Page 81 of Expose on the Ice

We stroll along the shoreline, the water lapping gently at the rocks. The silence between us is comfortable, but I can feel the weight of everything that has happened hanging in the air. The day has been momentous for both of us, and the silence is helping us to digest it a little.

"So," Carter finally says, his thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand, comforting me. "How’d it go with Frank?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "Oh, you know. About as well as you’d expect when confronting a misogynistic asshole who thinks he’s God’s gift to journalism."

Carter’s grip on my hand tightens. "That bad, huh?"

"Worse," I admit. "He refused to can the story. Said it was his job to ‘print the news,’ as if stealing my work and betraying my trust was noble."

"Asshole," Carter offers.

I kick a pebble, watching it skip across the water. "And he had the audacity to tell me that if I couldn’t handle it, I was in the wrong profession."

Carter stops walking, turning to face me. His eyes are dark with anger. "He said that to you?"

I nod, feeling the sting of tears threatening to spill over. "Yeah. And then he fired me."

"Lily, I’m so sorry," Carter says, pulling me into another hug. "This is all my fault. If you’d?—

I cut him off, pushing back to look him in the eye. "If I’d sold you out? No."

A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Not sure what I did to deserve you…"

"Ditto," I say. We resume our walk, and I feel some tension leave my body. "At least the story is dead. I mean, I’m out of a job and my career is probably in shambles, but at least your secret is safe. Getting Mark and the players to organize a boycott? Frank’s head nearly exploded, and doubly so when he had to sign the paperwork for my severance."

CARTER

I laugh, feeling lighter than I have in years. "Well, well, well. Look at you, Miss Moneybags. I guess you’re my sugar momma now, huh?"

Lily snorts, playfully shoving my shoulder. "Oh, please. With that NHL salary of yours? I don’t think so, hotshot."

"Hey, every bit helps," I tease, pulling her close. "Maybe you can buy me dinner sometime."

She rolls her eyes, but I can see the smile tugging at her lips. "Thank you for organizing that whole boycott thing. I still can’t believe you pulled it off."

I shrug, trying to play it cool even as warmth spreads through my chest. "It was a team effort, really. Once I explained the situation to Coach Carson and Mark, they were surprisingly understanding."

"Really?" Lily’s eyebrows shoot up. "I thought they’d be pissed."

"Oh, they weren’t thrilled," I admit. "But I think they appreciated the honesty. And, let’s be honest, I’m their meal ticket, and they’ve seen how I’ve changed since… since you came into my life."

Lily’s cheeks flush, and I can’t resist leaning in to kiss her.

"Anyway," I continue, "once the team found out what was going on, they rallied around me. Echo was the one who came up with the boycott idea. Said if the media wanted to play dirty, we could too."

"Remind me to buy that man a beer," Lily murmurs.

I nod. "It doesn’t mean everything’s magically fixed, though. There’s still going to be a league investigation, probably the police, too…" I trail off, the weight of it all settling on my shoulders again.

Lily squeezes my hand, her touch grounding me. "What are you worried about?"

I stare out at the lake, watching the last rays of sunlight dance across the water. "My mom, mostly. She’s been alone all these years. Dad in prison, me off playing hockey, Sarah…" I swallow hard. "It’s a lot."

"Carter," Lily says softly, but I can’t stop now that the floodgates have opened.

"And my dad… he’s been stuck rotting in prison all this time, taking the fall for something I did. Long days, lonely nights… He’s missed out on so much of his life."

Lily turns to face me, her green eyes fierce. "Hey, stop that. You were just a kid when it happened. Your parents made their choices."

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