Liam lifts his chin, a smile stretching across his lips as he stares up at me. “What else can I get?”
There’s a small box on top of the last stack that isn’t heavy, so I hand it to him. “Just set it in the kitchen for now, okay?”
“Okay, Uncle Jace,” he says with a nod as he spins on his heel and heads toward the house.
Harrison passes him and steps over to me, grabbing another box. “Did you know the rink is for sale?”
My eyebrows draw together, my stomach immediately sinking. “The one in town?”
He nods his head. “Yeah, we passed it on our way in. You didn’t see?”
“No, I didn’t venture down that way.” I pause, chewing on the inside of my cheek. “I can’t believe they’re selling it. That place holds so many memories for so many people here in town.”
“I imagine someone will buy it and tear it down. Bring in a big chain store or something.” Harrison adjusts his box as I lift mine and the two of us start walking back to the house. “We should buy it.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “What the hell are we gonna do with an ice rink?”
Harrison lifts his shoulders—non-committal—and lowers them. “Whatever we want.”
Mulling over his words, my mind drifts to the rink. It’s where I first learned to skate. Where I first held a hockey stick in my hands. It’s where I fell in love with the game, where I’d go to clear my head when life felt like too much.
“Hm,” I murmur to myself as I step through the front door with Harrison behind me. “I don’t know, Harrison. I’m not sure if I’m ready for something like that.”
I don’t know what the hell I’m doing tomorrow, let alone what I’m doing for the foreseeable future.
“I think it’s worth thinking about,” he presses as he follows me into the kitchen. Liam sits on the floor, trying to play with Dr. Grey, except she’s all but completely blind in her remaining eye.
Snoop is nowhere to be seen, per usual. She has a tendency of hiding when other people are around.
Setting the box down, I slowly turn around to face Harrison. “I’ll think about it.”
“Let me know what conclusion you come to,” he says as he dips his chin. “It’s not a bad idea. We could start our own thing. We both have enough experience, and you having played professionally is enough of a draw for people to come.”
I tilt my head to the side and stare at my friend. “We would need an actual plan. A financial plan, everything.”
“I know,” he says, glancing at his son on the floor as he transitions to petting the cat instead. “We would figure that all out before we do anything.”
Buying a rink and figuring out what to do with it is a big responsibility. It’s a huge project—a time consuming one, at that. Mentally, physically, and emotionally. Is that something I’m even ready for right now?
My eyes drift down to my ankle. That damned traitorous joint. I can’t play again, but I could still be around the ice, maybeeven teach kids to love the sport that was my whole life. I have nothing but time and no set plans for my future. This could be exactly what I need.
“What if the rink is sold before then?”
A smirk tugs on his lips. “Then I guess you’d better not wait too long.”
CHAPTER THREE
JACE
“Are you sure you don’t mind watching over the clinic?”
I turn and look at my Uncle Dave as we stand out front of the vet clinic. He called me last evening, wondering if I could keep an eye on their veterinary clinic while he and my aunt are away for the next two weeks. One of the other veterinarian’s was supposed to, but she had a personal matter arise. “It’s not a problem at all.”
“I didn’t mean to spring it on you last minute. Dr. Jordan getting sick was not what we anticipated at all.”
It’s a simple task, really, and it’s only for two weeks while they’re in Europe celebrating their anniversary. Open and close the clinic and make sure that the place doesn’t go to shit.
“It’s not a big deal at all. You’ll be back before you know it.”
