“Only for a few minutes, then I’m leaving.”
“I’m not forcing you to spend time with me. You can go whenever you want.”
“Someone might give me an earful if they saw me leaving your place.”
I sidestep past him and start in the direction of my building. “Good thing I’m just the lowly sibling of an NHL player.”
“Lowly?” Brody’s footsteps echo behind me, his voice almost a growl. “Not sure that’s true. You’re a world champion figure skater.”
His observation catches me off guard. The toe of my shoe hits a dip in the concrete. I stumble over my feet, but before I can fall, his hand is around my waist. His fingers dig into my hip, and I’m completely safe.
“How do you know that?” I breathe out, a palm on his bicep to steady myself.
“My daughter is also a figure skater. I listen when she talks.”
I remember reading an article about him having a kid, but it never mentioned anything about a wife. I wrangle myself free from his hold.
“Please don’t tell me you’re married.”
“No. Amicably separated from Olivia’s mother after we realized the only place we were compatible was in the bedroom after a night of drinking. We co-parent well. We don’t do relationships well.”
“How old is your daughter?”
“Thirteen.” Brody smiles when he says it. His face comes to life in a way I haven’t seen from him all night. “She’s full of energy and keeps me on my toes.”
“Clearly she doesn’t get that from you.”
“No.” A gentle laugh. Humor in the shake of his head. “She does not.”
Comfortable silence settles between us for the next few blocks. He walks on the side closest to the street, and when we make it to my apartment complex, I smile.
“This is me. Still want to come up?” I ask.
“Sure.” His eyes darken when I tug on the hem of my skirt. “But only to make sure you get inside safely.”
“I heard you the first ten times.” I tap my key fob against the door and push the glass open with my hip. “I’m on the eighth floor.”
Brody looks around the lobby, nodding hello to the security guard sitting behind the concierge desk. “Is this a safe area?”
“Yeah. There are families in the neighborhood, and it’s nicer than what I could afford by myself. Grant helps pay for it,” I say when he gives me a questioning look. “Figure skating is a very expensive sport, which I’m sure you know all about if your daughter skates. People assume we make millions of dollars, but we don’t. A win at the World Championships brings in sixty-four thousand. Which, yeah, isn’t terrible, but the unfortunate side of being an athlete is not making money unless you’re winning. When you’ve had a rough couple of years like I have, it’s even harder.”
“What do you mean?” He hits the button for the elevator and brings his hand to the small of my back as he ushers me inside when it reaches the ground floor. “Are you injured?”
“I can’t find my groove.” The elevator doors close, and I realize this is the first time I’ve acknowledged the sensation that’s gripped me every time I’ve laced up my skates the last few months. “My late teens and early twenties were really good placement wise, but that success has fizzled out. I had a roughshowing at an event in March. Since then, motivating myself to train has been difficult.”
“Is that the last time you competed?” The elevator rises. Brody’s palm is still on my back, and I swear his thumb grazes along the line of my spine. “That was a while ago.”
“It is, but I’m sure this feeling will pass. It’s all an ebb and flow, right?” The elevator doors open, and I lead the way down the hall. When we get to my apartment, I slip my key in the lock, turning the knob. “Here we are.”
“Shoes on or off?”
“Whatever you’re comfortable with.” I kick off the heels I’ve been wearing for hours and groan at the relief of freeing my toes. “Want some food?”
“My last meal was lunch before the game, and that feels like days ago,” Brody says.
“Congratulations on being back-to-back champions, by the way. The guys played really well in a tough series.”
“They did. They’re going to be the reason my hair turns gray, but I couldn’t ask for a better group.” He pauses, huffing out a laugh. “Don’t tell anyone I said that. It would only inflate their egos, and I like knowing I scare them.”
