Page 44 of Pucking Tangled
Mia snickered. If she only knew the half of it.
Luca skated by, caught her gaze and hopped the half-wall to grab a water bottle. He kept his eyes on her while he squirted water in his mouth then winked before jumping back onto the ice. The silent exchange conveyed more than words ever could.
Casey skated over to Waylon and gave him a nudge. Waylon looked her way and gave her a tight smile and nod, not bothering to stop or slow down as lapped around.
Owen circled past last, eyes sweeping over both girls,giving Mia the faintest smirk like he kneweverythingshe was trying to hide.
Her stomach flipped.
Brooke leaned close again. “You’re so screwed.”
“Yeah,” Mia whispered back. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“You were pretty tight-lipped at dinner. Are you going to tell me about it?”
“I’m not sure there’s much to tell.”
“If you say so. But, if you do ever need someone to talk it over with, I’m here.”
“Thanks,” Mia said with a small smile.
“So, when’s your last day of classes this semester?”
“I’ve got about two more weeks left. Then I’ve got a two week break before the summer term starts.”
Brooke’s eyes widened. “Ooo. You’re going to take summer classes?”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “Provided I ace all my classes, I’ll be able to graduate in the fall.”
“I’m sure you will. How about that internship Casey said you applied for?”
“It was really cut throat. I haven’t heard anything back. I follow up every few weeks though.” Mia shrugged.
“That sucks. I might know a few guys that could use a new agent, though,” she winked.
The buzzer sounded in the background signaling the end of warm-ups.
Mia’s focus shifted back to the guys skating toward the tunnel on her left.
EIGHTEEN
Luca
Luca skatedaround the rink again, trying to keep his emotions in check.
Mia was here.
She wasreallyhere.
Dressed in Casey’s hoodie that they all knew she stole, she was sitting next to someone he vaguely recognized but couldn’t place.
She didn’t know it but Luca had tipped off one of the event staff members who were assigned to the section she was in, just in case. If anyone messed with her tonight, they’d be taken care of.
A sense of pride washed over him.
Her eyes were glued to the ice.
Not scrolling on her phone or distracted by something else.
