Page 14 of Dreams on the Ice

The two women’s bodies jerk, and I watch as Kiki actually snarls toward me. I almost laugh. Almost, but I don’t. Because I can’t let my guard down with these people. They are, without a doubt, straight-up vipers.

“It’s so lovely to meet you all,” I say, my voice and tone sugary sweet. I will never give them anything. Not an ounce of weakness. Not a damn thing.

Holding out my hand, I wait for one of them to shake it, but neither of them does. They leave me hanging. I almost laugh but decide against it. Nothing about them intimidates me at all whatsoever, but I don’t want there to be a catfight, either.

I mean, I’d come out the winner if there were any kind of physical altercation, but I know that Forrest has me here for a reason, and I’m going to be everything he needs me to be. Even if I want nothing more than to take this bitch down by her overly processed and damaged hair.

“Forrest, I have been begging Mummy to get us together for years. You just never come around any longer. What have we done to offend you?” Kiki asks, poking her bottom lip out in a fake pout.

God, I’m ready to slap her just for being annoying. I don’t, even though I really,reallywant to. Biting the inside of my cheek, I try to keep myself composed. Breathing in and out of my nose, I focus on her for a moment, then shift my attention to Forrest’s mother.

She’s smiling.

She loves this. Why wouldn’t she, though? She’s curated it. If I didn’t think this was a planned setup before, I know it is now. When her gaze flicks to me, her smile turns to a smirk before she shifts her attention away.

“Offend?” Forrest says. Then he continues. “I’ve been busy playing hockey. There is a lot of training and travel that goes with that. And then there’s Brooklynn.”

I don’t miss the snarl that crosses Kiki’s face at the mention of my name. My lips curve up into a smile, and I tug on Forrest’s arm as I look up into his eyes. He tips his chin down to me, and I curl closer to his body the way any lover would.

His mouth turns up into a small smile, and for the first time since being here at this party, that smile reaches his eyes. His hand slides around my waist, and he tugs me a little closer to his body. Then he clears his throat and shifts his attention back to the bitches.

When I look at them, I can’t help but smile at the expressions they wear. Anger, hate, and jealousy. It’s great, the best even. Even if nothing else comes out of this, I want to watch these three conniving witches get their just desserts.

All of them.

Even Forrest’s mother, because I have a feeling she’s the worst of them all. This is probably only the tip of what she’s done.

“Then there is Brooklynn,” Kiki says, her face looking as if she’s sucking on a lemon.

Forrest clears his throat. “Yes, we spend a lot of time together when she’s not working. Brooklynn owns her own salon. She lives across the street from me. That’s how we met.”

“Her own salon? How quaint.”

I almost laugh because I know they’re trying to make me feel bad for my career, likely because they don’t have them aside from being mean. But I decide against it. Instead, I give them a big smile. I don’t know what else to do, so I'm going to act as if they don’t affect me. Because they don’t. These women have zero bearing on me, my life, or my future.

Chapter

Seven

FORREST

I pressmy lips together and roll them a few times. I consider this night a success even if my mother considers it a failure… which is the main reason that I consider it a success. But it doesn’t help my cause to get ahold of my inheritance, so there is that.

Brooklynn’s back is to me as she stands at the edge of the pool house, her gaze on the twinkling party lights in the distance. My eyes are on her fantastic ass. The party is finished, and everyone has gone to bed or home, but the lights will stay on tonight until everything is cleaned up tomorrow.

With a glass of wine in one hand and a beer in the other, I move to her side and hold out the wine. She reaches for the glass, her fingers wrapping around the stem before she inclines her head slightly and whispers a thanks.

“Are you ready to run yet?” I ask.

She hums, lifting the glass to her lips before taking a small sip. “I hope I was okay tonight,” she whispers.

Bringing my bottle to my mouth, I suck down some beer before I clear my throat. “You were amazing. I don’t know how you did it.”

“Did it?” she asks.

Turning my head, I shift my gaze to hers. Slowly, she turns her head, too, and her eyes find mine. “How you were able to shrug them off, all of them. Because every single person tonight was a snobby asshole.”

Brooklynn’s lips curve up into a smile before she brings the glass back to her lips, taking another drink.

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