AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well, this is a surprise. What exactly can I do for you, Mr. Matthews?”
“I’m playing for the Hawkeyes now and I want to fix what I fucked up,” I say, realizing I just cursed over the phone. “I was hoping I could get Toby’s number from you… if you’re still in contact with him.”
“You want Toby’s number?”
I can hear the confusion in her voice.
“I heard he was skating singles now, and I think Penelope could use a partner. She seems to think her career is over and that her best days are behind her… but I've seen her skate. I'm not a trained professional and might be biased, but I think she's as good or better than ever.”
There's a short pause on the other line.
“That’s interesting, Mr. Matthews. Tell me more…”
I fill Jenny in on Penelope and her skating. I even admit to her that I tried skating with her, and Jenny just about laughs me off the phone.
By the end of the call, I got what I needed… Toby's number.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Penelope
As I walked into the men’s locker room this morning, bright and early, I couldn’t help but feel a little sad that I know Slade won’t be meeting me on the ice for our practice.
All I can hope is that it will all be worth it after tonight and I’ll have confirmation that pushing Slade away is the right move.
I drop my duffel bag in the locker room by the showers and then head out to the ice.
The cold air cuts through my lungs and I take a deeper inhale until it almost stings.
I love the ice rink anytime of the day but when the lights are dimmed in the stands, it feels like my own world.
I stand on center ice, taking a moment to determine what to do with myself now that I don’t have a partner.
I loud clang sounds, as if a door just closed and I look around all over the stadium to see where the noise came from.
It doesn’t take long before there’s movement coming from the player’s tunnel.
A tall male walks toward the rink, still cloaked in the dim lighting. I can’t see who it is and my heart gallops thinking that maybe Slade is refusing to stay away.
A part of me hopes it is.
But then the figure comes closer into the light and the moment I recognize the face, I shriek with excitement.
“Toby!” I yell as I skate full force towards the tunnel opening.
His big five-foot-eleven stature and boyish grin flashes over at me.
“What the hell? Why didn’t you tell me you were skating again? I had to hear it from Jenny,” he says.
He skates out to me, and we embrace instantly.
He grips around my middle and spins me around like he used to when we would play around on the ice.
“I’m not exactly skating. Not like you, anyway. I heard you’ve been medaling in every competition all around the country?”
“Well, I had to do something with my time. My skating partner quit competitive ice skating before I could get healthy again. Now you're skating in the Hawkeyes stadium with Slade Mattews? There better be a juicy story to go along with this, or otherwise, I took a redeye here for nothing,” he teases.
Slade Matthews? How does he know that we've been skating together?
