Chapter 12
EVIE
Evie made it home from the rink in a foul mood. She wasn't sure why she was so bothered Cash hadn't shown up today. She had thought from the beginning he was a playboy hockey player, and he had almost convinced her otherwise. But all it took was one little internet search…she knew the score now. And knowing that would make it much easier to stay away from him.
Even with all of that, she had been surprised he hadn't shown up for the kids. He had talked about how important this was to him, about how a program just like this one had helped him when he was younger. He had fooled her again.
She woke up the next morning still angry. She had to be at the rink at six because she had a private coaching session before camp started. She pulled on her leggings, t-shirt, stuffed her fleece in her bag as she grabbed her coffee to go and headed out the door.
Her phone buzzed as she was putting her bag in her trunk, she pulled it out.
Cash - looking forward to seeing you today.
She just stared at the text. Was he fucking serious right now?
Evie - Would have been nice to see you yesterday.
She couldn't do this. She didn't want to play games with Cash Hawthorn. They hooked up at the gala, the sex was incredible, but that's all it was, and she knew it. This whole thing was over. She saw the three dots dancing, but before it came through, she blocked him. Maybe not her most mature moment, but she was done letting his guy toy with her emotions.
She got in her car and backed out of her driveway, only for her mug of coffee, she had stupidly left on her roof, to pour coffee down the windshield as the cup tumbled over and rolled off the hood. Great. Looked like this was the start to another amazing day.
She did manage to pull it together and get through her training session. When she was done the lobby was full of campers. She had her little kids first and she was getting things ready. She had seen Cash, but she was doing everything she could to not run into him.
She had managed it for most of the day, sticking to her ice and the front office, while he was busy on his own ice. She did wish she didn't care so much, but she just had to get through this week and then she would never see him again.
Later that day, she was in her car about ready to pull out from the second day of camp where she had successfully ignored Cash all day. Well...ignore might not be the right word with how obsessively she had been trying to avoid him, but she wouldn’t mince words. As she was about to pull out of her parking space, a big black truck she recognized pulled up behind her, not letting her out.
Cash. She looked in her rearview mirror and he was there with his window rolled down his elbow hanging out the truck and his head peering to look at her. She waved and he waved back but just stayed there.
Fuck. She was going to have to talk to him.
She got out and stood up with her hands on her hips.
"What are you doing?" she asked, glaring at him.
"Have you been avoiding me?" he asked with an obnoxious smirk she wanted to slap off his face.
"No, believe it or not, the world doesn't revolve around you."
His head pulled back slightly like he had not been expecting it, but that infuriating grin crept back across his face and made Evie spitting mad.
"Will you please move?"
"No."
Her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at him. "No?"
He opened his door and walked over to her. Her body was vibrating with a mix of emotions, but she chose to focus on the rage. It was the only one that made any sense.
"Did you block me?"
"No,” she lied. “I would have to care about you to block you."
Evie tried to ignore the confused hurt look that danced across his face.
"I need to go. Can you please let me out?"
"What's going on Evie?"
"Cash...I have somewhere to be. Let me leave."
He just looked at her like he was trying to figure things out, figure her out.
"I'll see you tomorrow." He turned and walked back to his truck.
"If you show up..." she muttered under her breath.
"What was that?" he asked.
"I'm going to be late."
He looked at her with a furrowed brow and got back into his truck and pulled away.
She got home and made herself a salad for dinner before curling up on the couch with a glass of wine. She usually loved camp, but this year with Cash there, everything was just wrong. Her phone dinged next to her. Her stupid heart wished it was Cash, but she blocked him, and for good reason.
Ellie - Hey Evie, do you need your plus one? Just checking in. Working on the seating arrangement with mom and she's being extra.
Evie - Please don't take away my plus one...I can't deal with Bryan or mom without a buffer.
Ellie - You got it. Who are you bringing?
Could she just block everyone? Block Cash. Block her family. Just pretend like none of this existed.
Ellie - ??
Evie - I'm seeing someone new.
Ellie - oh yeah? who?
Evie - You don't know him.
Ellie - Okay...well make sure he's ready to deal with mom.
Evie - What about me? I'm not ready to deal with mom.
Ellie - Well that's just too bad.
She groaned and put her phone down. She needed to find a date. Maybe she could talk Colton into coming. They had grown up skating together, but then her family would know she didn't have a plus one. But that sounded like a problem for another day, she was ready for bed. Too bad she went to bed with the ruggedly handsome and infuriating face of Cash Hawthorn in her thoughts.
The next day she was in her office in an empty rink, but when she looked up, she saw Cash in her doorway.
“Evie. I must have you. I can’t get you out of my head.”
He stalked into her office and pulled her up.
“I can’t live without you. You’re all I think about.”
And then his mouth claimed hers in a powerful kiss. She kissed him right back. He pulled away panting and then swept everything off her desk but then an alarm sounded, and they both stopped and looked at each other.
Evie sat up straight in bed panting. Taking her phone off her nightstand she turned off her alarm. She was over Cash Hawthorn…if only her lady bits would get on board with her brain.
Day three at camp down and Cash seemed to have gotten the message and kept to himself today. She was finishing up in the office when she heard someone come to the door. She looked up to see Cash leaning against the door. Fuck. This sight echoed back to her dream and had her heart pounding.
He held his phone in his hand and looked like he was sending a text and looked at her phone next to her, which obviously didn't do anything.
"Why did you block me?"
"I don't have time for this." She stood up and started getting her things together.
"Just tell me. I thought we were good, now you have this whole ice queen thing going on."
Her mouth fell open and she just stared at him. She felt like she had just been slapped. He had no way of knowing what being called an ice queen would do. He had no idea that she had been called an ice queen all through high school.
"Ice queen? Really? How original. If you will, please excuse me," she said as she tried to squeeze by him.
He grabbed her by the arm and spun her around, just the feel of his hands on her set her entire body on fire. She had never wanted anyone as badly as she wanted Cash Hawthorn.
They stood there, eye to eye for what felt like an eternity. She was on fire. She couldn't take it anymore.
"I’m not an ice queen..." she said. She knew that for a fact because right now her body was on fire for this man in front of her.
"Prove it," he said with a smirk.
That was all it took; she threw her arms around and pulled his face down to kiss him. He groaned and pushed the door shut behind him. This wasn’t what she had in mind, but she was not going to stop this. This was the only thing that made sense between the two of them. This was all that stupid sex dream’s fault…that was it.