Home Ice (11 page)

The office was uncomfortably quiet in Saralynn’s wake. Thankfully, Kally broke the ice. “Well … Lorelai, welcome to the three-ring circus that is the Sinners family.”

“You can call me Lori. And I’m used to a circus.” She darted a glance at Dylan, and the band of anxiety around his chest loosened a little. If she was open to inside jokes, she hadn’t shut him out completely.

“I’ll take your word for it. Thank you for coming. I wanted to have a session with you both because I think it’ll save some time, but Cole, if you’re not comfortable with it, that’s fine too. I know this is blindsiding, but the stars happened to align when I bumped into Lori this morning.”

Having a sit down with his shrink and friend/girlfriend/ex-girlfriend/whatever the classification made him break out in a stronger sweat than a two-hour practice. Still, having Lori in the same room made him ready to do just about anything to keep her there if there was the chance of working things out. Three days of not talking to her had been hell.

“It’s okay.”

“Great.” Kally motioned to the sofa and took the armchair facing it.

Lori hesitated as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to be that close to him, and his heart clenched. But then she sat on the end closest to Kally’s desk. He took the end by the door, giving her a cushion’s space between them.

Kally tapped the end of her pen on the pad of paper in her lap, then snagged a chocolate gummy bear from her desk and popped it in her mouth like it were an aspirin and she were preparing for a big headache. “All right. We’ve got the basics. Saralynn, in her well-meaning meddling, led people to believe you guys hanging out or whatever was to blame for Cole’s slump. But we all know that isn’t true, and Lori, now you know for sure he had nothing to do with the rumor.” She waited until they both nodded. “Good. I know you’ll want to talk about that and not with me, so I want to move on to why I wanted you here together.”

His heartbeat echoed in his ears, and his mouth went dry. He’d always been a very private person. As private as was possible when you lived in the spotlight. And with the set-up she’d just given, whatever Kally was about to say would open the door to something personal. Opening up hadn’t been easy with either woman one-on-one, and now they were all going to poke and prod at sensitive subjects together? He’d rather have a broken bone set without painkillers.

“Cole’s a power-through kind of guy, and that’s common in athletes. Especially the elite. I’m going to go out on a short limb and guess you’re the same way.”

Lori’s eyes widened as if Kally had read her mind.

“Thought so. That kind of mindset can be very useful. You can get through a lot of crap in life by powering through. The problem is, that strategy doesn’t work forever. If you hit a big enough bump in the road, it throws you off course and can make you doubt yourself.”

Lori’s throat worked like she was trying to swallow but having trouble. She nodded.

“It’s good that you’ve both got someone in the same boat. In your positions, that is extremely rare. Your relationship is your business, but I highly encourage you to do whatever you can to keep this friendship. There aren’t many people in the world who can say they know how
you
feel. Of course, I’ll help you work through whatever I can, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t point out every advantage that could get Cole back where he needs to be.”

He looked at Lori, and she met his gaze. He wanted to touch her. Needed to. Even if it was something small. Any kind of connection. As if she felt it too, she reached over and set her hand on his knee. Heat spread up his leg and through the rest of his body. Partly erotic but mostly relief. She didn’t hate him. She wouldn’t shut him out. He set his hand over hers, and she gave him a small, shaky smile. He’d take it.

“Good. Now, Cole, if I can borrow you alone for a little bit?” Kally’s voice broke the spell.

“Oh. Sure.”

Lori stood but was slow to let her hand fall away. “I’ll catch you after? I’m going to get some training in, then show practice, but I’ll be free around noon. Maybe we could get lunch?”

“Yes.” That came out a little too eager. He relaxed his posture and tried for more casual, but she was already amused. “I mean, that sounds good. I’ll stop by your dressing room.”

“Okay. Um, bye, Kally. Allie? Dr. Kallen? What do you like to be called?”

“Your choice. I answer to all.”

“Bye, Kally.”

When Lori left, he released a slow deep breath and sank into the plush cushions. For the first time in days, he felt boneless and at ease. The knot of tension in his gut finally unwound. After a minute, he focused on Kally. “Thank you.”

“Happy to. I’m glad you’re not upset. It could have gone either way, but I did think it was important to talk to both of you. Aside from more efficient distribution of information, I got to see you together.”

“What did you see?” Talking to Kally was sort of like consulting a fortuneteller: You were fascinated to hear the insights but also terrified they wouldn’t be what you were hoping for.

“Despite the hurtful rumor, she still came here. She sat next to you, and when she knew you needed it, she connected with you. My focus might be sports psychology, but in the few years I’ve been here, I’ve gotten a lot of unexpected experience dealing relationship advice.”

“What advice do you have for me?”

“Tricia wasn’t worth your time. Lori is. Now let’s talk hockey.”

• • •

Even show practice couldn’t touch Lori’s mood. During her hour of solo training, she’d landed all her jumps and gotten through her entire routine twice without a hiccup.
Ready for Sectionals.
And the thought of seeing Dylan for lunch got her through an hour and a half of Bradley’s slippery hands and Francesca’s steely stares.

He hadn’t lied. He really didn’t have anything to do with the rumor. Shame coiled inside of her for thinking he was guilty. But after all the years dealing with people who smiled to her face and trash-talked her behind her back, it’d been reflex to assume the same about him. Being wrong had never felt so good.

After a quick shower, she pulled on denim shorts and a T-shirt, smoothed her hair back in a ponytail, and dabbed on some lip gloss. She opened the dressing room door and almost face-planted between Dylan’s shoulder blades. He’d been keeping guard apparently.

He spun around and stepped back when she squeaked. His all-star smile raised goose bumps along her arms and legs. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” It was actually sweet. And dear God, he looked adorable with wet, spiky hair and dressed down in a polo and board shorts. “Ready to go?”

“Yes. Have you been to the pool deck, used to be Picnic, in the Downtown Grand?”

“No. What is it?”

“You’ll see.” He flexed his fingers like he was going to take her hand then seemed to think better of it and offered his arm instead. It tugged on her heart. He was still giving her space because he thought she wanted it. She looped her arm through his then slid her hand down and laced their fingers together. He looked down at her with a cute mix of surprise and pleasure and gave her hand a squeeze before leading them to his SUV.

Even through his tinted windows, it didn’t take long for the blazing Vegas sun to warrant the air conditioner. October here was still like summer, with temps in the 70s and 80s, at least during the day. Early mornings and nights got cold, but for the most part, it was pool weather. Something that kind of messed with your head when you spent most of your time on the ice.

Dylan valet parked at the Downtown Grand and led them into the lobby. After she’d let him know handholding was on the table, he took every opportunity. Like he was afraid if he let go too long, she’d change her mind and avoid him again. Or maybe he’d just missed the feeling. She had. The rough pads of his calluses, the checked strength in his big fingers. But most of all, that physical link that seemed to join them on a deeper level.

He leaned over the desk to speak with the receptionist, but it was impossible to overhear in the noisy foyer. Next thing, he was nodding and guiding her down a hall to an elevator. Things were never boring or predictable with him. When the doors slid closed on just the two of them, a vision of kissing him senseless against the wall flashed through her brain. Before the fantasy could go much further, the doors opened to a rooftop view. A few people were in the pool or stretched out on cushy lounge chairs, but for the most part the casually landscaped scene was empty.

They wound around sofas until they got to a cabana with what felt like real grass. When they sat, she toed off her sneakers. Real grass. It was like being in a park … on top of a roof, in the middle of the Strip. Surreal.

A server stopped by with an impressive fruit plate and two glasses of lemonade. “Your meals will be right out.”

Lori plucked a frozen grape and popped it in her mouth. “Meals?”

“I ordered us chicken Caesar salad wraps. I hope that’s okay.”

“My favorite.” He remembered. The shame came back, stronger this time. “I’m sorry. For not giving you a chance. For thinking the worst.”

“I don’t blame you. What else could you do given the circumstances?”

“I could have trusted you were … you.”

“We’ve only been hanging out a month.”

“It took me one week to figure out you were different.”

Dylan lifted his brows. “Different from who?”

“From everyone. You don’t play games. You’re refreshingly transparent. Whatever you feel or think, it’s right there on your face, and most times you say it out loud. You don’t hold back or pretend to be someone you’re not. I knew that, and I questioned it anyway. It says more about me than you.”

A stray piece of hair had come out of her ponytail, and he tucked it behind her ear. He let his palm brush her jaw on the way down. “I might not be like this if I had to do it as you did. Training hard takes its toll, but it’s different when you have twenty-two people at your back no matter what. People who believe in you and support you. Even make up for your mistakes. Until we talked about it, I took my team for granted, but the kind of guys they are, everything they’ve done for me … it lets me see the best in people.”

She bit her lip and wrinkled her nose. “I can only imagine what you saw the first time you met me.”

“I saw a beautiful girl covered in snow, determination, and probably butt bruises.”

The laugh burst out of her before she could check it. “Uh, yeah. Well, what I’m trying to say is I’m sorry for shutting you out, and I’ll try to be better about reflex judgments.”

The server appeared again with a platter of chicken Caesar wraps and set them on the coffee table ottoman in front of the sofa. “Here you are. Can I get you anything else?”

Dylan looked at Lori and smiled. “We’re good.” The double meaning took away the bad feeling she’d had since Saturday morning. They were good. Everything was okay. She nodded to let him know she agreed.

They ate in comfortable silence. It really was a peaceful place, and more so now that she had her friend back. Maybe they were still figuring out the rest, but that much was solid and for sure. When they finished, she tilted her head to the side. “Do you want to take the fruit by the pool? I could use some sun.”

“You won’t burn? You’re a little … light.”

“Yeah, well, you spend your life on the ice, you learn to rock the albino look. Hockey players at least get a summer break. You’re all tan because you golf.”

“All right, that’s … true. You don’t golf?”

“I train. Every day.”

“Good thing you have me now. So you’re sure you won’t—”

“Burst into flame? I’m sure. My moisturizer has an SPF of fifty.”

“Then let’s do it.” He picked up the fruit tray then held his free hand out to her. She accepted not because she needed it, but because she wanted to touch him again. He grounded her in a way she hadn’t known she needed. There was a raised ledge lining the pool. Dylan sat carefully, she sat beside him, and he set the tray in the middle.

The sun, punishing during the summer, felt incredible now. Like bathing in warm honey. The water was a perfect turquoise, and she dipped her fingers in. Cool but not cold. Too bad they hadn’t brought suits. Part of her still felt guilty for taking so much time away from the rink. Okay, time to say it. Out loud and to somebody else to make it real. So she couldn’t back out.

“I’m going to Sectionals.”

“Wow, that’s awesome.”

“You really think so? It’s not too big of a re-injury risk?”

“You felt bad for skipping Regionals. Which says a lot about you. At your level, you don’t need to participate in the qualifying rounds, but you feel like you should. Like you still need to earn your place with everyone else. That’s pretty cool.”

But eleven months ago, she
would
have thought she was too good for the qualifying rounds. The injury had knocked her off her high horse and made her appreciate things she’d always taken for granted. In a way, it’d opened her eyes to an entirely new reality. One she was starting to like. “Do you believe everything happens for a reason?”

“You mean like fate?”

“Fate, or just that everything we go through is supposed to teach us something and make us better on the other side of it. It’s up to us to see the lesson and apply it.”

“That’s pretty deep. I never thought about it like that.” A sudden smile brought out his dimples. “That actually sounds like some good lyrics for a rap song. Should I give you a beat?”

She pursed her lips playfully and subtly curled her fingers around the rim of the fruit tray to hold it in place. Before he could figure out her plan, she slid a leg under both of his and lifted into a high kick. He fell backward, surprise on his face as he hit the water and went under.

When he emerged sputtering, treading water, his hair was plastered to his forehead nearly covering his eyes. He looked like he still didn’t believe she did that.

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep a straight face. “Now. What did you learn from that?”

“I learned my girlfriend can’t take a joke.” He swam to the side and held a hand up.

Girlfriend
. The word made her dizzy, but in a good way. Like how she felt indoor skydiving, only stronger. More intense. Without thinking, she took his hand and stood to pull him up. The sweet distraction must have canceled out everything she knew about physics. One hundred and ten pounds had no chance of leveraging 200, which, of course, he knew.