Page 10 of Frozen Play

“At least I can apologize now.”

The anger inside was thawing along with my fingers. “I appreciate the apology, and the explanation. It was hard on my brothers too. We were all pretty tight.”

“I got caught up in hockey. Part of that was because I was angry about Dad and Lina, and I escaped into something she wasn’t involved in. I wanted to succeed without her. But the bad part is that I cut out more than my family.”

It didn’t excuse him, but I could understand. I hadn’t had that many interactions with Lina Collins, but if she’d wanted to marry my dad, I’d have done some shit too. “So you’re not close to your family?”

He shook his head. “I mostly avoided them, till I started playing in Toronto. Now, we do the holidays together, but again, hockey keeps me busy. It’s a good excuse.”

“That’s too bad. I always thought your dad was a good guy.”

“He is, but he’s Lina obsessed. He won’t hear anything against her, so it’s easier to keep my distance.”

I had to readjust my brain a bit. But something didn’t make sense. “So if you don’t like this, um, cottage, why did you come here today?”

“There’s a big Christmas party on the twenty-fifth, and I don’t want to be there. Plus, I have this sore shoulder and wanted to rest it for a bit. I didn’t tell the family where I was going, just that I wasn’t going to be there. If I stayed at my home in the city, someone would come over to convince me to attend. There aren’t a lot of places I can go in Toronto where someone might not recognize me. The family won’t be coming here, not with the big party, so it seemed like a safe retreat.”

“You don’t like parties?”

“Lina’s been playing matchmaker and thinks her friend’s daughter would be perfect for me. Since, as we know, Lina will go to great lengths to get what she wants, I figured it would be better to hide out till I’m playing again and have that excuse to be absent. Hopefully by summer she’ll have something else to keep her busy.”

Maybe Quin would keep the woman company instead. The idea didn’t hurt. I’d realized that the Quin I’d crushed on as a teen was not the man he was now. I’d be happy to hear he’d gone bald or got caught doing something stupid on a video that went viral, but mostly I’d put him in a box markedPast Mistakesandforgot about him. “Maybe you should find someone yourself. Keep her from getting ideas.”

“Doesn’t seem likely.”

“Why not? You don’t want to settle down?”

He’d opened his lightweight coat, and the blue cashmere sweater underneath hugged his body. He had a good chest, I could admit. Probably all the hockey players did. Didn’t have to mean anything.

“This is going to sound really clichéd, but I haven’t found anyone yet.”

“You’re looking?” That surprised me. In my head, he just wanted to live it up as a single guy, but what did I know?

“Yeah. I am. Some of my teammates have found their partners these past few months, and I can see how much happier they are. My own family isn’t close, and it would be nice to have someone.”

A few hours ago, I’d have pitied anyone who ended up with the asshole Phin Collins. Now, well, there might be an almost decent guy in there. Maybe a little thoughtless and self-centered, but not self-entitled.

“It’s good to know someone has your back.” I’d happily throttle my brothers half the time, but if one of us got in trouble, I knew they’d be with me.

The corner of his mouth quirked up. “I’d take Riley and Oscar over this place, any day.”

Chapter 6

You’re holding out for Ms. Right?

Phin

There wassomething about the dark space, lit only by the fireplace. The absolute quiet inside the building, with no fridge or heating running in the background, and the noise of the storm outside, gave us the illusion of being the only two people in the world.

I was blaming that for why I’d shared so much of my truth with this girl—woman—who I hadn’t seen for years. She knew who I was now, but she also knew a part of me most people didn’t. The kid who’d been hockey mad but also just a regular kid. I didn’t have to worry about my image and representing the team because she knew the worst about me. She didn’t like me. Possibly used my face as a dart board. No need to pretend with her.

But I was done spilling my guts. There were no distractions here beyond the fire, so it was time to turn the attention to her.

“Tell me how your family is doing. The stuff I’d know if I hadn’t disappeared on you.”

“Okay, but I’m getting closer to the fire.”

It was definitely warmer than outside, but it was still chilly. “The space is so open it’s trying to heat up everything. I’ll check that the doors to the bedrooms and bathrooms are closed at least.”

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