Page 3 of Frozen Play

I rubbed my gloves over my cold face. What was supposed to have been a short escape, easy in-and-out, was now a problem. “It looks like it needs some major work. Can you recommend a place?”

She closed her eyes for a moment. “Yeah, I can take it to ours. It’s not going to get done anytime soon though. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.”

I would have to find another way back to Toronto for the twenty-seventh. I doubted there were many rental car locations open up here at Christmas. “Could I pay you to drop me off at the cottage, with my stuff, and then take the car to your garage?” Since I hadn’t planned on going anywhere over the three days, I had time to figure things out. I could still salvage this escape. In fact, the weather would make sure no one would interrupt me.

Skye swiveled around, almost slipping on the ice. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Her eyes blazed with anger and I took a step back. My shoes, not intended for this weather, didn’t have enough traction and I fell, landing on my bad shoulder.

“Fuck,” I yelled as pain stabbed through the joint.

“Are you okay?” For the first time there was something other than anger in Skye’s voice.

I rolled to my good side and pushed up on my knees. She held out her hand and I gambled that she wouldn’t jerk me into another fall. Maybe she hated the Toronto Blaze.

“My shoulder,” I spit out.

“The hit in the third period last night?”

We both froze. I was shocked that she knew what had happened. It didn’t follow with her attitude.

I eyed her carefully. “Yeah. I drove out of the city to rest it before the next game.”

She sighed, shaking her head. “Okay, I’ll take you to your ‘cottage’ first.”

I could hear the quote marks around the word and that was fair. My stepmother had rebuilt our former modest, two-bedroom, one bath, single-story structure into the kind of thing that was in rich people magazines. Five, or maybe six bedrooms. A great room. Not only a huge kitchen inside, but one outside as well that was almost as big as the whole place had been previously.

My stepmotherwasrich people. I didn’t want to be. Even though I was now playing hockey professionally and making more money than the people I’d grown up with. More than Skye and her family, I’d bet.

She checked that my vehicle was in position before she stalked around the truck to the driver’s door and I climbed into the side closest to me. The heater was blasting warmth, fortunately, and I took off my gloves to hold my hands near the vent. Skye didn’t say anything, just put the truck in gear and drove slowly forward. We were quiet. I didn’t want to distract her in these conditions, and I wasn’t sure what to say to her. She was pissed at me, but that didn’t make a lot of sense since we hadn’t been in touch since about the time I was first drafted into juniors. Not long after that, Lina started renovations on the property and I spent summers in hockey camps. I’d only been at the new, improved cottage a couple of times during previous offseasons, but at least I remembered the door code. When I’d wanted an escape, it had seemed like the perfect choice.

Until the snow hit.

If Skye wasn’t pissed at me in particular, then she was pissed at someone else and venting it on me. Asking her about it would only make it worse. So we drove in silence.

It was only a couple of miles, though it took us twenty minutes to get to the turnoff to the cottage. The snow wascoming down harder, and I wondered if she’d be able to get home okay after this. A glance at her clenched jaw and I decided against asking her.

It was half a mile down the side road. One sign there, indicatingLasata, the name Lina had given the new improved place.

There used to be two signs. Two cottages. Until Lina tore them both down to makeLasata.Which brought to mind a question I’d had for years. “Why did you guys sell your cottage?”

Skye’s head whipped toward me and the whole truck skidded.

Chapter 3

My third disaster

Skye

Why didwe sell the cottage?The fucking nerve of this guy. And at the crucial moment when I was turning into the narrow driveway.

We started to spin on the ice. I gripped the wheel tightly but before I could take action to stop the skid, we slid off the road and hit the utility pole. Another one. There was a slam as it connected with the side of the truck, and then the pole toppled over. I held my breath as the hydro wires fell to the road, just missing us.

For a moment, I stared, hands white-knuckling the steering wheel, waiting for the next disaster. Was this two? First Phin, and now the truck? Was there a third one coming?

“Are you okay?”

Phin’s question snapped me out of whatever trance I was in. I relaxed my hands and took stock of my body. My shoulder would probably be bruised from the seat belt but I was okay. I turned to my passenger. “Yeah. Are you?” If I’d injured one of the Blazeplayers, that would be my third disaster and a biggie at that. The team needed Phin, and if I’d made that shoulder worse…

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