Page 2 of Frozen Play

I tightened my lips. Hopper’s Lane was close to where we used to have a cottage.Before. I hated the reminder of how we lost our place. We’d grown up neighbors with the Collinses and they’d repaid us by taking our happy place. This stupid asshole better be an easy tow. I knew how to do this kind of job, but I only drove the truck in emergencies. I wasn’t as big as my brothers if brute strength was needed.

My dad had invested heavily in the garage before he died. It supported our family, and I did my part. No one else was good with numbers, so I took care of the administration side, and I kept things from the financial brink. Barely.

I pulled on Oscar’s old jacket, ugly but warm, and grabbed a toque and gloves. With a last sigh, I lifted the key for the smaller tow truck from the board. The sooner I started, the better my chances of getting back before Rowan’s performance was over.

Chapter 2

You’re okay to do this?

Phin

I was getting cold.Really cold. My fingers and toes had started that pins and needles tingling, but I didn’t want to run the vehicle for too long since the fuel was at a quarter tank. The tow hadn’t got here yet, and I didn’t want to be without any source of heat in case it didn’t arrive for a while.

When I finally saw the lights of a truck approaching, I let out a long breath, visible in the cool air inside my SUV. I flexed my feet and hands to make sure they’d work and carefully stepped out into the snow. My shoes didn’t have enough tread to handle the ice if I lost my balance.

Even if this wasn’t my tow, I needed to get somewhere warm ASAP. I’d pay the driver to take me to Newfell, the nearest town. No one would refuse to help in these conditions, right? Hell, I’d use my hockey status to convince them if needed.

The truck slowed and stopped cautiously beside me, rear tires slipping even at that speed. The door hadDuvall Towingon it. The name brought back memories. The family with the cottage next to us when we were growing up were called Duvall.Could this be one of the boys, or a relative? Damn, I should have kept in touch. We’d been friends, before.

I stamped my feet, rubbing my hands together, and the driver’s door opened. Down stepped a woman swathed in a bulky coat that hid most of her figure. Even bundled up and in the limited light, she was pretty. About my age, and possibly familiar.

“Uh, hi. I’m really glad to see you. Are you—wait, Skye?” A big grin crossed my face. Skye was the younger sister of Riley and Oscar Duvall, the guys I’d hung around with every summer before Dad married Lina and I threw myself into hockey to escape my family. This was excellent. I could catch up on the family, maybe arrange to see them while I was here?—

Her angry voice cut in. “Nofuckingway. Phin Collins?”

I knew that voice, but I hadn’t heard it angry like that since the time we’d put snails in her bed. “Yeah, it’s me. Wow, it’s been a minute.”

Something like a growl sounded in her throat. “You need a tow?”

My brain was a little scrambled. Skye Duvall had certainly grown up. During summers at the cottage, she used to hang out with my little brother, and the two of them would try to tag along with me and Riley and Oscar. Pitting the memory of that kid against this angry woman was a total disconnect.

I obviously needed a tow. My Honda was firmly stuck in the ditch and was slowly disappearing under a coating of snow. There were no businesses or houses close by, and it was cold, snowy and freezing here. If she was angry enough to drive away, I was in serious trouble.

“Well?” Her voice was brusque. Maybe she’d been in the middle of something when she got the call.

“Yeah, I need to get pulled out.”

Her lips tightened. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

Was I spoiled? I played in the top professional hockey league which brought me money and some celebrity, especially in Toronto. People knew my name and I had fans who wore my jersey, but I’d never had someone so unhappy to help me out before.

Skye stomped around the truck, muttering.

“You’re okay to do this?”

Wow, she could look even angrier. “No, I drove the truck out here because I’m useless.”

“I didn’t mean—” But she ignored me, heading to the hook. She’d stopped the truck in the perfect position to pull me out. No wonder she was pissed that I was questioning her. Time to put aside the kid I remembered and deal with the competent woman handling my problem.

I stood, feeling useless, as she placed the hook on the undercarriage of my vehicle. I couldn’t see much of her, just the oval of her face, everything else bundled up to keep warm. Smart. I had come with a lightweight coat for driving, leather gloves, and no hat.

Once it was set up to her liking, she did something on the side of the truck, and the cable started to pull my ride out.

I winced. As the back end came in view, so did the damage. Was it even driveable?

Skye came around the side of my Honda, narrowed eyes assessing it. She didn’t look any happier, though I was pretty sure the condition of my vehicle meant more work for someone local, maybe even her family. She must have been in the middle of something good before I called in. My brain was helpful about suggesting dirty things that might have been interrupted, but I slapped those thoughts away. It didn’t matter. She was here, doing her job, and I needed her to do it well. I certainly shouldn’t perv over her.

She crossed her arms. “You can’t drive it like this. So where do you want me to take it?”

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