Page 69 of Jesse and the Ice Princess
He shot Jesse a stern look. "Your friend here didn't make us forfeit the game. He held the entire game hostage."
"It's a long story." Jesse draped an arm over her shoulders and leaned in. "Let's just say Damien knows his way around a spark plug."
"I have no idea what that means."
"Plausible deniability, Charlie." He dropped his arm and turned to her, lowering himself to one knee.
"Jesse," she hissed. "You're attracting attention. What are you doing?"
Passersby stopped to watch them.
Jesse didn't seem to care. He grabbed Charlotte's hand. "Charlotte Morrison..." He paused. "Will you be my winger?"
Hadley burst out laughing, and Charlotte didn't dare look to see what her parents thought. "You mean... I can play?" She'd never considered it a possibility. Her legs were exhausted, but that wouldn't stop her. Not now.
Jesse raised his voice so anyone nearby could hear him. "I'm not leaving without an answer."
She smiled when her dad groaned. Jesse was completely ridiculous, but at this point, he could ask her to play goalie and she would. When she nodded, he leaped up and wrapped her in a hug. "We're going to crush them."
A reporter, probably catching him down on one knee—not an everyday occurrence at a high school competition—walked up, her microphone held in front of her.
"What do you say to an interview? I'd love to know the story behind this display."
Charlotte flashed a smile at the camera. "Sorry, I have a hockey game to play."
Jesse tugged her arm. "Come on, we don't want to be late."
They ran down the hall, and she quickly changed in the locker room. As she reached the front door of the building, she heard her scores called out behind her.
Charlotte Morrison wouldn't be standing on any podiums today, but she'd still skated the program of her life.
And she was proud of herself for that.
But now... now her two halves got to become one. Hockey and figure skating. Who ever said she had to choose?
19
Jesse
Forty-five minutes.
Three quarters of an hour sitting in the back of Hadley's car with the girl he was willing to hold up an entire hockey game for.
Almost an hour of waiting to see if they'd make it to the rink in time.
Yeah... Jesse wasn't nervous at all.
He glanced at Charlotte out of the corner of his eye. She no longer wore the blue dress that sparkled as she twirled. She'd pulled on shorts over her flesh-colored tights, but rhinestones still decorated her hair, silver lights winking in the darkness.
Hadley's country music pumped through the car, so different from the tune that less than an hour ago allowed Charlotte to fly.
"Stop looking at me," she whispered.
The corners of his mouth curved up. "Why?"
"It's making me nervous."
"Charlie Morrison, I don't think anything could make you nervous. I saw you out there."
