I hear his voice first.
“-think you’ll like it better in daylight, you can actually see the water-”
I turn around.
Skelly stops mid-sentence.
Elida goes very still.
Skelly’s face opens into an easy smile and he steps forward with his hand out.
“Russo, right? Jake Skelly. Northern State.” He shakes my hand. “Good game last night. Seriously.”
“Thanks.”
His handshake is firm. I hate that I can’t find anything wrong with it.
“And of course you know Elida,” he says, half turning.
“Yep,” I manage.
“She’s been doing great work with your team - you’re lucky to have her.”
“Yeah. We are.”
I don’t look at her.
“This is Jess,” I say.
Jess smiles and shakes both their hands.
“Great to meet you,” Skelly says. He puts his hand lightly on Elida’s back. “We should let you guys go. Cold night.”
“Yeah. Enjoy the rest of it.”
“You too.”
We separate on the pavement. I don’t watch them walk away. I turn in the opposite direction and Jess falls into step beside me and says nothing for a moment.
Then she says, “she’s beautiful.”
I keep walking. “She’s our skating coach.” I sound way pricklier than I mean to.
Jess gives me a sideways look.
We walk the rest of the block in silence.
Even so, she turns around the second the door closes and puts her hands on my chest.
I put my hands over hers.
“Hey,” I say. “I’m sorry. I’ve got a killer headache coming on.”
She looks at me for a moment.
“Okay,” she says simply.
“Jess-”
