Page 11 of Ice Me Baby

“What Lewi means is that it’s nice to know you have a similar sort of humor. And that if we say anything inappropriate, you understand we don’t mean to. Just let us know if you are uncomfortable with anything we say or do, and we will stop.”

Lewi snorts, muttering, “I said what I meant.”

Ozzy kicks him in the leg from his spot on the loveseat. “Be nice!”

Lewi groans, “I am.”

“Try harder,” Tuck huffs beside Ozzy.

As the tension in the room grows, I decide to squash it while I can. “Taz, you have questions for me, right?”

His eyes meet mine. Taking the cue, he nods. “Right. Um… let’s see. Where are you from?”

I smile. “Here, actually. I’m from Tacoma. My parents don’t live too far from here, which is nice.”

“You’re close to your parents?” Lewi asks.

The question catches me a bit off guard, and it takes a moment for my brain to compute. “Oh! Yeah, we are. My parents helped me get through school, even though I told them not to. I’m an only child, but not for lack of trying on my parents' part.”

Oli hops over the couch and sits beside me. “Did you like being an only child?”

I shrug. “I didn’t mind it. Made it hard to get away with anything, though. There wasn’t a little sister or brother to blame stuff on.”

Taz laughs. “I bet.” He scoots a bit closer before leaning back on his hands. “Have you always loved hockey, or was this just the best offer type of thing?”

“This was a dream offer; I love hockey. I watched it with my dad growing up. I purposefully picked teams that he hated when I was younger. I'm pretty sure I almost gave him an ulcer once when I told him my favorite team was based on whoever had the cutest goalie that year.”

The guys chuckle as Oli asks, “Why the goalie?”

I shrug. “My dad’s favorite player was a defenseman. I thought it would be funny.”

“And who is your favorite player?” Vicy questions.

I smirk as I press a finger to my lips. “That’s a trade secret.”

Merc laughs as he joins Taz on the floor. “Fine. Let’s ask the most important question of them all, can you skate?”

I stiffen without meaning to. It isn’t a secret. When Oli appears to notice, he raises a brow. “You good?”

Shaking myself, I force my body to relax again. “Yeah… yeah, I’m good. Um…yeah, I can skate.”

Merc, seeming to realize that it is a sensitive subject, quickly changes it. “Well, guys, it seems we have a keeper. She gets our sense of humor, likes dirty jokes, and she can skate.”

“She’s pretty too,” Taz adds with a grin.

Vicy hums beside me. “Mhm, that is a good point.”

I playfully smack him with the back of my hand. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Vicy shrugs. “It’s a good point is all I’m saying. The last guy was old, and now we have a pretty lady looking after us.”

Narrowing my eyes a bit, I ask, “So you only like me because I’m pretty.”

“I most certainly never said that.”

“You implied it.” I turn to Oli beside me, trying to hide my smirk as I say, “Didn’t he? He implied he only likes me because I’m pretty.”

Oli nods, continuing the charade. “He did. I heard it.”

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