“I’m the new assistant coach,” he says. “You didn’t hear about it?”
I shake my head, unable to form words. I’m still stuck on seeing him on the ice in skates again. It takes me right back to my secret infatuation from when we were younger. He still looks just as good in a pair of skates—better, honestly.
There’s always been this sense that he’s at home when he’s on the ice and it’s no different now.
Once I manage to get a hold of myself, I wonder how I missed this. Between my dad and my job tending bar at The Landmark, hockey gossip is pretty much all I hear about.
“No, I had no idea. This is why you came back to Heston Lake?”
“Yeah. Crazy, right? I never thought I’d be coaching at this level.” His green eyes glint. “I’ve done some youth programs and training camps, but never anything like this.”
“It looks good on you.”
His charming smile stretches with amusement. “Does it?”
I jolt at his inviting tone, realizing how that came off. “I mean, it suits you. Coaching. You look like you’re happy doing it.”
His eyes crinkle and he scans the rink. “Yeah, I think I might be. Today’s only my first day.”
Flustered, I look for my escape. “Is my dad around?”
“He’s with Steve doing offensive drills.” Cole motions to the other end of the rink.
“Thanks.”
“See you later.”
I suppose I will if he’s here working with Dad every day. In my head, I add another reason why I’ll never have him—besides the fact he never figured out how hard I used to crush on him. I almost laugh at myself becauseused tois such a lie. Those feelings are still around, and they only seem worse with him back, all grown up and irresistibly sexy.
Not only is Cole my brother’s best friend, now Dad’s his boss. There’s no way he’d be interested in his friend’s younger sister and he definitely wouldn’t risk pissing off the head coach by going for his only daughter.
Which will never happen, because I doubt Cole’s ever looked at me the way I look at him when he’s not paying attention.
Shaking my head to clear it, I walk around the rink. A few of the upperclassmen wave and I return their greetings.
“Hey.” I hold up the takeout bag from The Landmark. “Brought our lunch.”
Dad’s a gruff man most days with a reputation for being a tough yet dedicated coach for this town’s beloved D1 men’s ice hockey team. That flies out the window when he’s presented with Mr. Boucher’s famous wings.
Mom’s getting on all of us about eating better and moving more, so these are secret wings and burgers. They’re our little thing. At least when we need some comfort food, which I totally do.
I don’t really want to restrict myself with a diet like Mom always has. Not that she’s too hard on herself, because sheloves a good treat, but it’s something ingrained in her from her mother. We don’t talk to Grandma after Dad made it clear at one Christmas dinner that he wouldn’t let her talk to Mom like that anymore before he made us all walk out.
Mom’s been working on unlearning all the nasty things her mother put in her head since, making a point to always tell me positive affirmations to uplift me instead of nitpick my physical appearance.
I’m content with how my body is, with curves from my boobs to my ass and thighs. I don’t mind that my stomach has a little pooch or the silvery stretch marks from growth spurts once I hit puberty. I’m a real-sized woman and it makes me feel beautiful because she instilled the importance of self-confidence in my body image.
I shake the bag. “I hope you’re hungry. I needed emotional support fries this week.”
“Is that right?” Dad’s lips twitch. He checks his smartwatch with a quick nod. “Steve? Finish up practice after this. And send Cole over to me when you’re done here.”
“Got it.” Steve doesn’t take his attention off the action on the ice.
We take the food to his office. He clears a space on the desk and points at me with a fry.
“What’s up with you? You’ve been in lurk mode.”
I pull a face. “What the hell is lurk mode?”
