “I’ve been busy trying to put out a fire.”

“Firestorm Yolanda?” he asks.

I walk through the living room and out onto the deck. Mac follows. “Yolanda is pregnant,” I tell my brother before sitting down on a reclining chair.

“With your kid?” His horror is apparent.

“That would be physically impossible. But she’s going to tell the world it’s mine.”

He sits down next to me. “Yours or not, that’s gonna make you look bad. You’d better warn Mom.” I hadn’t even thought about how my parents would handle this news.

“Why are you here?” I ask him again. “I thought you were rusticating on your farm.”

“Do you remember Jerry Brinker?”

“The movie producer?”

“That’s him. He’s looking to start a hockey team, and he wants me to help decide the best place to do that.” Mac played for the San Diego Breeze right after college. He trusted me to invest his money and I put it into crypto along with mine. As such, he doesn’t have to work if he doesn’t want to.

“Doesn’t California already have enough NHL teams?” I ask him.

“Yeah, but everyone is talking about how Mexico is the next big thing in hockey. We’re thinking of looking there or maybe even as close by as Santa Barbara.” He shrugs. “I thought it might be fun to be part of a team again.”

“Are you going to play?” Mac officially retired a couple of years ago. He claimed not to like all the politics, but the truth is, I think he was tired of living on someone else’s schedule.

“No way, my team days are over. I just want to be in the mix without taking any more pucks to the side of the head.”

“So, you’d be a part owner?”

“A small part. I don’t want any of the hassle of management or anything.”

I laugh. While Mac and I are twins, he’s way more laid back than I’ve ever been. Even though we both have enough money to last ten lives, I still like to work. My brother likes to dabble. “So, you called to see if you could stay here?” I ask.

He scoffs. “I know I can stay here. I called to ask if you wanted a piece of the new team?”

“Not in a million years,” I tell him. “Once I leave Maple Falls, I’m done with hockey.” I spend the next hour regaling him with stories about the Ice Breakers, the town, and even Ellie. Then I suggest, “Why don’t you ask Troy?”

“I already did. He said he’s got enough on his plate.” Eyeing me closely, he says, “Tell me about this Ellie.”

I don’t even try to play it cool. “She’s amazing. She lives in Maple Falls and takes care of her sick mom. She’s a skating instructor and Troy and Kelly’s all-around helper. She’s beautiful and kind and feisty …”

Mac laughs. “You’ve got it bad, man.”

Nodding my head, I agree. “And at the worst possible time.”

“You mean with Yolanda getting ready to tell the world she’s going to have your baby?”

I practically roar in frustration that this is my life. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I quickly check for messages and find one from Ellie. Standing up, I tell my brother, “I’ve got to make a call. In the meantime, check the kitchen drawer for takeout menus and order us some supper.”

“Why don’t we just go out?” he wants to know.

“Because no one can know I’m here. I need the world to think I’m still in Maple Falls.”

Walking into the house, I head toward the primary bedroom. As much as I love spending time at the beach, the sound of the surf is so loud, you can’t hear anyone on the other end of a call when you’re outside. I tap the button to connect me to Ellie and wait while the phone rings.

“Hello?” Her voice is breathy like she’s just sprinted a mile.

“It’s me,” I tell her.

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