Page 70 of Jesse and the Ice Princess
"Yeah, you saw me fall."
"And I saw you get back up again."
She tried to hide her smile by looking away. "I can still feel your eyes on me."
He grinned as he glanced out his window at the passing Gulf City. He'd never liked the larger feel of Tampa. It wasn't home. Despite the numerous tourists and snowbirds running around town this time of year, they took care of their own.
That's how he knew it would be okay to delay the game. Their fans would understand. In fact, if it gave them a better chance to win, they'd cheer for the change.
His phone buzzed against his leg. Roman. "Hey, man."
"Jesse, we have a problem."
Jesse's eyebrows drew together, and he looked to Charlotte. "What's wrong?"
"It's Damien. He thought he'd know how to repair the Zamboni, but he's sitting in a corner rocking back and forth and rambling about how he messed up.”
Dread built in the pit of his stomach. He was so dead. "I thought he just moved a few leads from the spark plugs."
"I thought so too. Now he's rambling about all this stuff I don't understand."
"Coach is going to kill us."
"Are you almost back? We have to figure this out before we have to forfeit the game."
Jesse glanced at the clock. "Rome, you're going to have to stall."
"Yeah, just get here."
"Be there soon."
He hung up and met Charlotte's gaze. "We may have messed up." He unbuckled his seat belt and pulled himself forward, sticking his head between the seats. "Can this boat move any faster?"
Hadley reached over and flicked his forehead. "Back up. I'll get you there." She sped up, weaving through cars.
Jesse quickly buckled his seatbelt again and gripped the seat. "If Hadley doesn't kill me, your dad will."
Charlotte's phone lit up. "He says he's there and is wondering where we are."
"He must not have hit the same traffic as us."
Charlotte snorted. "Or had such a slow driver."
"I heard that!" Hadley stuck her tongue out in the rearview mirror.
The rink came into view. Hadley pulled up to the back entrance letting both her passengers out.
Jesse reached for Charlotte's hand and pulled her into a run. As soon as they stepped through the doors, noises from the crowd crashed in on them. The back hall ran around the outside of the rink to the locker rooms. They didn't stop running until they reached the Zamboni entrance where Roman stood leaning in the doorway.
When he saw them, he kicked himself away from the door. "About time."
"What's wrong with the Zamboni?" Jesse looked into the room, finding it empty. The gate stood open and beyond it, the Zamboni cleaned the ice.
Roman cracked a smile. "The problem is it's running just fine, and I was worried you'd be late."
Jesse took in his friend, already dressed in his gear for the game. "You almost gave me a heart attack."
"It worked, didn't it?" He flashed them a grin before pressing a kiss to Charlotte's cheek. "Jesse did tell you that's how we greet teammates, didn't he?"
