Page 3 of The Pucks We Freeze
Dad cleared his throat, as if he was sensing the tension but wasn’t sure how to handle it. “Anyway,” he said, shifting his weight, “I was hoping we could all sit down later and catch up, but I should probably go lie down for a bit.” He rubbed his chest absently, and guilt twisted in my gut.
Right. The surgery.
Before I could say anything, he added, “I really appreciate you being here, kiddo. I know we already discussed you helping out during break, but with the lodge getting busy and everything going on, Lynette could use the extra help. It means a lot.”
I blinked, caught off guard. “Oh… um, sure. Of course.”
He smiled, visibly relieved. “I’ve set you up in one of the guest cabins. It’s just a short walk from the main house, near the side trail by the garden. You’ll have your own space while still being close if something comes up, or if you need anything.”
I nodded slowly, trying to absorb it all. My dad’s marriage. Kade’s presence. And the realization that I wouldn’t be staying in the detached bubble I thought I was walking into.
“The hospital’s about an hour out, so Lynette will be splitting her time between town and the lodge,” Dad continued. “Kade will help where he can, but hockey’s full-throttle right now with the season wrapping up.”
Of course it was.
I glanced back at Kade. His arms were crossed now, jaw tight, as if he was just as thrilled about this arrangement as I was.
Great. Not only would I be stuck here, living in close quarters with my father’snew wifeandher son, I’d be working side by side with the one person I swore I’d be staying far away from when I came back to Rixton.
The air in the kitchen felt thick and heavy, weighed down by everything left unsaid.
“Well,” Dad said with a weak chuckle, clearly trying to lift the mood, “guess we’re one big, blended family now, huh?”
I forced a smile, but I could still feel Kade’s eyes on me. Watching. Waiting. As if this was a game of chicken that neither of us was willing to lose.
One week. I could survive one week.
I hoped.
Chapter Two
Kade
She’s really back.
For two days, I’ve been trying to convince myself I imagined it. Some stress-induced glitch in the system. Maybe I saw someone who looked like her, or I was just tired and stuck in my own head.
Except I wasn’t wrong. Willow Anson is here. In Rixton. Staying at the damn cabin.
And now, I had to deal with the truth of her being mystepsister.
You really couldn’t make this shit up.
She didn’t even look at me when she walked through the door Friday night. Her eyes flicked past me as if I were just another face in the room. She mumbled something to her dad, dropped her purse by the door, and disappeared down the hall as if she hadn’t given me her virginity and begged me to fix her numbness.
Classic Willow. Slip away before anything got too real.
She’d always been better at leaving than staying.
And yeah… she handled it the same way last time.
The memory hit like a flash fire.
Late summer haze. A bonfire crackling low on the edge of the lake, sparks dancing into the dark sky like they had somewhere to be. The smell of smoke clung to my clothes. Warm beer in my hand. Laughter echoed from the trees and bounced off the water.
And then her.
She was leaning against a log, legs tucked beneath her, cup in hand. Her head tilted back just slightly, her smile flickering in and out like she couldn’t decide if she wanted to be there. Half inthe moment, half somewhere else. But when she looked at me, it was like the rest of the noise disappeared.
