“Don’t think so highly of yourself. You literally ran into me at the Titan’s practice faculty. Wasn’t hard to put two and two together.”
“Whatever you say.” His tone was teasing. I wanted to shove him, but I had a feeling he was pretty balanced on skates.
He continued, “Football obviously takes up most of my time half the year, but in the offseason I like to come here and help. The kids are pretty awesome,” he said, casually shrugging.
Damn, okay, that was…amazing, sweet, kind.I shoved those thoughts away. Just because he did something nice didn’t mean he was a nice guy. I met plenty of men that claimed to be great but turned out to be the worst.
“They looked like they were having fun when I walked in.”
“Some aren’t spectacular at hockey, but they love to skate and see their friends. Plus, it keeps them busy and out of trouble.”
We skated another lap, and Mateo switched the subject to me.
“So, you know what I do for a living. What about you?”
I hesitated to answer. It always seemed weird and cocky telling people I was an Olympic figure skater, and like I said before, people made it a whole thing when it didn’t need to be.
I decided to tell him anyway. “I’m a figure skater.”
“Oh, wow, that’s impressive.” I waited for him to ask more questions but none came. I slowed as I stared at the side of his face in surprise. There was always follow-up questions. Being a figure skater wasn’t exactly a normaljob.
As though he could read my confusion, his eyes found mine. “I know what it’s like to have people pry into your life,” he said softly, his tone heavy with understanding.
I hadn’t looked up Mateo’s name, but now I was suddenly wishing I had.
We were silent as we skated around the rink, the only sound was our blades cutting through the ice. I should have been pushing him to go so I could be alone, but instead of doing so, I kept pace alongside him.
From the corner of my eye, I watched how he easily glided with every push. His strides were long and sure, like someone who felt comfortable. Erin’s words about who his brother was came to mind, but I circled back to wanting to know more about him.
“So, the Titans, huh?” I said after a few minutes. “Were they your first choice?”
“I actually didn’t have a first choice.” I raised an eyebrow at that. The was surprising. Most athletes had a dream team they wanted to go to when they got drafted.
“No top team you wanted?”
“I mean, there’s tons of teams I would have loved to be drafted for, but I was just honored to be picked in general, so it didn’t matter where I went.”
A scoff left my lips unintentionally.
“What?”
I shifted so I could skate backward in front of him, hands on my hips. “That was the most scripted response I’ve ever heard.”
“It was not.” Mateo shook his head.
I made my voice low as I mimicked him. “I was just honored to be picked.Give me the real answer.”
“First off, that was a pretty good impression.” He pointed at me. “Second, I’m being honest.”
“That can’t be your answer. Come on, there had to be at least one team you’ve always wanted to play for,” I pushed.
“I always wanted a team close to Toronto and my family, so maybe I secretly wanted either Buffalo or New England.” Mateo shrugged.
“See, knew it,” I boasted.
“Plus, I get to play under Coach Reggie, which is a win in itself.”
My stomach twisted at the mention of my dad. Mateo played for him, and if he ever found out I was the coach’sdaughter, he’d probably treat me differently. Not that anything was going to happen between us, but dating your coach’s daughter was basically off-limits.
