“Maybe, but it doesn’t take much to piss you off.”
“Not when it comes to you.”
We decided to end our session there because we still needed to get ready for school. As we went to leave the ice, Mackenzie turned to me. “Thanks for today. I feel like I’ve still got a lot of work to do, but it’s good to have something I can focus on.”
“Just calling it how I see it.”
“Max never said anything about my rebounds. I think he was just happy to have someone to shoot at.”
“Your brother?” I guessed.
She nodded. “He’s the reason I started playing hockey. Dad didn’t let me practice with a team or play in games, but Max used to practice against me all the time, right up until he went to college. He’s a forward; one of the best players in the state.”
“He plays for the Raiders with my brothers, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. If you can stop one of his shots, you can stop anyone’s.”
As she looked up at me, I could see she was genuinely grateful. It was another emotion I’d never seen her feel when it came to me. Another one I liked.
“Yeah, well.” I coughed to try and dislodge the tightness in my chest. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do. We’ll pick upwhere we left off tomorrow morning.”
“Sure.” She nodded. “But you might need to rethink your coaching methods. No more checking out my ass.”
“I’m not making any promises,” I called after her as she turned and skated away.
Without glancing back, she stuck her middle finger up over her shoulder. All I could think was that I actually had a good feeling about getting out of bed early tomorrow.
Chapter 18Mackenzie
“I already knew Parker hated me, but I didn’t realize he hated methismuch.” I groaned as I lowered myself into the passenger seat of Jaz’s car. Every part of my body was complaining. I’d practiced with Parker the last four mornings in a row, and today’s session had been particularly brutal. It started with sprints and ended with Seth and Owen joining us to simulate game plays, which felt like a much more effective way of training than having Parker compliment my ass while shooting pucks at me. That on top of our daily team practices had left me exhausted.
Today we had the afternoon off. Only, instead of resting like I should have been, I was on the way to a hoop dance class, because Jaz convinced me I needed to loosen up. I wasn’t even sure what hoop dance was. All I knew was Jaz loved it, and apparently the class instructor was ridiculously hot.
It also meant I could spend a few extra hours away from my house and, more importantly, my dad.
“Remind me again why I agreed to this?”
“Because when your parents asked where you were going every morning before school you panicked and used me as a cover story for all your secret rendezvous with Parker.”
“But I don’t need a cover story for today. And I told them I was working out with you, not that I was hoop dancing…”
“Well, now it’s time to work out with me for real.” Shegrinned. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fun. Great for your core strength. And, if you get tired, you can always just sit back and enjoy the view. That’s what I do.”
I shook my head. “Is the instructor really that hot?”
“Dominic issuperdreamy. He graduated from Ransom a couple of years ago. I like guys who are a little older.”
“Really?”
“Of course,” she replied innocently. “Boys our age suck. They have no idea how to treat girls, and I swear half the guys in our year forget to shower most days. I can’t wait for college.”
“What about Isaac?”
“What about Isaac?” Her cheeks flushed slightly.
“Does he suck?”
“Well, no. But he doesn’t count, obviously.”
