Page 17 of Wilder

Lexi had no idea what to charge. If she’d been coaching someone with high level competitive goals, she could have charged more. But that wasn’t the case with these girls.

After hearing what their previous teacher had charged them, Lexi wasn’t sure what to say. Thankfully, Kayleigh stepped in. “Charli, I’ll talk it over with Alexandra and let you know.”

Frowning, Charli said, “Just remember that… well…”

Kayleigh reached out and put a hand on her sister’s arm. “I know. Trust me.”

Charli stared at her for a long moment before nodding. “Let me know what we owe you, and I’ll pay right away.”

“Okay.”

When everyone had their jackets on, they said goodbye and left the building. Everyone except Wilder.

“Are you waiting for a lesson too?” Lexi asked.

Wilder’s eyebrows rose as he grinned, making his eyes sparkle with humor. “Would you give me one?”

“I’ve never coached adults.”

“I’m pretty good at following instructions.”

“Have you ever skated before?”

“Yep. Hockey.”

Lexi rolled her eyes, not sure why she wasn’t sending this guy on his way. “That’s not going to help you.”

“At least I know how to stay on the blade.”

“Did you bring skates?” she asked, curious if he had planned to skate all along.

“Yep. My hockey skates.”

“No toe picks, but I guess you’re not going to be picking into jumps just yet.”

Wilder’s grin grew. “Be right back.”

As he went to the bench where his duffle bag waited, Lexi wondered if she’d lost her mind. She didn’t exactly trust the easygoing smiles and attitude that Wilder displayed.

And why would he want to spend time with her? Did he want the inside scoop on her past?

That wasn’t going to happen. She spoke tono oneabout the details of what had happened to her family. A lot of it had been paraded out for public consumption during her dad’s trial, but there had been plenty of stuff going on behind the scenes with her life as a result of everything that she’d never shared with anyone.

As she waited for Wilder to join her on the ice, Lexi moved away from the boards and circled the ice, crossing over her skates with ease as she circled around the far end.

When Wilder stepped onto the ice, she came to a stop a couple of yards from him.

“Show me what you can do,” she told him.

Another flash of his grin and he was off. The man might not have jumps and spins, but he certainly had speed. He had spent more than a little time on skates at some point in his life.

After he’d done a couple of laps around the ice, he called out, “Wanna race?”

Lexi stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out if she had a chance. He had several inches on her, so his strokes would be longer and more powerful. She wasn’t slow on her skates, however.

“Our size difference gives you a definite advantage,” she pointed out. “How do you think a race could be fair? I’m not a speedskater.”

Wilder seemed to give her question serious consideration. “I’m not just out to prove I can beat a woman. How about we do spins, then skate?”

---