Page 14 of Ice Melts

Travis sat on the bench, staring at his skates. The knot in his stomach tightened with every word that leaked through the door. He’d known Logan was spiraling, but this? Drugs in the locker room? It was worse than he’d thought.

Jake sat down next to him, his face tense. “What do you think’s gonna happen?”

“I don’t know,” Travis said quietly. “But it’s not good.”

The yelling went on for a while longer before the door finally opened. Logan stepped out, his face blank but his shoulders hunched. He didn’t look at anyone as he grabbed his stuff and walked out, the sound of his skates clattering against the floor echoing in the silence.

Coach followed a moment later, his expression dark as he addressed the team. “Logan’s on probation until further notice. That’s all you need to know.”

The tension in the room was suffocating. No one said a word as Coach walked out, leaving them to process what had just happened.

Travis leaned back against the wall, running a hand through his hair. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. They were supposed to be preparing for the playoffs, coming together as a team. Instead, it felt like everything was falling apart.

“Think he’ll be back?” Jake asked quietly.

Travis didn’t answer. He didn’t know if Logan would be back—or if he even should be.

All he knew was that if they didn’t get their act together soon, their shot at the Cup might slip away before they even had a chance to fight for it.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Work was unbearable. The pressure was intense. So Sarah found her happy place in ice skates, out on a frozen lake. She could write anywhere and felt very lucky to be able to take off when she did.

The ice was smooth beneath Sarah’s skates as she glided out onto the lake. Like most people, she had some of her favorite places on the weather app alerting her so she could remind herself what it’s like to live or visit there. When she saw a week of below freezing temps and no snow forecast, she bought tickets to Detroit and made her way out to the lake house where she spent most of her growing up years.

The house was closed down. She didn’t bother turning on the heat higher than it was, just lit the wood burning stove. That thing could heat half the first floor. She placed a few items from the grocery store in the fridge and then moved to the back porch to put on her skates.

The wood was worn, grooves made from years of skates lined the panels. The air smelled crisp, like it wanted to snow, but the sky was too vast and clear for even a hint of moisture. Sarah smiled and breathed deep. This was just what she needed.

There was nothing in the world like skating on a frozen lake that had never yet felt snow. Smooth glassy ice stretched out in every direction around her. The sandy bottom was clearly visible as her skates moved over the surface. Ripples, showing some sort of current made ridges in the sand and every now and then a fresh water clam type creature was scootching along on the bottom.

The surface of the ice was as smooth as glass. No arena could ever achieve the soft texture of natural frozen water before the first snowfall.

She took her time, placing one foot in front of the other as she circled in front of their house. She’d make her way around the entirety of the lake before the day was out. But right now, she just wanted to dance. She lifted her hands into the air, reaching for the sky and then out to her side as she weaved and circled and moved to the music in her head. Everything was perfectly quiet except for the sound of her skates on the ice.

She closed her eyes and pulled in to a tight spin.

Her heart pounded as she dug in her toe to stop the spin and then she wiggled into a circular backward skate. Once she was warmed up, she moved through some of her easy jumps. It had been too long for her to try anything complicated, but she was craving some bit of air. She raced across the ice as fast as she could before coming to a spinning stop.

And then she heard music. “Rain Came Down” by the Manic Mushrooms.

Travis.

She spun her head around, looking for the source. It was the song she and Travis always worked out to. He practiced hockey, and she danced. And no place on earth reminded her more of Travis than Porter Lake Michigan at the lake house.

She paused a moment more, but the music faded and she chided herself for her reaction anyway. He was lost to her. Sheknew that way back during her senior year of high school. But the hope that inflamed her expectations could not be denied. No matter how logically she explained her situation with Travis, a part of her would always hope.

She sighed. And then circled in front of her house again, picking up speed with each rotation. Travis ghosts followed her no matter how fast she spun.

A whole slew of memories crowded her thoughts. One in particular was particularly delicious so she lingered in it while slowly circling on the ice. What if during all these times of her secret crushes, he was also hoping they could get together. She shook her head at her foolishness but did nothing to stop the what if scenarios that came flooding in.

The lake stretched wide before them, its surface smooth as glass under the pale winter sky. Snow dusted the trees surrounding the lake house, the crisp air carrying the faint scent of pine and woodsmoke from the cabin.

Travis adjusted his gloves, bouncing on his skates to stay warm. "Alright, Cooper," he said, grinning. "Let’s see what you got."

Sarah shot him a look, narrowing her eyes. "Are you saying you doubt my skills?"

Travis smirked. "I’m saying I’ve been waiting here for ten minutes while you adjusted your laces."

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