Page 16 of Back On Ice

Laughing and talking over burgers and fries with Carter, Tom, Abbie, Gwen, and Jake at Sal’s that night made me think we’d have so many more evenings like that. Carefree and full of joy, always the two of us together.

That whole evening… when he declined a drink because he was the one driving, pulling me close and calling me “precious cargo”. The way we danced together like we were the only two people in the world. And that night, I remember more than anything. How I had finally been ready to give myself to him for the first time, and him to me in return. I was so nervous laying myself bare, but all that fear disappeared when I looked into his eyes and saw how much he wanted me. How his lips moved down my body?—

The chime of my phone knocks me out of my reminiscing, and I pick it up off the nightstand, scowling at the text from Carter.

Carter: Sophie, can you meet tomorrow at 5? Contractor I’m interviewing wants to do a full uninterrupted walkthrough.

He’s just doing what I told him to, but I wasn’t expecting him to be so on top of it. I reply with nothing more than a thumbs up emoji. That’ll drive him crazy.

Just like he’s driving me crazy. Because really, where does he get off looking so damn delectable? After all these years, and all he’s done, my body still reacts to him just like we’re eighteen again.

Actually, even more, if possible.

It’s going to make it ten times harder to stay mad at him when I need my anger just to get through one conversation with him without wondering what it would be like if the last nine years had never happened.

Chapter Eight

CARTER

My phone rings,ejecting me from my Sophie-filled dreams. I’m not sure if I’m thankful for that or not.

The combined effects of being in an unfamiliar bed and having Sophie on the brain has my heart pounding, bringing me back to the night that my dad had angrily ordered me home, leaving Sophie alone in her bed.

The night that led to me being forced to leave Ivy Glen and changing the course of my life forever.

Even though it’s most likely not my dad calling me, I let out a sigh of relief when I grab the phone and see Jake’s name flashing on the screen. The time makes me cringe a little when I see it’s ten forty-five in the morning. I can’t believe I slept so late.

“Hey, asshole,” I say affectionately, holding the phone to my ear as I flop back onto the bed, my heart still pounding from the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Jake and I had played on the Ivy Glen High School hockey team together, and we both got drafted to the NHL at the same time. We kept in touch throughthe phone until last season, when he was traded to the same team as me, allowing us to play together again.

“Hey, dickhead,” Jake’s voice sounds through the speaker. “How’s the life of a free agent treating you?”

“You tell me.” I grin, knowing we had both talked about the day when we wouldn’t be bound by our contracts anymore, free to play for a different team. “You’re one now too.”

“Fucking finally, man.” He chuckles. “You back in town? I was thinking of going out for a drink tonight.”

“Nah, I’m still down in Ivy Glen right now. You know how Tom said the rec center was in trouble? Turns out it’s worse than we thought. I’m funding a total reconstruction to keep it in business. You should come down.”

A low whistle echoes through the phone. “Damn. I’ll think about it, except I don’t really want to share the top bunk with one of the twins.”

Jake’s mom divorced and remarried after having him, leaving Jake the oldest of nine half-siblings. He adores them, but has confessed to me on more than one drunken occasion that he feels like a wrench thrown into the cogs of his mom and step dad’s family.

Like his mom was the “buy one”, and he was the “get one free” that nobody actually wanted.

“I’m staying down at the Ivy Glen Inn, and I think they’ve remodeled recently. I’m sure there’s plenty of rooms available. We could go out with Tom and catch up with him as well.”

“Yeah, man. Let’s do it. It’ll give me time to check out some state-side teams since I’m not really feeling the offers from Canada. I’ll plan on being there next weekend.”

We hang up and I toss my phone back on the nightstand, not moving from my place on the bed. The dream about Sophie last night was… intense. She finally let me explain myself, and forgave me. She let me kiss her. Things had just got hot andheavy when my phone rang. With the way I had been reacting to Sophie since I got back, it probably saved me from having a wet dream like some teenager.

I need to get my mind off Sophie. Maybe checking in with Mom and seeing how she’s doing will do that. The day after I got here, I called the locksmith and had the locks to the house changed, so hopefully she’s feeling more secure now.

It’s nearly noon when I pull up at Mom’s house and let myself in with one of the new keys. “Mom?” I call out, shutting the door behind me.

“In here, sweetie! You’re just in time for lunch!” Her voice calls from deeper inside the house. She sounds happier than she did the day I got here, and maybe that means that it’s finally sunk in that Dad is gone.

“Do you want some grilled cheese and tomato soup?” she asks when I find her in the kitchen, standing in front of the stove with an apron on. Her black hair is smooth and brushed, and she’s in actual clothes, instead of the bathrobe she wore the last time I was here.

The kitchen looks the same as always, dark and gloomy. Dad’s always been big on image though, and refused to let Mom change it, stating that it made the house seem more refined. Despite the way the room is decorated, it’s hard to feel gloomy when Mom hums happily in front of the stove. It’s been well maintained over the years, Mom clearly diverting some of the money I send her for that purpose. I wonder if it’s because she’s afraid that Dad could come back at any moment and she wants to make sure nothing sets him off.

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