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“Is your car totaled?”
“Um. Well, yeah. But it’s fine. I could barely afford to put gas in it, anyway. Destroying my car has actually been a good financial decision for me.”
She shakes her head. “Is insurance going to cover it?”
“Well, that’s the thing. I kind of missed a few payments. I was going to catch up, but they are claiming I was delinquent on my payments or some jargon that means, no. Basically I’m on my own.”
“Seriously, Andi? Your brother is in the NHL. I’ve got my own business. Anybody would’ve happily helped you get caught up if you just asked. I’m sure Landon would’ve paid your insurance–”
“I know, I know,” I say, holding up my palms. “I’m stubborn and poor and I should really work on it. But I’m fine. It’s all fine. Stop worrying so much.”
Once Bree is done scolding me for my irresponsibility, she asks all about Frosty Harbor, the Frostival events leading up to Christmas, Jesse’s teammates, and eats up every ounce of gossipy speculation I offer about my suspicions about Mia and Nolan as well as the little spark I’ve seen between Caroline and Jake.
Caroline eventually comes up and jerks her head toward the ice. “I’m not paying you to chit chat, Andi. Get out here and help!” She’s smiling, but I can also gather she’s telling me to get to work, not asking.
I say a quick goodbye to Bree and my parents, then make myself useful in the area where parents are dropping kids off. I may be able to walk, but I’m not quite ready to throw on skates yet.
From where I’m helping, I have a perfect vantage point to admire Jesse from a distance.
Mikey’s kids, Meemee and Cade, show up shortly after I start helping. Mikey thanks me profusely for the other night, and then heads off. Cade rushes onto the ice and goes to Jesse’s group and is clearly talking his ear off. Meemee is hanging around me, arms folded like she’s my pint-sized bodyguard.
“Don’t you want to skate?” I ask.
“I’m help you!” she insists.
As the evening goes on, I realize Meemee’s definition of “help” is following me around while her mouth never stops moving. She asks about aliens, boys, and hockey players. I tell her there’s really not much difference between the three, which leads to a whole string of questions about dragons and tornados. I try to tell her that she probably doesn’t need to worry about either in Vermont, especially during winter, but she’s convinced both are going to be very big problems in her near future, along with quicksand, which she has seen in too many cartoons to ignore as a real threat.
Between managing Meemee, occasionally helping show parents where they can leave their kid’s stuff, helping track down kids when parents return to pick them up, and sneaking glances at Jesse, the evening flies by.
I spend some more time having less tense conversations with my parents and Uncle Paul. Bree fills me in on how her business has been faring since we last really talked. Then I go for lunch with Meemee, Bree, and my family while Jesse goes with his teammates to eat somewhere in town.
Before I know it, the sun is setting and Mikey is thanking me again as he has to practically peel Meemee off my leg. Cade thanks Jesse and heads off, sweaty and pink-cheeked from a day of exertion on the ice.
I stretch, yawning and admiring the stars overhead. Jesse comes up beside me. “Ready to go?”
“Oh, you’re talking to me now?”
He glances to his side. Jake and the guys are in a group, laughing about something as they head for the parking lot. “I wanted to keep a low profile. Like we talked about.”
“I know,” I say. I force a smile. The last thing I want is to be the prickly, annoying girl who can’t take a hint. I want to be cool–to play along with the rules he’s laying out. “I was just giving you a hard time.”
He nods and we start heading for the parking lot together. “Is your ankle okay? I tried to keep an eye on you and it looked like you were getting around fine. I just wasn’t sure if it was bothering you, though.”
“Were you worried about me?”
“Of course I was. I know you were stressed about your family and all that. Did it go okay?”
I smile. “Yes, thank you. Are you this protective of all your not-girlfriends?”
He chuckles. “I wasn’t with Sarah. Maybe that’s why you bring it out of me so strongly. She would’ve bitten my head off if I tried to pamper her the way I pamper you. It’s nice that you don’t mind. It feels good to take care of you, I guess.”
I have about a million questions. He just offered up information about his ex without me even asking. My instinct is to rattle off the million questions I’ve been holding back about her, but I think that would just get him to clam up. I decide the best tactic is to simply nod and not pry for more. “Well, feminism is great and all that, but I think it’s kind of nice to be with a guy who still knows how to treat a girl like a princess. Er, not with a guy,” I add.
Jake and the guys drive up to us in Jake’s rental SUV. They roll to a stop, windows down.
“We’re going to that pub with the good pretzels,” Jake says, one hand on the wheel and one resting outside the window. “You guys wanna come?”
I shift my eyes to Jesse and he shakes his head. “Nah. I think Andi has been on that ankle too much already. She should get back and get some rest.”
