“Remember what we talked about?” I asked her.
“Yeth, Mith Hayth.”
I plucked at the knot.
“I need to ath—ask for help.”
“Right. Or you can take a deep, deep breath, fill your belly, and try again.”
“The knot got all tangled.” Lori scowled.
“And now it’s out,” I said. “Slip on your shoes, and I’ll take back your skates.”
Lori did as I directed while I collected the skates we’d borrowed. I marked each pair and placed them in the large tub, which I then hefted onto my hip.
We were most of the way through the stadium when I heard Cormac call, “Ms. Hayes!”
I stopped walking and set down the plastic bin, thankful for a respite. All those skates were heavy. Cormac puffed as he skidded to a halt—in his socks. He must have sprinted the whole way. My heart warmed.
“You left one.” He waved a gray-and-blue skate, which looked tiny in his big hand. He still stood head and shoulders above me.
“Thank you.” I nodded.
The group of students and teachers continued to move down the hall. “I enjoyed meeting you today, Ms. Hayes,” he added.
I blushed as I opened the bin. “Keelie.” At his questioning look, I said, “My name’s Keelie. And it was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you again for spending time with Andy—”
“Have dinner with me.”
I blinked up at him, noting his short, dark hair and his soft, pink lips, framed by days-old scruff. My tummy tumbled. “What?”
“Dinner. Let me take you out to eat.”
“I…”
Cormac pressed a piece of paper into my hand. His fingers were warm and sent tingles up my arm, straight to my belly. “Andy said you like ramen. I can meet you at Jinya if you don’t want me to pick you up. Tonight?”
Chapter4
Cormac
“Ms. Hayes! We need to get these kids on the bus,” one of the other teachers called.
Keelie flushed again, her cheeks the sweetest pink—a lovely contrast to her lightly-tanned skin. “Coming. Just getting the missing skate in here.”
She’d pulled her light-brown hair back in a ponytail, and it reminded me of a thick stream of honey.
I hadn’t dated a woman since high school. My moves were rusty—but not rusted. I gulped, shocked by how much it meant to me that she’d agreed. My heart thumped hard, and I curled my toes in my damp socks, hoping like hell my feet didn’t stink. But I knew they had to because I’d been on the ice for hours.
Keelie dropped her lashes, covering her sky-blue eyes. She snapped the lid on the bulky plastic bin and bent her knees, widening her stance as she clutched the edges.
I bent to help, using my hand to guide the bottom upward and into her arms. Keelie was fit, her biceps flexing in her short-sleeved top, so I didn’t offer to take the bin.
I’d learned with Shannon, though she preferred more intellectual pursuits, not to assume that a woman wanted or needed my help. Keelie was clearly capable.
She glanced at me, appreciation flashing across her expression. “I’ll see you there at seven thirty.”
Her voice was warm but also a little throatier than the typical woman’s, reminding me of sex. Hot, steamy, sweaty sex…which I hadn’t had in far, far too long.
