Page 8 of Back On Ice

“...he was always such a kind young man…”

Shit. I can’t bring myself to look at him. If I do… I don’t know if I’ll run into his arms like a pathetic love-struck idiot, or punch him in the face. Instead, I focus on the front of the room.

I swear the entire council now has hearts for eyes as they look at him. “Of course, Mr. Williams,” Ms. Sinclair purrs at him. Thirsty bitch. “Please, the floor is all yours. Ms. Hartwell’s time hadjustrun out.”

All of my panic turns to annoyance.

Of course. I don’t look at him out of spite as his footsteps sound across the now silent room. There’s probably a vein popping out of my head right now. Where the hell does he get off coming in here and interrupting me?

Huffing, I cross my arms, still staring at the council as they all stare star-struck at Carter. Well, besides Oscar and Mr. Wixx. I can feel Carter’s gaze burning the side of my head, but it takes all of my self-control not to turn my head. I wonder if he looks the same. If there’s any trace of the small-town boy who loved me then left me high and dry, or if that’s all been washed away by fame and fortune. If there’s any justice in the world, he’ll be missing a few teeth and had his nose broken one too many times to be as gorgeous as he’d been back then.

He clears his throat before speaking. “I’ve offered to work with Benson Scott on the repairs for the rec center. If it all works out, I’ll be donating whatever funds are required for reconstruction. The rec center is a staple for the community of Ivy Glen, and we shouldn’t give it up if there’s something we can do about it. That being said, its structure and layout are completely outdated, and I believe it would benefit from a major transformation.”

“I completely agree,” Mr. Gibbons nods like a fucking bobblehead, and the rest of the council sounds their agreement.

This is ridiculous.

I have been fucking trying formonthsto save the rec center, and Carter ‘NHL Star’ Williams just shows up, throws his money at the problem, and everything is fixed.

This has to be some sort of PR stunt or something. The guy hasn’t come into town in nine years, and suddenly wants to play the hero? I can just see the headline now, “HOMETOWN HERO: Hockey Legend Selflessly Saves Town Ice Rinks from Utter Destruction!”

Has to be because he’ll be signing a new contract, then use this to up his value to potential teams, get a higher paying contract, then we’ll never hear from him. I’d bet he’d probably convince everyone to name the new project after him. “The Carter Williams Rec Center.”

Hell no.

Putting on my best “fuck you” customer service voice, extra polite and saccharine, I address Carter, but keep my eyes on the council. “That’s very kind of you, Mr. Williams. However, you can’t just throw money at the problem and have it solved overnight. The town has towantto keep the ice rink afloat, or else we’ll be facing this exact same problem in another twenty years, in which case you won’t be around to fix it.”

“I understand that, Sophie.” His voice is placating, smooth like velvet, and I have to suppress a shudder at the sound of my name on his lips. “But it’s more than just throwing money around. I have ideas to make hockey relevant to the town again. I mean, I’ve played in enough hockey rinks to know what the rec center is missing.” The council all chatters their agreement, and the townspeople murmur with far more enthusiasm than they did when I was speaking. He talks more about how his experience makes him singularly qualified to oversee the reconstruction of the rinks. Some bullshit about state-of-the-art locker rooms and self-serving concession stands, and the councilis just eating it up, telling him yes to everything and offering to have some new plans for the rinks drawn up.

My brain tunes them out. The fucking gall. I have been working my ass for the last two months trying to come up with new fundraising ideas. I’ve snagged sponsors, publicity spots, and spent countless sleepless nights trying to come up with ways to save the piece of my heart that lies within these rinks.

Then Carter comes in for less than ten minutes and convinces the council to let him take over and basically tear down the rink. Un-fucking-believeable.

My mind only registers that the meeting has ended when the people around me stand and chatter with excitement. I need to get out of here. Exiting my row of seats, Carter’s voice calls after me. “Hey! Sophie, wait!” Ignoring him, I move through the townsfolk who are not moving towards the exit, but toward…

I whip my head around and see Carter surrounded by the majority of the council, as well as at least twenty other people.

Holy shit.

Black hair, shorter on the sides and longer on top, is styled in an artfully messy way. His broad shoulders pull his button-up shirt tight across his chest, teasing at the built muscle underneath. His body has filled out since I saw him last, but his face…

His jawline is sharper, his features more defined. I had thought he was hot before, but damn, the years have been kind to him.

Yet, underneath it all, I still see the boy I loved.MyCarter.

Our eyes meet briefly, his torturingly familiar, ocean-blue eyes attempting to pierce through my very soul.

They hit me like a kick to the chest, almost making me lose my breath before I turn away from him.

Nice try, but I learned my lesson nine years ago. I won’t be looking into those eyes any longer than necessary.

Unlike the rest of the town, I am not dumbstruck by the man-turned-apparent-legend that is Carter Williams, and take the opportunity to make my exit. I nearly freeze when I see Tom leaning against the wall, frowning. My eyes narrow and I gesture violently towards Carter with a look that says“Did you do this?”

He shrugs, which only further stokes the anger rising inside of me.

Rolling my eyes, I stalk past my traitor of a brother, barging through the door and letting it slam shut behind me.

I make it halfway down the hallway before I hear his voice again. “Sophie! Sophie, wait!” Increasing my speed as much as I can in these damn heels without tripping and breaking my neck, I try to escape before he catches up with me. The last thing I want to do is face him right now.

---