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"Like . . . ever?"
"Ever."
"Why not?"
She tapped her fingers on her water glass. "My mother said it wasn't in my best interests for me to get friendly with my competitors."
"Yeah, but shouldn't you be friendly with the ones on the US team when you're competing internationally?"
"No. We're all competing for one spot--first place. It doesn't matter what country we're from. At least that's what my mother thinks."
He studied her while he took a sip of his water, then asked, "You always do what your mother tells you?"
She arched a brow. "Is that an insult?"
"No, it was a legit question."
"It sounded like an insult. I'm not a child, you know."
"Obviously. So you agree with her assessment?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. Sometimes yes, sometimes no."
"What would happen if you disagreed with her?"
Amber had tried that before. It hadn't ended well. But she didn't want to have that discussion with Will. He would think she was a child. And maybe her mother treated her like one. But she also knew her mother wanted her to win, and winning sometimes meant you couldn't have what you wanted.
Like friends. Or a boyfriend.
Or fun.
That last one might have been an exaggeration.
She sipped her water and shrugged. "Sometimes sacrifices have to be made."
"Is that you talking, or your mother?"
She had been enjoying herself. Now she didn't like the direction this conversation was going. "You don't know her, so you're making judgements based on supposition instead of knowledge."
"That's true. I'm not trying to hurt your feelings, Amber. I'm just trying to understand how a grown woman doesn't act on her own best judgement."
"I--"
She was about to argue with him further, but their scallops arrived, so instead, she decided to table the argument for the time being. Which was probably a good idea, since they were miles from the village, and if she got angry with him, it wasn't like she could storm off. She was stuck with Will.
At least for now.
They dug into the scallops. Or rather, Will did. Amber slid one onto her plate and cut it in half, then tasted it. It was perfectly broiled and delicious.
"That's all you're having?" Will asked.
"I don't want to spoil my appetite for the main course."
"Fine with me. I'll eat the rest of them."
He did, too. Not that the appetizer portion was very large, but scallops were rich, and Amber knew her limits. She'd ordered salmon for dinner, and she intended to eat every bite of it, so the last thing she wanted was to stuff herself on appetizers.
Or the amazing-smelling bread the waiter had just laid on the table. Will, however, had no problem tearing into it.
"Would you like some?" he asked, offering the basket to her.
She'd like about ten slices of warm bread. With as much butter as it would hold. Instead, she shook her head.
Sometimes, staying in fighting shape for competition sucked. So instead, she watched Will eat bread and thought about how great it must taste.
As soon as she retired she was going to eat an entire loaf of French bread, with a whole stick of melty warm butter--and no guilt.
At fifty-one, her mother maintained her trim figure by dancing as much as she could and teaching dance. And by watching her calories.
Amber had no intention of doing that when she hung up her skates. She'd still skate, of course. She'd always skate. But as far as counting every calorie that went into her mouth? The hell with that.
"Hey."
She looked up at Will. "Yes?"
"You went quiet on me and that's my fault. I didn't bring you here to pick a fight with you and I'm sorry. You have a right to do whatever you damn well please, and that includes listening to your mother's advice. And I have no right to give you my opinion on anything, because what the hell do I know about you or your life?"
That was the exact speech she was going to give him when they returned to the village. But he beat her to it, and apologized. "I appreciate that. And it's okay. A lot of people don't understand the dynamic between my mother and me. She can be overbearing at times. I'm the first to admit that. But I'm no doormat, either. I understand what it takes to be a champion. So I mostly agree with her, even if she's often a pain in my ass."
He laughed. "So she's kind of like your coach?"
"No, I have a coach. And he's a pain in my ass sometimes, too. He pushes me hard on the ice. She pushes me hard off the ice."
"Jesus. That must be unbearable for you."
"It can be. But I have my escapes."
"Reading and movies?"
He'd remembered their conversation. "Yes. And music. I'll often plug in my earphones and just skate so I don't have to listen to either of them. What about you? Anything get on your nerves?"
"My coach. My teammates. My competitors." He popped the last scallop into his mouth, chewed, swallowed and took a sip of water. "Oh, and losing. That really pisses me off."
She laughed. "I agree."
Their dinner arrived. Her salmon looked and smelled amazing. She couldn't wait to dive into the risotto as well. She looked over at Will's plate. He'd ordered the salmon trio, with Chinook, sockeye and coho salmon. It looked incredible.
The first bite melted in her mouth. She closed her eyes and let the flavor consume her.
"Kind of like having an orgasm, huh?"
Her eyes flew open. "What?"
He motioned with his head toward her plate. "The salmon. It's that great."
"Oh. Right. Sure. Orgasmic." She'd given herself plenty of orgasms. But she wouldn't equate the flavor of this salmon to an orgasm.
Maybe she hadn't been doing it right.
Will studied her and she suddenly felt as if he knew everything about her. Including the fact that she'd never had sex. Which was utterly ridiculous. How could he know?
She decided to concentrate on the delicious food and not her own stupid thoughts.
"If you hadn't become a competitive skater, what would you have done with your life?"
She looked up from her plate. "I've never thought about it before."
"Really? I think about it all the time."
"You do? Why? Is it because you don't love playing hockey?"
He took a bite of his salmon, swallowed, then shook his head. "Nah. I love what I do. It's in my blood and has been from the time I was a kid."
"Then why ponder another career?"
He smiled at her. "Because it's fun to play 'what if.' What if I'd never played hockey. What would I have done? Become a plumber, maybe. I have friends who are plumbers."
"And you think being a plumber is exciting?"
"I like working with my hands. Plus, plumbers are always in demand. It's a good business."
"True."
"So, yeah, I could see myself going in that direction. Or maybe a firefighter."
She had been eating as she listened, but she paused. "Why a firefighter?"
"Because you save lives. Plus, it's hard work and dangerous. And exciting."
"In other words, you want to be a hero."
"I think if you go into that line of work wanting to be a hero, you're going into it for the wrong reasons."
"That's true."
"So what about you?"
She thought about it as she ate. "Maybe a teacher. I like kids."
"Little ones or big ones?"
Her lips curved. "It doesn't matter, but I always loved science. I could see myself teaching high school."
He arched a brow. "Think you could take on unruly high school kids?"
"Kids just need someone who understands them and respects them. And who won't take shit from them. It doesn't matter what age they are."
He looked at her. "You'd make a great teacher, Amber."
She laughed. "Yeah, in another life."
"You could do it now. Or, you know, after all
this."
"Maybe."
"Have you given any thought to what you might do after the skating thing is over?"
"No. All I've thought about is winning gold. I don't think past that, because winning is my focus. It has to be my focus."
"Good point."
"What about you? Any thoughts on what you might do once your hockey career is over?"
