Page 54 of Back On Ice

Chapter Twenty Two

SOPHIE

“Willow Creek CommunityRinks is going to be your new home for the next year,” I tell the group of concerned parents in front of me from behind the front desk. “I’ve met with the manager personally, and she’s assured me that everything will be ready for your kiddos by the start of June. It’s a bit of a longer drive, and the rink is accommodating the currently scheduled practice times as well as they can. And it’s not forever. This time next year, we’ll all be back skating at the Twin Rinks.”

That we could get something set up with Willow Creek has been a life saver, but parents understandably have some concerns and questions. EvenI’ma little antsy about the whole thing, and I don’t have any kids playing hockey. But, that’s what happens when routine and familiarity are thrown out the window.

“Is it true that Carter Williams is paying for all the repairs on the center and paying the fees to the other rink so we can practice?” One mom in front of me asks, her eyes wide.

I smile. “It is. Mr. Williams has taken care of everything, including the contract with Willow Creek.” Not too long ago, that statement would have burned like acid coming out, but now, I’m finding it somewhat of a relief that I have help. That he wants to do this because it matters to him and it’s not just some PR stunt. Between the rinks, coaching, the flower shop, and helping Jordan, I hadn’t realized how much I was drowning until Carter came and took some of the burden away.

“And the last day Twin Rinks is open is May 30th?” A dad asks, making notes on his phone. We scheduled closing to be right after the intramural hockey team championships, before the summer camps start so there’s no interruption in playing for the kids.

“That’s correct, in two weeks. Here are some flyers highlighting everything you need to know.” My hand waves at the flyers stacked at the end of the front desk and then I check my watch. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, I have a hockey team to coach.” They all thank me and grab a flyer, allowing me to head to the rink where my team is practicing.

I start my girls off with warmups, skating across the ice in short sprints, and I can’t help but remember being in their shoes. Well, skates. Being a teenager is hard, but having a team of girls that have your back makes it more bearable. Most of my old team, the Ivy Glen Thorns, have moved away since high school.

Being on the ice, in the exact same place where Carter and I spent so many evenings and weekends together, makes it all too easy to remember how it used to be like… as if it was only yesterday…

“You’re gonna have to go faster than that if you want to catch up to me!” I taunt, turning my head so he can hear me. He’s closer than I had thought, a devious smirk appearing on his face at my words.

Shit talking about who’s the faster skater had turned into a race around the rink. It was free-skate time, but the rink closed in fifteen minutes and we were the only two left. Since my parents extended my curfew last year when we started high school, Carter and I spend a lot of evenings at the rink together.

He comes up next to me now, our pace even. I’ve had feelings for him for a while, so when his arms close around my waist, practically pulling me off my feet, my stomach swoops so violently I feel like I might be sick.

“Carter!” I shriek, stumbling in his hold. We both lose our balance, tumbling over, but he holds a hand to the back of my head, making sure I don’t crack it on the ice. Shit, that’s going to bruise tomorrow.

Before I know it, I’m laying with my back on the ice, breathing hard and looking up into Carter’s endless blue eyes. He’s panting heavily from skating, his hand still under my head. I might have imagined it, but I swear his eyes dart to my lips briefly.

His breath hitches right before I find my voice. “You fucking cheater!” Using all my strength, I push him off me, and his back hits the ice with an “oof”.

“You said I’d have to go faster if I wanted to catch you.” He smiles that blindingly charming smile that turns all the girls at our school into mush.

“I said, ‘catch up to me’, you buffoon.” I laugh, shaking my head. My heart rate is finally slowing down, and when I look up, Carter has gotten up and is holding his hand out to me.

It’s surprisingly warm as it surrounds mine, and as he pulls me to my feet, I find him staring at my face again, his eyes different than I’ve seen them. Darker, more heated. My heart pounds in my chest for an entirely different reason now. Is he getting closer? It doesn’t even seem like he knows he’s doing it.

I’m leaning in too, I realize, and he’s just about to bend down when?—

“Come on, Soph! Carter, do you need a ride home?” Tom bursts through the door, and we jump apart at the sound of his voice.

Tom gives Carter a ride home, the three of us squished into the cab of his pickup truck. It’s a tight fit, but it’s not like I can breathe right now anyway, with the feel of Carter’s side pressed against mine, the backs of our hands resting against each other.

Does he feel it too? All I would need to do is move my hand a little and he’d be holding it. Was he really about to kiss me? Did I want him to?

Of course I did.

Maybe if I tell him how I feel, he’ll feel the same way.

I smile to myself at the memory, then blow my whistle and direct my team to passing drills. I never got the chance to tell him how I felt first, he beat me to it. A few weeks later, when we were doing homework at his house, he confessed his feelings for me. From that point until the championship game our senior year, we had been inseparable in a different way.

When practice ends and my team is heading to the locker room, I spot Carter, Tom, and Jordan entering the rink.

“Hey, guys.”

Carter’s head snaps in my direction, and he meets me at the edge of the rink, halfway bending over the boards as he takes my face in his hands and kisses me breathless. Making me completely forget that we’re in the company of both my brother and nephew.

I could get used to this kind of hello.

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