Page 70 of The Playmaker

He drops the bills and picks up a fork. “You’re still going to go to the rink, right?”

“Yeah, she’ll meet me there. I also want to give you and your sister some time together.”

He leans toward me conspiratorially. “I’m not supposed to say anything, but I know I can trust you.”

“What?” I ask, a little thrill going through me that he wants to share a secret.

“Jack is going to ask her to marry him. He asked me for permission last night.”

I squeal, then cover my mouth quickly. “That is so exciting, Cole!” I think back to last night, to when Jack said he wanted to meet Tabby’s father. I can only guess he wants to ask him for her hand, too. The gesture is so sweet, and that makes me more determined than ever to make my plan work.

We finish our breakfast, and traffic is light as we drive through the city and make our way to the clinic. I give Cole a reassuring kiss before he enters, then I make myself comfortable in the waiting room. I flip through a magazine and think about tonight, how I want to surprise Cole and Tabby.

When the door to the doctor’s office finally opens, I jump up. The smile on Cole’s face fills me with equal measures of happiness and unease. I’m thrilled the appointment went well, but I do not want to get back on the ice.

Then again, with Cole by my side, maybe it won’t be so bad. I do wonder, though, why he made this par

t of the deal. Does he really need me to spot him? Doubtful. What is really driving this need?

I’m about to open my mouth to ask how it went when he picks me up and spins me around. I squeal, and he plants a warm kiss on my mouth, one that trickles all the way to my heart and curls around it, cocooning me in warmth.

He sets me down and grabs his phone. “I need to text Cason and Tabby to let them know.”

“What about your dad?” I ask.

“Of course,” he says, and my already too tight chest squeezes harder, making it difficult to breathe. I love the closeness he has with his family and my brother. If something good or bad happened to me, the first and last person I’d call is Jess. He shoots off texts as we walk back to the car. I dig the keys from my purse and hold them up.

“I bet you want to drive.”

“No, go ahead. I’ve been getting used to you chauffeuring me around.” He runs his hand along the top of his car. “There’s not too many people who can handle this girl,” he says. “You can use it for as long as you like.”

Ridiculously pleased with his compliment, I slide into the driver’s side, and he climbs in next to me, a new energy about him.

“Tabby and Jack are going to meet us at the rink. She’s bringing my skates. Do you want to stop at your place and grab yours?”

I shake my head. “No, I’ll just rent a pair.”

Cole watches me carefully, and I back the car out of the tight spot. “What did you do with your skates?”

“Nothing, they’re at Mom’s, and I don’t really feel like driving across town to get them.”

He nods and sinks back into his seat, his fingers beating restlessly on his door, his antsy energy needing an escape. His phone pings, and he turns it over. “Cason’s on his way home. He should be here by tomorrow night. I think he’s going to stay at the house for a few days.”

“That will be nice,” I say. Unlike Cole, Cason never bought a house. When back home, he just stays with Mom and Dad. It isn’t like they interfere in his life. They’re never around anyway.

“Yeah,” he says, but I hear something uneasy in his voice.

I swallow against the thickness in my throat, because that agitation can only mean one thing. Cason is moving in for a few days, which means it’s time for me to move out. He’s better now, and my lessons—sex and hockey—are over.

Do I want it to be? No. Do I have a choice? Maybe…

“Cole,” I say.

“Yeah?”

“I know we agreed that we’d end things when you got better and back on the ice, but I was thinking…should we extend these lessons until after the playoffs?”

He scrubs his face, his brow furrowed. “Cason—” he begins but I cut him off.

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