Page 71 of Ice Ice Maybe
He glanced over at the women. “It goes to show you that there’s someone for everyone. Even cavemen eventually end up putting a ring on it.”
I wiggled my finger with Dad’s stuck engagement ring. “Speaking of that, we still need to figure out a way to get this off my finger. I’m paranoid that something is going to happen to it.”
Nolan and I had tried everything from soap to dental floss—we even borrowed Windex from housekeeping at the hotel, but the ring wouldn’t budge.
“That’s the least of our worries,” Nolan said. “Your dad won’t need it back for at least a couple of weeks. Keep your hand in your pocket if you’re around him. The question is, how are we going to convince Mitch to not quit the team? We need to make sure he plays the rest of the season.”
“After a good night’s sleep, he’ll come to his senses,” I offered weakly.
“We can always hope,” Nolan replied, not sounding convinced. “But we need to find out today, preferably this morning. We can’t just go to Tampa and hope he shows up to the game.”
“Definitely not,” I said. “Okay, we’d better get back to the hotel and see if we can talk with him.”
We finished our food and drained the rest of our coffees, then my phone rang. I checked the caller ID and frowned.
“It’s Dad—I have to pick up,” I said.
Nolan’s eyes widened. “Don’t mention anything about the ring.”
I nodded and answered, “Hi, Dad.”
“Is Nolan with you?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied, confused by the question. “Why? What’s going on?”
Dad’s voice exploded through the phone. “I got a call from Coach Quinn. Mitch was MIA for the team breakfast this morning, and he missed the meeting afterward. He’s not answering his cell. I even had someone check his hotel room, and he’s not there. Do you know where he is?”
Dread settled in the pit of my stomach as I answered no.
“What happened?” Dad demanded. “Last night’s game was perfect and everything had been going according to plan. Why would he disappear like that? Did you see him last night?”
I hesitated, but decided to come clean. “Yes, we saw him. Mitch sort of came to our room last night and had a meltdown. He had us up against the wall and accused us of faking our relationship. We were blindsided, so we told him we were getting married.”
“And he believed you?” Dad asked.
“Yes!” I said. “That’s when he said he was quitting the team.”
“What?!” Dad yelled, almost blowing out my ear.
“Nolan tried to talk him out of it, but we had no idea if it worked,” I said.
Dad’s reaction was immediate and explosive. In the background, I could hear Mom trying to calm him down, mentioning his heart, as usual.
“It certainly does not sound like it worked if he skipped breakfast and the meeting,” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me this last night?”
“It was late!” I explained. “I was going to tell you this morning, and now that you know, we need to figure out our next move.”
“I’ll tell you exactly what you’re going to do!” Dad shot back. “Find Mitch and tell him you and Nolan broke up.”
“What?” I said, staring at Nolan in horror. “What about the plan?”
“Abort the plan! It’s useless if he’s not on the team,” Dad said.
My mind whirled with the consequences of telling Mitch I was single again. There had to be a better option. First things first. We needed to find him.
“Do we still have the BMW?” I asked.
“Yes—it’s with the valet here at the hotel, but it has to be returned this afternoon before we fly to Tampa,” he answered. “Come and get it if you need it, but make sure Mitch is on that plane with the team. That is your number one priority. Understood?”
