Chapter 4 #2
Dad’s worried expression clears. “That’s good. And Cole will be with you.”
“What?” I blurt.
“I will?” he says at the same time in a strange tone.
“That’s why I called you in,” Dad explains. “The college partners with the owner of the public rink for a community program. It’s been in place for the last five years. You’re a good candidate to volunteer as an instructor with your background.”
“Oh. Won’t it cut into practice time?” Cole’s leg bounces for a moment before he stops it. “You won’t need me here for that?”
“Lessons are usually scheduled with that in mind,” I find myself saying. “You won’t miss anything. That’s how it’s always worked.”
The hint of tension loosens from his limbs and he smiles at me. It’s tinged with relief and something I can’t name. My stomach dips. I’m not used to seeing him like this. Some part of me recognizes the need for acceptance, I think.
Dad interrupts the moment with an encouraging hum.
“Right. Vic’s an old friend and when he came to me with the idea of bringing our professional coaches and players out to revive interest in lessons, I agreed it was a good idea for our guys.
It only lasts a handful of weeks through the winter, then you’ll be back to your usual duties here. Take any player with you, too.”
“Yes, sir.”
“When do we start?”
I pull up my phone calendar, focusing on what I can control rather than thinking about the fact I’ll have to go through weeks of being around Cole.
Dad checks a sticky note. “After Thanksgiving. Vic will contact you with the details.”
Cole stands. “I’ll let you finish your lunch. Do you need me to do anything else right now? Set up for tomorrow’s practice or help with player eval?”
“Steve will take care of that. Good work,” Dad says.
From the corner of my eye, I notice Cole’s chin dip a fraction before he leaves the room.
“I’m full. The rest is yours.” I get up, collecting my purse. “Are you staying longer?”
“I’ve got some paperwork to take care of. Thanks for lunch, honey. See you at home.”
“Okay, bye.” I circle his desk to give him a kiss on the cheek.
Cole’s lingering outside Dad’s office when I come out, shoulder braced against the wall. He pops out of his lean with the fluid nimbleness of someone who has trained for so long their athleticism is ingrained in their body. I tamp down on my attraction to it.
I glance behind me before facing him. “Were you waiting for me?”
He slips his hands in the pockets of his coaching jacket and shrugs. “Figured I’d walk you out since I’m done for the day.”
“Oh. Thanks.”
We fall into step together.
“So, skating instructors,” he muses. “I didn’t expect that.”
“It’s not bad. They give us free hot cocoa.”
“I’ve never taught anyone how to skate. Like, in an official class.”
“It’s just the basics, so it’s easy. We’re essentially signed on as babysitters.”
A small laugh escapes me and I beam at him. His steps falter and he reaches out to catch himself on the open door to an equipment room to regain his balance.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He clears his throat and swipes a hand across his mouth when he glances down at me. “Tripped on air, I guess.”
I nod sympathetically. “Been there. Actually, I’ll admit I pretty much live there.”
Cole chuckles. “I remember your personal vendetta against gravity.”
“That sounds way cooler than saying I’m naturally clumsy.” Or that my equilibrium sucks sometimes. I squeeze my hands into fists and fake a jab with a gratified tilt to my lips. “I’m using that from now on.”
I pretend to fight the air and he follows behind me.
“All yours.” Humor and fondness are evident in his tone. He pauses outside when I start to walk in the opposite direction. “Wait, you’re not heading for the lot?”
“I still don’t have a car. I usually walk around town, or get a ride from—”
I cut off. Shawn let me borrow his when I needed it. That’s out of the question now. It sucks because I’ve gotten used to having it as an option without having to rely on asking my parents or Benson.
“People,” I finish haltingly.
“You were walking the other day. From that apartment building by my place. You carried that big box of stuff all the way home?”
I nod, eyeing him as he closes the small distance between us with a few long strides.
His attention drops to my favorite red boots. I suppress a shiver as his gaze sweeps up, traveling over my patterned tights dotted with hearts and my sweater dress to the bow tying my braided crown back before settling on my mouth for a beat.
A strong gust of wind kicks up a swirl of leaves around us. He moves into it without hesitation, blocking me from the brisk air with his tall frame. Even without his skates on, he towers over me in these chunky heeled boots by a head. He regards me with his dark brows raised.
When he looks at me, it’s impossible not to feel caught up in that magnetic pull. Being around him is this inescapable force sucking me in.
“It’s too cold out today. You don’t have a coat on. It’s supposed to snow, you know. Come on, I’ll give you a ride.” He holds out a hand toward the lot behind the training facility. “I’ll give you one whenever you need it.”
“Oh, no it’s fine. You don’t have to go out of your way to—”
He cocks his head with a slight smirk. “We can stand here and argue about it if you want, but this still ends the same way. Not accepting no for an answer, Evie. Let me take you.”
A buzzing rush of warmth moves through me at the firm yet considerate tone he uses while teasing me.
“If you’re sure you’re not busy.”
“I’m never too busy for you.”
I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear as we head for the lot. He only means that I’m his best friend’s sister. He’s being as kind as he is to everyone. I shouldn’t read any further into those words.
This side of campus is quiet other than the trickle of athletes coming and going. I bump into Cole’s side a couple of times, then murmur an apology and put some distance between us until we drift closer again.
I stop when we reach his car, mouth curling at the corners. “You still drive a Bronco? Is this the same one you had in high school? This takes me back.”
Countless memories from tagging along with Benny and Cole flit through my mind from endless summer days chasing sunsets to winters cramming as many people in as we could to hit the closest ski slopes.
There were a few times when it was just us, too.
When he’d give me a ride to my friends’ houses when Benny didn’t feel like it, and I would shyly peek across the center console to admire his profile while he sang along to whatever played on the radio with the wind in his hair.
He pats the blue frame of the SUV and opens the door for me. “Close to the same year. I sold mine when I moved away. Couldn’t pass it up when I saw it for sale.”
Climbing in, I’m sent right back to those memories. They blend with the present, this version of him just as out of reach as he was as the heartbreaker with a carefree grin that inspired so many idealistic fantasies when I was younger.
I’ll blame it on my nostalgia, but I sneak glances at him the entire ride, admiring his shadowed jawline and the defined arm he drapes over the wheel.