A slow smile curved my lips. “Is that your way of convincing me to show up?”
His gaze dropped briefly to my mouth before meeting my eyes again. “Would it work if it was?”
The air between us shifted, charged with something unspoken but impossible to ignore. I didn’t look away.
“It might,” I said softly. “Although it would take a lot to impress me when it comes to hockey,” I said playfully.
“Is that so?” His lips tipped up on one side, and his lopsided smile sent butterflies flying around in my stomach.
I shrugged, pretending like he didn’t affect me. “Since I know nothing about hockey, how will I know if you’re even any good?”
“Trust me,” he said, his voice turning low and rumbly as his gaze zeroed in on me with an intensity that made my pulse spike. “When you see me on the ice, there will be no mistaking just how skilled I am.”
Were we still talking about hockey? And could somebody fan me, because I was instantly feeling hot.
He took a small step back, a half smile still tugging at his lips, at what could only be a slightly dazed expression on my face. “Tomorrow, then?”
“Uh-huh.” Those were the only words I could muster as I tried to wrangle my emotions. Feelingembarrassed by my reaction, I tossed my hair over my shoulder, hoping for an air of indifference. “Try not to trip over your ego on the ice.”
He chuckled, backing toward the stairs. “I’ve never struggled with it before, so I’m sure I’ll be all right.”
He turned, and I watched as he took the stairs two at a time. I was grateful there was no one around I knew to see the wide grin that slowly spread across my lips.
Suddenly I wasreallylooking forward to tomorrow.
Chapter 8
Holden
December 19th
The morning airwas crisp and cold, but it hadn’t stopped people from coming to the resort’s outdoor ice rink for the Holiday Hockey Shootout. A crowd of people surrounded the rink to watch the paying patrons play the game. It wasn’t anything fancy. Each person would take a shot, try to score, and every puck that hit the back of the net meant more money raised for the Mynt to Make a Difference charity. It was my job to hang by the shooting lane, hand out some tips, sign a few pucks, and smile for the cameras. Easy enough.
My eyes scanned the crowd as I stood alone on the ice waiting for the game to officially start. I tried to act nonchalant about it, pretending I wasn’t looking for a particular woman with honey-blond hair and brown eyes.
I’d been surprised when Alex had said he was leaving for a work meeting, but I was even more surprised he’d asked me to keep his girlfriend company. Although he didn’t know Belle and I weren’t strangers—that we had spent an afternoon together and shared a kiss, one I still found myself thinking about.
When my eyes landed on the beautiful woman I had been searching for, she was bundled up in a puffy coat, her hands stuffed in her pockets and a smirk on her face that said,Looking for me? Like she’d known I was looking for her in the crowd. She gave me a wave, to which I gave her a head nod in return.
The announcer’s voice crackled over the speakers, taking my attention from Belle and kicking off the event. Good. I didn’t need to be thinking about Belle or that look she had given me or how I’d probably be spending more time with her later.
Once people were lined up and ready to shoot, I was able to focus on the reason I was here.
The first few shooters missed the net entirely, but then a few people sent the puck in, throwing up their arms like they’d just won the Cup. I tossed out a few encouraging remarks and signed some pucks but mostly kept my head down.
It wasn’t until a little kid shuffled up, helmet too big for his head, and stick dragging behind him, that I broke my routine. The kid looked like he was about to topple over.
I skated over without thinking, crouching down beside him. “Here,” I said, adjusting his tiny hands onthe stick, lining up his shot. “Focus on the corner. Nice and easy.”
He nodded, his face scrunched up in concentration. Pulling back the stick, he let it swing forward, connecting with the puck with a soft smack. The puck wobbled across the ice, the crowd seeming to hold its breath as we watched in anticipation. It clanged off the post, and as it slid into the back of the net, everyone let out a cheer like he’d scored a hat trick.
The kid beamed up at me, and before I could stop myself, I ruffled his helmet and handed him a signed puck. He skated off to his mom, who was waiting to wrap him up in a big hug.
After that, more kids joined the line, and I found myself kneeling down, showing them how to line up their shots, steadying their hands. I hadn’t expected to help coach kids today, but watching their faces light up when they scored? Yeah. Made the people and the chaos worth it.
The game was finally over, and I chanced a glance over to Belle, who was watching me with a smile on her face like she knew more about me than I had wanted to show, causing me to quickly look away. She had me all wrong. I wasn’t coldhearted by any means, but I wasn’t someone who got all warm and cozy with people. This had been a one-off, something I couldn’t explain. There had just been something about that little boy that had me skating out to him. And then it wasn’t like I could turn down the rest of the kids. I hadn’t been doing anything special. Just fulfilling my responsibility to Mynt.Signing autographs. Smiling for the cameras. Same thing anyone else would’ve done.
I made my way off the ice, shaking a few parents’ hands before I was finally ushered away by one of the security guards there to help with the week’s events.
