Page 35 of Offside for Christmas
"I don't know what you mean." Ellie poured more eggnog with hands that were definitely not shaking. The liquid sloshed a bit—okay, maybe she was a little tipsy.
"You drank."
"So did you."
"Yeah." Cole moved into the kitchen, and suddenly the space felt much smaller. "I did."
They were standing close enough that Ellie could smell his cologne—something woodsy and clean that absolutely should not be this distracting. She kept her eyes on the eggnog, watching the liquid swirl in her mug. Her head felt pleasantly fuzzy, warm, like the edges of reality had gone soft.
"Cole—"
"Is it so crazy?" His voice was quiet, serious in a way she wasn't used to hearing from him. "To think maybe there's something here?"
Ellie finally looked up and immediately wished she hadn't. His blue eyes were intense, focused entirely on her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered.
"Yes," she said, and the word came out too soft. "Because you're leaving. And I'm staying. And we both know how this ends."
"Maybe it doesn't have to end."
"It always does." Her grip tightened on the mug, knuckles going white. The words hurt to say, caught in her throat. "I'vebeen through this before, Cole. The hockey player who promises things will work out, who says distance doesn't matter, who—" Her voice cracked and she stopped herself. "It always ends the same way."
"Ellie—"
"You'll get called back up to the NHL and Evergreen Cove will be something you barely remember." The dizziness wasn't just from the alcohol anymore. "I can't—I won't do that again."
Cole took a step closer, and Ellie's back hit the counter. Her breath caught. His hand came up slowly, fingers hovering near her cheek, and she could see him warring with himself—
"GUYS!" Jamie burst into the kitchen like a hurricane. "Weather alert! Turn on the TV! Blizzard warning!"
Everyone crowded around the television as the weather report flashed across the screen. The meteorologist looked almost apologetic as she gestured to the angry red blob covering their entire region.
"Major winter storm moving through Vermont tonight. Two to three feet of snow expected, with significant drifting in rural areas. All non-essential travel strongly discouraged. Roads are already becoming impassable—"
"Well, shit," Jamie said.
Coach pulled out his phone, checked something, then shook his head. "County just sent an alert. Roads are closed. Nobody's driving anywhere tonight."
"How many beds do we have?" Luke asked.
Mac had already disappeared down the hallway and came back counting on his fingers. "Okay, so we've got four bedrooms.Main bedroom has two queens—Luke, Jamie, you two good sharing that one?"
"Works for me," Luke said.
"Second bedroom also has two queens. Martinez, Dmitri, Bishop, Chen—you guys figure out who's bunking where."
"I call window bed!" Martinez shouted.
"Third bedroom has one queen, fourth bedroom has one queen." Mac surveyed the remaining group. "Coach already claimed the fourth bedroom for himself—"
"Damn right I did," Coach Davis called from the kitchen. "I'm too old to share with you hooligans."
Mac's grin could have lit up the entire cabin as his eyes landed on Ellie and Cole. "Which means Ellie and Cole get bedroom three, and Jenkins, Morrison, and I will figure out the pullout couch and whatever other furniture we can find."
"I can sleep on the couch," Ellie said immediately.
"All the couches are taken," Mac said, looking far too pleased with himself. "We've got fifteen people and limited space. The bed's a queen. Plenty of room for two adults."
"Mac—" Ellie started.
