Manny clears his throat. “Want some ice for that?”
“All good, my friend.” My heart rate slows and I can breathe again, my thoughts no longer racing. It’s a terrible coping technique, but I can’t argue with the results.
I trade the kitchen for the dining room, shooting a quick glance at the clock hanging above the door. Quarter to twelve—any minute now my best friend, Cole Martin, will be striding through that door like he owns the place and will take a seat on one of the stools to hang out with me during lunch. He’s done this every single day since he moved back to Sleighbell Springs, even back when he could hardly walk from his injuries. A flutter passes through my chest at the thought, though I push it down. Cole is my best friend, nothing more.
We first met at seven years old when his family moved in next door. He was already the quiet, broody, hockey-obsessed man he is now, landing him in trouble more often than not. But anyone who takes the time to get to know him can see the teddy bear underneath the mask of disinterest, and within days we became inseparable.
Even when puberty hit him like a truck and all the girls in school fell at his feet he stuck with me, barely casting them a glance in favor of talking to me. He went on no dates, never flirted. Hell, out of all the girls he could have asked out,Iwas the one he asked to prom—as friends, of course. After all these years, I’m still not sure why; I guess he was too focused on hockey to waste his time with girls and dating, knowing high school flings don’t last.
For years I didn’t understand why those girls seemed to fall for him with a single glance shot their way—to me, Cole was still the nerdy, sweet and funny guy he had always been, just taller and with more muscle. Even when he became a rookie in the NHL, with his impossible schedule and all these rules to follow and the hundreds of miles between us, he was still my best friend, calling me every single night to talk and laugh until we fell asleep.
It was only when my grandmother passed away and Cole risked his career to get on the first plane home to me that I realized his arms were the only thing that could comfort me. That he wasmy person, my home. Anything else was unthinkable. For the first time, I saw exactly what those girls saw all along, but perhaps even more. Because I knew the incredible heart hidden in that gorgeous body, knew exactly the way one could be loved by him.
Needless to say, I fellhard.
Still, nothing could ever happen between us. He is my best friend, and I would never want to risk losing him over something as silly as an unrequited crush. Besides, our lives are toodifferent to ever make it work, even if we tried. Cole is one of the biggest names in pro hockey, the star player of the Vancouver Vultures. Dating him would be like dating a popstar—which, to be fair, he has done before. Because that’s someone more on his level. Someone like him would never go for a small-town waitress.
Behind me, the old creaky radio cuts off the music for an emergency broadcast.The storm of the year is expected to hit tonight, with winds upwards of 63 miles per hour and a minimum of three feet of snow. All residents of the area are advised to prepare and shelter in their homes until the storm passes, which can take up to four days.
Yeah, right. They say this every time, and usually it means less than a foot of snow with howling winds lasting exactly one night. We get the occasional outlier, of course; Nor’easters are far from unheard of in these parts. But after a few years you stop buying into the fear-mongering. Even with a hole the size of a hockey puck in my roof and another in my window, I can’t bring myself to get too nervous. We will be fine.
We always are.
Chapter two
Cole
Theice-slicksidewalkgivesway underneath my feet as I sprint through the streets, threatening to drag me to the ground. There is no telling how many injuries I’d reopen if that happens, but at least I’d be here in Sleighbell Springs with Noelle.
Maybe, if I’m lucky, she’d even offer to take care of me.
I glance at my watch, swearing with a sinking feeling in my chest as I note the time. It’s ten past twelve already. I’ve never been this late for our unofficial lunch date—hell, I’m usually very early, just to have a few more minutes with her. These fucking doctors not sticking to their appointment times. I’ve got more important things to do than sit around and wait for them. Don’t they understand that I couldn’t care less about them, or what they have to say? That I have other shit to do?
I figured it was clear I wasn’t going to listen to them the moment I decided to move back here, but maybe I should have been more aggressive about it.
My knee is killing me, and it’s not even the worst of my injuries. But fuck if I have to miss out on another minute withmy best friend. The Candy Cane Café is in my sights now, bright and colorful in the milky light, and I push myself to go faster. Seeing her smile is the only painkiller I need to get through this day.
It happens in a flash. My foot slips on the ice, twisting my bad knee, and the fall knocks the air straight from my lungs. I can’t control the groan rippling from my throat, so I slap my hand over my mouth to muffle the sound.
Sitting up, I struggle to push myself up from the ground as the pain shoots through my leg. I can move it, so I don’t think the damage is too severe.Focus, Cole. Don’t let Noelle see you in pain. The last thing we want is for her to worry.
Rising, I stumble to lean against the wall a few feet from the café’s windows. Slowly, I stretch my extremities, making sure everything is still in place. They should be, with the amount of metal they fixed me up with over the years. But you never really know. Nothing seems wrong in a serious way, though, so I’m sure it’s fine.
I straighten my back, dust off my coat, and try not to limp too badly as I walk through the door.
A bell rings clear above my head as I step onto the checkered tile. There’s an elderly pair at the windows to my right, and a mother with her small child at a table in the back. I vaguely remember her from high school, though I’d be damned to remember her name. This town is filled with the ghosts of my past; I have stopped keeping track of them long ago.
Noelle breaks out into a dazzling smile the moment she spots me. A kernel of warmth nestles itself inside of my chest at the sight, and I don’t stop my own smile as it pulls at my lips.
“Go sit down, I’ll be with you in a second.”
And never leave me, please.
I gather the cups and plates from the empty table by the door and bring them with me to the sink before taking my place at thefar end of the counter, out of the way and hopefully out of sight. I’m never that lucky.
The women at the other end spot me immediately, shooting me flirty looks and pretty smiles that make me feel absolutely nothing. If anything, I’m more flaccid than ever.
I give them a polite smile before my eyes slide back to Noelle, who drifts between the tables like a dandelion on a breeze. Despite the freezing cold, she wears a bright pink dress that’s fitted at the chest before flaring at the bottom, hugging every part of her curves just right. The ballooning sleeves cuff at her wrists, and paired with her white-and-pink striped leggings that outfit cannot possibly be enough to keep her warm.
