“Natalie Cross. She's a friend from New York.”
Coach Collins winks at me. “Well, any friend of Ethan's is welcome here. This boy was the best player I ever coached. Could've gone straight to the NHL at sixteen if the rules allowed it.”
“He exaggerates,” Ethan says.
“I do not. You were a prodigy. Everyone in town knew it.” Coach Collins turns to me. “Has he told you about the state championship, senior year? Down by two goals in the third period, and this kid scores a hat trick in the final eight minutes. I've never seen anything like it before or since.”
“He hasn't told me that story.”
“Then you've got some work to do.” Coach Collins pats Ethan's arm. “Good to see you, son. Heard about your knee. You're going to come back stronger than ever. I know it.”
After Coach Collins returns to the rink, Ethan and I sit in the empty bleachers and watch the kids play. His leg bounces restlessly, the way it does when he's anxious.
“Hey,” I say. “What’s on your mind?”
Ethan sighs. “Every time I see someone skating, I wonder if that's going to be me again or if I'm just fooling myself.”
“You're not fooling yourself. Your progress is real, and your strength is coming back.”
“I'm not twenty-three anymore, Natalie. I can't just bounce back like I used to. This injury, at my age, with my mileage, doesn’t make the odds great.”
I lace my fingers through his. “The odds don't know you. Statistics are just numbers. They don't account for stubbornness.”
The corner of his mouth lifts. “I thought stubbornness was a bad thing.”
“It is when you're trying to do yoga. It's an asset when you're fighting for your career.”
He turns to me. “What would I do without you?”
“Probably die attempting a downward dog.”
He laughs. “Probably.”
We leave the rink and drive to a place called Betty’s Eats, a little establishment with red vinyl booths and a jukebox. The moment we walk in, a woman with silver hair and a flour-dusted apron comes rushing over.
“Ethan Ward. As I live and breathe.” She pulls him into a hug. “Look at you, all grown up and famous. I still remember when you used to come in here after games and eat three burgers in one sitting.”
“Hi, Betty.”
“And you brought a girl.” Millie releases him and turns her attention to me. “This the one who finally caught Ethan Ward? Honey, we've been waiting years for this. The girls in this town used to throw themselves at him, and he never gave any of them a second glance.”
Brody couldn't stay faithful for three years. And yet Ethan has always had women throwing themselves at him, and he doesn’t take advantage of that. I spent so long believing I wasn't enough, that there was something wrong with me that made Brody stray.
But Ethan makes me feel like I'm the only woman in the world.
Ethan and I laugh.
“It's true. You were so focused on hockey, you didn't even notice when the girls threw themselves at you.”
“I noticed. I just didn't care.”
“My point exactly.” Betty turns to me. “Welcome to Eau Claire, sweetheart. Any woman who can distract this boy from hockey must be something special.”
She seats us in a corner booth and brings us two slices of Wisconsin apple crumble. It’s the best thing I've ever tasted.
“This is where I decided to go pro,” Ethan says, poking at his pie. “Right here in this booth. I was seventeen and I'd just gotten scouted by three different teams. Dad sat across from me, right where you are now, and asked what I wanted to do with my life.”
“What did you tell him?”
