Page 160 of Secrets on Ice

“Hey.”

I turn.

“I'm really proud of you,” he says. “That's all.”

My throat closes so fast I can't get a word out, so I just nod and get out of there before he sees my face. I make it into the elevator before the tears come.

I miss him.

46

EMBER

It's one of those slow, do-nothing weekend mornings. Cassidy and I are on the couch in our pajamas, each with a coffee and a blanket, half-watching something neither of us is following while we’re both scrolling.

And then suddenly, it’s an image of Sully and a woman on a gossip site I follow. My stomach turns and my skin prickles. I feel sick.

I gasp before I can stop myself.

“What?” Cassidy says, not looking up.

“Nothing.” My voice comes out strange. “I just … I didn't know Sully was dating.”

That gets her attention, and her head comes up. “He isn't.”

“Well.” I stare at the screen. “He is now.” I turn my phone around, holding it out to her.

It's a photo of the two of them outside a restaurant. Not a big flashy place either, one of those tiny neighborhood spots with about nine tables and a handwritten menu in the window. The place you take someone when you want to talk to them. She looks incredible, with glossy blonde hair, an incredible body shaped by a pair of jeans that cling to her curves, and a shirt that dips low, showing off an impressive cleavage. She's got her hand on his arm, and she's laughing up at him. And he's smiling. Not a polite one, a real one, the one that crinkles his eyes. I scroll to the next photo, and they seem to have moved closer together. In the third one he is leaning in, his fingers in her hair, and it looks like he’s kissing her.

I recognize the woman instantly. She's the one from the gala, the one in the red dress who bought him at the auction, put her hand on his arm, and made me so jealous I had to go stand in a freezing garden and talk myself down.

The caption underneath makes my stomach drop. Something about Mavericks defenseman Connor Sullivan being spotted out with influencer whoever-she-is. Are the rumors true? Is this a new couple? Watch this space. There are thousands of comments. I don’t want to scroll down to read them, but I do, and of course everyone is for it. Why wouldn’t you be? Two gorgeous people together.

Cassidy's face when she looks at the screen is exactly what mine must have been.

“No,” she says. “No, that's … hang on.” She takes the phone off me and scrolls, then zooms in. “That's the woman from the gala. The one who bought him.”

“I noticed.”

“Well, what the hell.” She hands the phone back like it's burned her. “He didn't say anything. He hasn't said a word. Maybe it’s part of the auction win.”

Maybe, but doubtful.

“Oh, Em …”

“What? He's single. He's allowed to date whomever he wants,” I tell her, struggling to keep my face looking neutral.

“I’m going to kick him in the balls when I see him next. What a dick thing to do.”

“Cass …”

“No, I thought after what he said …” She stops what she’s saying as if she’s said too much.

“What did he say?”

“Shit.” She curses. “It doesn’t matter.”

I frown at her. “Does it involve me?”