“Wow,” Piper breathed out as she stepped out of the shotgun seat.
“Yeah,” I whispered in agreement.
The sight before us was breathtaking. A construction light that was plugged into JP’s truck illuminated both JP and Kappy as they cleared the snow off the ice with shovels. On the edge of the pond, a bonfire was going strong with camping chairs set up next to it, as well as a little picnic table holding a large thermos and snacks.
Spotting us, JP and Kappy stopped shoveling and gave us big waves, ushering us to join them out on the ice.
Darting through the deep snow, we made our way down to the snowbank on the edge of the pond. Sitting next to the boombox playing static-y country music, my fingers were freezing as I laced up my skates as quickly as possible.
While it felt like we were in a beautiful little snow globe with the snow lightlyfalling around us, I was a little worried I was going to die of hypothermia.
JP glided over the bumpy pond ice and leaned his chin on the butt of the shovel. “So, what do you think of the set up?”
“It’s beautiful, like a little winter wonderland,” I said.
“Yeah?” JP gave me his signature crooked grin.
“Definitely.” I smiled and looked around. “It makes mewantto skate, ya know?” I shivered against the cold.
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” he said, looking out at the frozen pond. When his grey eyes landed on me, they narrowed. “You cold?”
“No, I’m good,” I lied, trying to control my chattering teeth.
Stepping over the snowbank in his beat-up outdoor skates, he trudged up to the bonfire. I watched him unzip a bulging backpack and retrieve a couple things, including a hockey hoodie stamped with his last name and number on the back.
“Ah, I don’t think a hoodie is gonna fit over my jacket,” I said hesitantly.
He chuckled. “Nah, hoodie is for me.” He unzipped his large puffer jacket, which also had “McQuaid #26” stitched over the chest pocket. What he did next really shocked me: He shrugged it off and held it out to me.
“What?” I shook my head and pulled back. “No, absolutely not. You need it.”
He laughed. “Nah, take it. We brought a bunch of extra stuff.”
The thought of wrapping myself in his large jacket was tempting, but I could not do that. I just shook my head.
“C’mon, you can take it, Ali.” His eyes were so warm and earnest. “We prepared for this. The first time Colt took Mer outdoor skating, she didn’t even bring a real coat. Actually, she wore something like that,” he said, pointing a gloved finger at my jacket.
I frowned. “Thisisa real jacket.”
“No,” he laughed, “that is afashionjacket. It’s nice, but it doesn’t even hit your hips. Your little tush is probably freezing.”
“Tush?” My eyebrows popped up with a laugh. “Are you eighty?”
His cheeks heated with a little shyness, but he couldn’t hide his grin. “You’ve gotta be freezing.”
Biting my lip, I stayed silent. Because I couldn't deny it. I wasn’t going to last long out here.
Giving me a pointed look, he stepped closer and wrapped his large coat around me. The thick fluffy jacket, still warm from his body heat, made me stop shivering for the first time since I left the car. “Oh.” It felt like I was wrapped in a warm comforter that smelled just like him.
He laughed while nodding. “Real jacket, right?” He pulled a Bauer hockey beanie out of his pocket and placed it on my head. “Better?”
I gave a wary smile. “Yes, thank you. I still feel bad though.”
“Nah, don’t feel bad, but if you want to help me out…” he trailed off.
I gave him a questioning look.
He dipped to whisper, “Please play on my team. Piper scares me.”
