Page 10 of Icing on Top

Wesley wasn’t biologically Charlie’s uncle, but he might as well have been my brother. We’d signed on with Seattle the same year and had hit it off right away. Every away game, we shared a hotel room, and he ate dinner at our house so often, Sadie just started setting the table for three every night.

He was the first person in the waiting room whenever Sadie went into labor, and he was right next to me in another waiting room whenever she had her accident. He was the one who held me together when everything fell apart.

My retirement from the NHL and move back to Denver hadn’t affected our friendship in the least, though. Charlie and I visited him in the summers, and he spent Christmases with us and our family in Denver.

“Not up in the box, though, right?” Charlie double-checked.

I shook my head. “Nope. He got you a spot next to the bench.”

Charlie did her little happy dance, and I wondered if Wes knew what he’d signed himself up for having Charlie sitting on the other side of the glass from him and the team.

Chapter 5

Zoe

I’d made my payment on time, so I hadn’t expected to see an email from the debt collector for another month. But there was that dreaded notification. I opened the email, eyes quickly scanning over it.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

My voice echoed throughout my apartment as I stared at the screen, unable to believe what I was reading. They were increasing my monthly payment. Again. This time, by four hundred dollars. Not even taking on a wedding-sized order every month would make up that difference.

The pit in my stomach felt bottomless, just like the medical debt. Ten years later, and it was still haunting me.

My parents had offered to help me pay it off, along with my aunt and uncle, but I’d never allowed them to donate a cent. I already owed my Uncle Cal and Aunt Peg for all their help while I’d recovered from surgery. They’d housed me, driven me to doctor appointments and physical therapy, and put up with my miserable attitude. I would never be able to fully make that up to them, so I refused to add financial support to that as well.

No, I was an independent, thirty-one-year-old woman with a career who could handle paying off her own medical debt. Even if that meant scrimping in some areas. What those areas would be, I wasn’t sure at the moment. I’d already been living frugally since moving out on my own.

Those numbers just stared back at me from my screen, and the hopelessness crept into my chest.

Swiping the email app closed, I shoved my phone in my pocket and marched to my bedroom for a pair of shoes. There was no way I would spend my day in my empty apartment moping about this. If I was going to come up with a solution, I needed a clear mind, and the best way to reset my brain was to get on the ice.

I opened the door and took in a deep breath of the chilled air, the muscles in my neck and shoulders instantly relaxing at the smell of freshly resurfaced ice. One of my favorite perks of being the Puffins’ new coach was having a key to the ice rink. It was meant to be used whenever I arrived to set up practice if the owner wasn’t around, but surely, they wouldn’t mind me visiting for a half hour or so.

As I neared the rink, there were the familiar sounds of skates carving the ice and the slap of a blade meeting the puck. I had hoped the rink would be empty, but I was fine sharing if it was all right with the others.

A kid and their father were practicing in the goal at the far end. Surely, they would be fine with me claiming the other goal. I had just set down my bag when the kid dove for a save, her long, chestnut braids flying out behind her. Charlie.

She pushed herself back up with an ease I found impressive for someone of her size loaded down with goalie gear and dropped the puck before passing it back to her dad. Then her eyes locked on me.

“Coach Zo!”

Jeremiah turned around, and I raised my hand in a small wave. He waved back with an easy smile. Then he turned to say something to Charlie before they both skated over to me.

I rested my arms on top of the boards. “Getting some extra practice in, I see.”

“The grind never stops,” Jeremiah replied with a smile as he combed his loose curls back from his forehead. “You know how it is.”

I knew exactly what he meant. Any free time I’d had when I was younger was spent at the rink. Just one of many sacrifices we made as athletes if we were serious about hockey.

“What are you doing here?” Charlie asked as she removed her mask, head tilting in curiosity.

I pressed my lips together. “I had a bit of a rough morning, and skating always makes me feel better.”

“We’ll pack our stuff up, then, so you can have the rink to yourself,” Jeremiah said.

He glided toward the door to exit the rink.

“Oh, no. Don’t stop on account of me. I’m more than happy with just a little piece of the ice. You guys keep practicing,” I insisted.