Page 26 of Can't Take Moore

“Thanks. I’ll let him know you’re rooting for him.”

“Please do.” Shoving my gear into my bag, I stood. “And you’re both more than welcome to come down for a visit anytime. I’d love to have you, and there’s plenty of room.”

“You can bet on it once the season is over.”

As we said our goodbyes, I walked out of the locker room. After disconnecting the call, I locked the door using the key the rink attendant had given me and shrieked when I turned back around and found a man standing about a foot in front of me. Pressing my hand to my chest, I gasped, “Holy heck, you scared me.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to creep up on you like that.” He flashed me a sheepish smile. “It’s just that I didn’t want to bother you when you were out on the ice, but I also didn’t want to miss the opportunity to speak with you before you left.”

My heart was still racing as I asked, “About what?”

He turned so I could see the back of his jacket, where it saidMooreville Mammoths Hockey. “I coach the varsity hockey team for the high school. The rink manager mentioned that you would be skating here in the mornings, and after seeing you on the ice, I was hoping you’d consider doing a power skating session for my boys. We don’t have official practices until later in the summer, but we finished tryouts last month, so the roster is set, and most of the players show up for our summer skates before the season officially starts. I’m sure they’d be thrilled for the chance to learn from an Olympian.”

Thinking about the stories Tamara had told me about how much fun she’d had doing power skating sessions for the Cavaliers back when she met Ryan, I decided this was the perfect thing to add to my schedule. “You know what? I’d love to.”

“Fantastic. I really appreciate it.” He beamed a smile at me.

“Thanks for thinking to ask. It sounds like fun.”

“I probably should have started with my name.” He held his hand out to shake mine. “I’m Jack Parker.”

“Vienna Frost.”

“Maybe I could buy you a coffee while we go over the details?” After releasing my hand, he jerked his thumb toward the concession stand—which was currently closed—and grimaced. “I don’t recommend the swill they serve here unless you’re desperate for the caffeine.”

“Oh, um…I…” My mind blanked as I tried to think of how to answer. I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined the hint of flirtation that I thought I’d caught at the end there, and it wasn’t as though I could say I had a boyfriend. Dean and I hadn’t put any labels on what we were doing yet. But it still felt wrong to go out for coffee with another guy. Especially one I didn’t know well, like if he was married and just not wearing a ring or had a girlfriend. No matter how innocent the reason. “I just finished setting up my short track on the ice, which involved a drill and grape-flavored drink. And then I skated for ninety minutes straight. I really do need to head home to get cleaned up. Maybe you could just email me instead?”

Looking down at his feet, he replied, “Sure, that’ll work.”

I rattled off my email address and made a quick getaway, feeling awkward and wondering if I’d made a mistake by agreeing so quickly. Only time would tell.

10

Dean

When I called Vienna earlier today to ask how her first skate at the rink had gone, she sounded a little off. I was worried that maybe something had gone down with her mom or sister again, but I couldn't head straight to her house after I was done in the office. I had already promised my mom that I would stop by for dinner tonight since I had skipped the Sunday family get-together at her house this past weekend because I was busy with Vienna.

As I turned into my parents’ driveway, my phone rang. After parking behind my dad's truck, I accepted the call. “Hey, Jack. How are you doing? Long time, no talk.”

“I'm good, but I have the feeling I put my foot in my mouth this morning, metaphorically speaking.”

I wasn't sure what he was talking about since it had probably been at least a month since I last saw him. We had gone to high school together and run in some of the same crowds but had never been close friends. Him calling me out of the blue like this was pretty random. “How so?”

“You know I’m the head coach of the high school’s varsity hockey team, right?”

“Of course.” Everyone in town knew that.

“Well, I thought I'd ask Vienna Frost if she'd be willing to do a power skating session with my players this summer. Having an Olympic speed skater in town was too good of an opportunity to pass up. You know what I mean?”

I still didn't understand how he would've put his metaphorical foot in his mouth with Vienna. “It sounds like a great idea to me. She loves to skate, and I bet she'd have a fun time teaching the kids.”

“Yeah, that's what she said.”

My brows drawing together, I asked, “Then what's the problem?”

“You know how efficient the town’s gossip mill is. So of course, I had heard that you took her to Trattoria for dinner last week. But I didn't think anything serious was going on between the two of you, so I asked her if I could take her out for a coffee, which seemed to make her super uncomfortable.”

Jack would be lucky if it was only his metaphorical foot that ended up in his mouth and not my fist.

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