Chapter Six #2
I stand suddenly, my chair scraping against the floor as I shuffle to my feet.
My hands clench and then release as my emotions begin to bubble up inside of me.
She’s already upset, and she doesn’t need to deal with any sort of vibe coming from me right now.
I can’t allow my feelings for her to get in the way of the problems she’s facing; she doesn’t deserve the added pressure.
“I have to go. Coach expects us to practice hard today since we’ll be off our restrictive diets tomorrow. ”
“Ah, yes. For a moment there, I almost thought you were normal and forgot that you’re actually a famous hockey star.
I’m sure my problems are the last thing you want to deal with today, and now I’ve ruined your jacket in the process.
I hope you won’t be too cold on your way to practice.
” She stands as well, the table between us acting as an island.
Her walls are slamming back up, and I hate every moment of it.
“You know it’s not like that. I’ll be by tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything.”
She turns away, but I’m not finished.
I grab her wrist, commanding her attention as I say, “And Winter? I mean it. Don’t stress yourself over something that I can grab on the way over or whatever. I have my truck; it’s no big deal.”
She nods, and I wince, suddenly feeling like an even bigger jerk. I just unintentionally reminded her that her car’s still stuck on the side of the road. So much for not bringing the mood down any lower.
“Thanks, I’ll be sure to let you know.” With her hands full of both of her cappuccinos, I lead us to the door and hold it open for her to go out first. The next time we step foot in this coffee shop, it’ll be loaded down with Christmas decorations, but for now, the fake amber fall leaves still adorn the homey feeling entrance as we leave.
The sweet smells from the freshly baked goods escape around us, following us outside and down the two steps, making me hungry even though I already ate earlier.
The frosty chill in the air hits us instantly, and my muscles clench from the cold and my lack of a jacket. Thankfully, I have a spare in my closet at Mom’s. Now let’s hope the old thing still fits me. “I swear it got colder from the time we went inside.”
“Right?” she agrees. “Brr.” And now I’m wishing my jacket were dry for an entirely different reason, because I’d offer it to Winter in a heartbeat to help her stay warm. “See you tomorrow,” she says and takes off down the sidewalk.
“You’re walking home?” I ask, about to offer to drop her off instead.
She doesn’t respond to my question, instead calling over her shoulder, “Bye, Sean Spruce.”
And somehow, I know it’s the answer to my unspoken offer.
She wants to walk back to the farm, probably needing the time it’ll take for her to go over everything in her head before she’s back to her peppy self; she usually is around her parents.
I admire her resilience; heck, I respect it a great deal, too.
She has had stuff hitting her back-to-back, and it’d be enough to make a lesser person crumble, but not Winter.
No, she’s determined to figure it all out, and I bet she does it while singing Christmas carols the entire way home.
I get to my truck a few minutes later and open up the back door, checking for my ratchet straps.
I have the heavy-duty kind that can hold a ton of weight, so they should do the trick.
As I climb behind the wheel, I press the start button and the engine fires to life, the heat instantly blaring on to warm the cab.
Once my Bluetooth connects from my cell, I hit the number for the local mechanic shop.
There’s only one of course, and it’s now run by a guy I graduated with.
His father had owned it previously, and supposedly, his grandfather even before that.
“Hey man,” I greet as soon as he answers.
“Sean, good to hear from you. What’s up?”
“If I tow a friend’s car to the shop, can you put some snow chains on her tires for me? I don’t have her keys, so her alarm may be going off when I pull up.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, buddy, I can make that happen for you.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. I’ll cover the cost, then maybe you can give her a call and ask her to pick it up? Or should I tow it to her place?”
He whistles lowly before saying, “Dang, you must have it pretty bad for this woman. I guess the real question is, whose car are you planning on towing to the shop?”
“Just a friend, but I can’t stand the thought of anything possibly happening to her if she attempts to drive in this weather. She’s too stubborn to take care of things herself, so I want her surprised.”
“Yeah, okay. I can do that for you, no problem. Do you want her to know it was you who brought the car in and footed the bill? I can drop it off for you.”
I think on it for a beat before saying, “No, let’s just call me a secret Santa.”
He laughs again. “You go it.”
“Thank you, see you later.” I hang up, mentally checking off the first thing on my own list. I may be surrounded by hyper-independent women around here, but it doesn’t mean I can’t quietly make sure they’re taken care of in the process.
Next up, I really do have to get to the Blizzards’ rink for some solo hockey practice.
I have a game after Thanksgiving, and I need to be ready.
After practice, I’ll work on getting Winter’s car out of the snow pile and slowly tow it into town.
Tomorrow I’ll get started on ‘Operation Help Winter Get Through Christmas.’ If we become good friends again during the process, even better.
I swear she gets more beautiful each time I see her, and while I may’ve bowed out before where she’s concerned, it’s not something I’m willing to do twice.
I’m used to winning, and if that includes gaining Winter in the end, there’ll be no stopping me.