Page 60 of More Than Chemical
“It’s pretty incredible,” Emma piped up. “How did you get into ice cross, Dallas?”
“In December, they set up a small training course at Buck Hill. I was looking for a new sport and decided to give it a try. I did it once, and I was hooked.”
“Do women race?” Emma asked.
“Yeah, their championships are tomorrow.” His hand was back on my leg, and he squeezed. “You want to try it, Ade? Get you back in some hockey pads and skates.”
Dallas’s dad, Priya, and Emma shifted their attention to me.
My neck steamed. I’d never told them about my skating past. It treaded too close to the stuff about my dad.
“You played hockey?” Dallas’s dad asked.
“A little,” I squeaked.
“I didn’t know that.” Priya leaned in.
“Yeah, it was a long time ago.”
“She’s better at figure skating,” Dallas said.
“Figure skating?” Emma asked.
“Yeah, I was part of a club. Actually, I still am. I have a college membership now.”
“That’s really cool,” Emma said. “You’ll have to take us skating sometime.”
Dallas’s dad finished his beer and said he had to take off.
“Great to meet you all.” Then he passed out his business card, explaining how he worked at a car dealership. “Any of you ever need a car, come find me.”
“Dad,” Dallas said with a sharp tone.
“You never know, son.” His dad patted the back of his shoulder before he left. “Networking is key.”
I inspected the card and then slid it into the zipped pocket of my jacket.
We finished our drinks.
“Your dad seems really nice,” Priya said.
“Yeah, he’s cool. Sorry about the business card though. He just got this new job, and he’s taking it pretty seriously.”
“You have any siblings?” Emma asked.
“Yeah, two older sisters.”
My ears perked up. We had never talked about his own family, just mine.
“Do they live around here?” I asked.
“No, my oldest sister and her husband live in San Diego. My other sister is in the air force in Pensacola.”
“Wow, I didn’t know,” I said. “How much older?”
“Six and eight years.”
He, Emma, and Priya continued talking about how his sister ended up in the military.
