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My mouth twitched. “Are you really, though?”
She leveled her gaze with mine, staring at me with a blank look on her face for a moment. Her expression cracked, a blush crept across her face, and she smiled as she ducked her head. She toyed with her glass of water on the table before looking up at me through her thick lashes.
“No, I’m not.”
“So, that means you read it then?” I questioned her, my voice hoarse and low.
Juliette lifted her head. “Some of it.”
“Hmm,” I murmured as I took a sip of my own drink while I continued to study her. “No comment on any of it?”
“I’m still processing,” she countered as she glanced past me before her gaze met mine again. “I’ll let you know when I’m ready to talk about it.”
“Take your time,” I told her as the buzzer went off, signaling that our food was ready to be collected. I slowly rose to my feet, picking up the device as my eyes never left hers. I didn’t expect her to bring up the notes now, but eventually we would be talking about them.
Or exploring the subject further.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Juliette was more forthcoming than I imagined she would be. She kept her cards close to her chest, but she wasn’t withholding information like I expected. Most of the questions I asked her were bullshit ones. I discovered her favorite color was pink—surprisingly—her favorite food was soup, and she loved fall weather when the leaves were changing colors.
She was telling me all about the team of six-year-olds she was coaching as we approached the rink. I loved the way her face lit up as she told me about the kids and their quirks. The ones who could skate better than the others. And the little girl, Sydney, that she had high hopes for.
As I pulled into the parking lot, I couldn’t help myself as I looked over at Juliette. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright and filled with joy.
“Why don’t you play anymore?”
Just like that, the fire in her eyes had been extinguished. Pain washed over her irises and the smile fell from her face. “It wasn’t by choice,” she said quietly. I moved my car into an empty parking spot and turned off the engine. “A stupid mistake took everything away from me.”
I turned to look at her, meeting her pained look. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
She shook her head dismissively and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter anymore. In college I was at a party with a friend and I didn’t realize how drunk she was when we went to leave. She got behind the wheel and hit a tree on our way home. The impact was on my side. I shattered my left femur and my right ankle and hip. I was a fucking mess from the waist down. It took a long time to recover and a lot of time off the ice. I can never play like I used to.”
Guilt consumed me—guilt for asking so she would open up to me, and weirdly guilt for being able to play professionally when she physically couldn’t. I couldn’t imagine being in that position, of losing everything you had worked so hard for.
“I’m sorry, Juliette,” I said softly as my hand instinctively reached out for hers. She didn’t deny me as I slid my palm against hers and gave her fingers a squeeze. “I can’t imagine and I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
A nervous laugh slipped from her lips and she pulled her hand from mine. “It’s fine, Mac. I don’t need your pity. Life doesn’t always work out the way we think it will.”
Silence encapsulated us and her pain was palpable. I studied her for a moment as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She leaned forward, grabbing her backpack that had her skates inside before she reached for the door handle. She climbed out without another word, softly shutting the door behind her.
My chest heaved as I breathed deeply, almost regretting bringing up the subject. I got out of the car and walked to the trunk to fetch my skates. Juliette waited along the side of the car, typing something out on her phone. When I approached her, she looked up at me and slid her phone back into her pocket.
“Remember what I said before we left,” she warned me as we began to walk toward the building. “As soon as we’re on the ice, I don’t want to be bothered.”
“Noted,” I said with a nod of understanding. “When you step out on the ice, everything gets quiet, doesn’t it?”
Juliette whipped her head to look at me as I held the door open for her. She nodded, tilting her head to the side.
“It’s the same for me too.”
She looked as if she were going to say something but decided against it. Juliette walked past me, marching up to the front desk as I followed behind her. She insisted on paying for both of us and I let her because I was learning not to argue with her unless I truly wanted a fight. We walked out to the rink and there were people all over the place lacing their skates.
“It’s busy,” I noted as we found an empty spot on the bench.
Juliette pulled out her skates and began to tie them. “It will be fine. Just stay on the inside since a lot of people will be along the boards.”
“I’ll follow your lead.”
