Page 28 of Test the Ice
Zoe unravels her bun, and the dark strands of her hair fling off the back of the couch as she slumps down farther. “Why did you tell me to stop?” she asks. “I remember you taking a baseball bat to Scary Larry, and in my opinion, Benedict is worse.”
Scary Larry—a name Zoe and I came up with one night when we were tucked away in the same bed because we were afraid that our dad’s creepy friend would try to sneak into our room at night like the boogie man—wasworse than Benedict. She was just too young to remember. That’s why I took a bat to his knees.
“There’s more at risk with Benedict,” I explain.
“Like?”
I begin cleaning up the living room, gathering everything in my free hand. Charleigh reaches for her pink binky and plops it into her mouth. Her eyes droop, and she lays her head on my shoulder.
“Like the fact that he keeps threatening to take me to court for custody.”
Zoe is on her feet in seconds. “What?!”
I put my back to her to hide how terrified I am. I’m the strong one of our sister duo. I can’t show her that I’m worried.
“Yeah,” I say over my shoulder from the kitchen. “So it’s time to be on our best behavior."
Silence fills our small apartment for so long I’m able to wash Charleigh’s bottle with one hand and put it on the drying rack without any interruptions.
When I walk back into the living room to snag her pink blanket, Zoe is nibbling on her lip. With Charleigh’s head resting against my shoulder, well past asleep, she lowers her voice. “Is that why you told him whoever you were with was your boyfriend and that you’ve known him for years?”
My lips flatten. “You never did grow out of eavesdropping, did you?”
Her classic cheeky grin appears, and she shrugs. She’s almost to her room before she turns around with an even bigger smile on her face. “I sure hope that boyfriend of yours gave you an orgasm tonight. Might as well make it worthwhile, right?”
I snatch one of Charleigh’s toys and chuck it at her head. Knowing me almost as well as she knows herself, she quickly shuts her bedroom door to avoid being hit. The toy hits the wood before falling to the floor with a quiet thud.
“He did give me an orgasm, thank you very much!” I whisper.
Little does he know, I just told my overbearing ex that Malaki and I are much more than what we really are, especially after tonight.
Eleven
MALAKI
I walkinside the locker room for our annual charity event, and it’s buzzing. The sounds of shuttering cameras ride a wave in between all the quiet murmurs, and young kids step forward while staying close to their parents who look at us with admiration and gratitude. I scan the crowd and–ah, shit.
I pause in the doorway and stare. Reese is hard to overlook, even standing beside Daisy all dolled up in her Blue Devil mascot costume. I have no idea what she’s doing here, but I’m not necessarily unhappy about it.
Days have passed since I’ve last seen her, our night ending on less-than-ideal terms. Yet I still can’t seem to get her out of my head. It isn’t often that a woman lingers for this long. Is it because we were interrupted? Or is it because my attraction to her is unmatched? Maybe it’s because I was metaphorically left on unread when I asked her who Charlie was.
Her sassy response to my unintentional jab is on repeat: “I am single!”
Even during practice, it circled around my head like it has any business being there while I’m working gap control or battling behind the net.
I pull my eyes away from Reese when there’s a tug on my pant leg. Two wide eyes stare up at me, suddenly reminding me why I’m here.
I get down on the little tyke’s level. “Hey, bud. What’s your name?”
He looks down with the slip of his name. “Jackson.”
“Jackson,” I repeat. “Give me some knuckles.” I throw my fist out, and he eagerly pounds it with his own. “Should we get a picture?” I ask.
He shakes his head.
No?
I try again. “Do you want an autograph?”
