Chapter 15 Hannah #2
“For Christmas when I was four,” she challenges, and I know how this argument is going to go. I know he’s going to give in. I’m more certain of it when she sticks out her bottom lip and adds, “Please?”
Brody pinches the bridge of his nose and glances at me. “Are you okay with this? You don’t have to be.”
“I’m not going to risk being the uncool one. I’m okay with it, but you don’t have skates. If I’m going to win, I want to win fair and square.”
“There are some in my office. I have multiple pairs.”
“How convenient that you’re prepared.” I smile. “Could be fun. Could also be embarrassing, but I’m down to find out if you are.”
“This is your one guilt trip of the year,” Brody says to Liv, and she bobs her head in a nod. “You don’t get another one. I’ll be back.”
“I’m so glad I’m using it on something good.” She takes his spot on the bench, resting her elbows on the boards. “His turns are slow,” she tells me when he disappears. “If you’re with him at the halfway point, you’ll probably win.”
“I love insider knowledge. Thanks for the heads-up.” I bump her knuckles with mine and move to the ice, stretching my hips. “I’m not very fast, but I am competitive.”
“My dad might have you beat there. He’s competitive with everything.”
Brody is quick to return, mumbling under his breath about peer pressure and being ganged up on. He ties his laces and spins his hat so it’s facing forward, and I decide he’s one of those men who looks good no matter which way he wears a cap.
How unfair to the rest of the population.
“What are the rules?” he asks, skating over to me. “A lap? Crease to crease?”
“Crease to crease.” Liv winks at me, and he scowls. “Winner gets… the tiny origami star I made in Spanish class this morning!”
“You’re going down,” I whisper to Brody, and he grunts in response. “Do you think your legs are going to give out?”
“Be careful what you say, Tiny Everett. I’d hate to see you trip and fall.”
“Tiny?” I laugh. “Please. Have you seen me?”
“I consider anyone I can lift with one arm tiny. That applies to you.”
“I guess you can do that, huh?” I say, proud when his cheeks turn a deep shade of pink.
Making him blush might be one of my new favorite things.
There’s no more trash talking, because Liv whistles, signaling the start of our race.
We both take off, and I’m genuinely shocked by how fast Brody is.
I was expecting to have the advantage due to his injury, but he’s like a bullet.
Gliding across the ice while looking like he’s not even moving, and my legs burn as I approach the halfway mark, struggling to keep up.
It helps that Liv was right about Brody’s rotation. It’s clunky. He’s heavy on his feet and his turn takes longer than it should. It’s just enough time to allow me to catch him, and as we come into the final straightaway, I have a slight lead, ahead by a nose.
“Go, Hannah, go!” Liv cheers, and it’s the motivation I need.
There’s no trophy or grand prize. In the grand scheme of life, this event has no impact on anything else I’m ever going to do, but I’m suddenly desperate to win.
Maybe it’s to prove to myself that even though I’m going back to square one, I’m still one of the best skaters in the world.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t won anything in so long.
Whatever the reason, it’s fuel to the fire, and with ten yards to go, the victory is within reach.
But Brody has other plans. I blink and he’s there, right by my side, matching my pace.
He’s crouched low, keeping his center of gravity tight while swinging his arms, and I make the stupid mistake of looking over at him.
When I do, I catch him smiling. Little eye wrinkles.
An open mouth, like he’s about to let out a low laugh.
He’s beautiful.
It distracts me, and I lose my footing. The toe of my skate nicks the ice, and I tumble both forward and sideways, right into him.
“Shit,” I cry out, hoping I hit the ice ass-first and not with my wrists.
The fall is inevitable. I brace myself, but I’m not met with the hard, cold surface I expect. Instead, it’s warm. Soft in the middle, with an arm around my waist. I open one eye and find myself against Brody’s chest, his back bearing much of the brunt force.
“Ow. Fuck. Dammit.” He groans, head dropping back. He lost his hat somewhere, and there are pieces of ice in his hair. “That didn’t go according to plan.”
“What the hell even happened? How did you get under me?”
“You were falling. My reflexes are still quick. No one gets hurt on my ice.” He winces. “I haven’t been hit like that in years. You could have a future in hockey, Tiny Everett.”
“Thank you.” My arm is across his collarbone. My hand holds the waistband of his sweatpants. Our legs and skates are tangled together, and I don’t know how to get out of this position. “You didn’t have to sacrifice yourself. I’ve fallen thousands of times.”
“No one gets hurt.” Brody repeats the words as he lifts his head, sitting up slightly. His eyes sweep over my face. “You’re okay?”
“I’m okay. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. My ass took most of the fall, and my daughter is in serious trouble.”
“If you’re going to be mad at anyone, be mad at me. It was my fault. I lost my footing, and I didn’t mean to take you down with me.”
“It’s pretty clear I would’ve won if you hadn’t interfered.”
“Oh, please.” I swat at his shoulder, and it earns me a chuckle. “I was kicking your bruised ass.”
“Bruised is right.” He moves, and when he does, I feel his hand on the small of my back. It moves higher, up the line of my spine, and I blow out a breath. “You sure you’re not hurt?”
“I promise I’m fine. You didn’t hit your head, did you?”
“Nope. I’m—”
“Are you two okay?” Liv skates up to us, a guilty gleam in her smile. “I promise that wasn’t part of the plan.”
“We’re fine,” Brody grumbles.
He’s the one to initiate the untangling of our limbs. His leg unwraps from around my calf. His hands fall away next, and I’m instantly cold without his touch. When I sneak a peek at him, his jaw is tight. His eyes are narrowed, and it’s very obvious he’s uncomfortable with the position we’re in.
White-hot mortification grips me. I scramble out of his hold, rolling to the side. I swear he breathes a sigh of relief when I’m no longer manhandling him, and the flicker of awareness about how much he didn’t enjoy a single minute of that is like getting doused with a bucket of cold water.
“It was stupid to suggest a game where you could’ve gotten hurt.” Liv wrings her hands together with a sigh when Brody and I stand. “I’m so sorry, Hannah.”
“It’s okay, Liv. You couldn’t have known we were going to fall.” I smile. “That was fun. I needed an adrenaline boost, and beating your dad in a race was the perfect solution.”
“Watch it, Tiny Everett. Beating is a very generous word.” Brody points to the bench. “Let’s go, Livvy.”
“Hey.” I put my hand on his arm. “You’re not mad at her, are you?”
“I could never be mad at her.” He sighs. “I’m mad I was so blatantly put in my place.”
“You know what they say. Anything that boys can do, girls can do better.”
“You’re right. You’ll let me know if something starts to hurt later? An ankle or elbow?”
“Do you think I’m going to sue the team because I got injured on their property?” I laugh. “I promise I won’t, and I’ll sign a waiver before my next lesson with Liv.”
“Fuck a waiver.” The firmness in his tone makes me shiver. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
“Oh.” I play with the ends of my ponytail. “Right. Okay. Yeah.”
“Thank you.” He gives me a nod and dusts off his sleeve. “Have a good night, Hannah.”
“You too,” I say, and when he checks over his shoulder, eyes locking with mine one more time, I think maybe he wasn’t uncomfortable at all.