Page 5 of Icing on Top

“Will do.”

Switching to the video chat with Jada, I propped my phone up against the vase of fake flowers on the breakfast bar, able to properly eat my pickles now without the risk of spilling juice all over the floor.

“Just got Bash to bed,” Jada started, not even saying hello. Granted, we had just seen each other earlier today at work. Having your best friend be your boss may be off-putting for some people, but I loved getting to work at Jada’s bakery with her.

Now, she was sitting in her living room, curls already tucked securely into a silk bonnet.

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me before he goes to bed?”

She just leveled me with a look. “You know he turns into an absolute pumpkin at seven o’clock sharp. Not even Fairy Godmother Zoe can stop the transformation.”

She wasn’t wrong. While I was by far the greatest godmother and auntie Bash could ask for… my magic only worked so well.

“I see you’ve got your post-practice pickles,” she said.

I laughed at my predictability. After rooming with me for just over six months in college, Jada had gotten into the habit of buying a jar of pickles every time she went to the store so that I never ran low. Back then, I had burned through a jar like no other with hockey practice or games every day. Nowadays, they lasted me a lot longer.

“I was going to wait to hear about how it went at work tomorrow, but Levi felt left out, so he wanted me to call you now.”

Her husband appeared then, handing her a glass of wine as he joined her on the couch, and then smiled widely at me through the screen. “Hey, Zo!”

Technically, I was the reason they were together. I’d convinced Jada to finally come to one of my hockey games, and she ended up sitting next to Levi. When she’d looked completely lost, he’d given her a play-by-play as the game went on. Despite his best efforts, Jada still didn’t understand a lick of hockey terminology; she’d been too distracted by Levi’s blonde, cherub curls and cerulean eyes.

Luckily for her, Levi was a snowboarder and not a hockey player, more interested in powdery snow than ice. Within a year, he had Jada boarding down black diamonds like she’d been doing it her entire life. They even named their son, Sebastien, after an Olympic boarder.

“So how was it?” Jada asked after she’d taken a sip of her drink.

I regaled them on the reception from parents, how well the kids had done, and added in Uncle Cal’s forgetfulness when it came to Charlie’s parentage.

Levi’s jaw dropped. “You’re coaching an NHL player’s child?! Does he play for Denver? What’s his name?”

Jada quickly shushed her husband.

“I swear, if you wake up our son…” She let her threat trail off.

Levi smiled sheepishly at her before sneaking a quick, apologetic peck to her cheek. They were so sickeningly sweet.

“Jeremiah Langfield. He played goalie for the Seattle Cascades, but I don’t know how long ago or anything.”

“Jeremiah Langfield?” Levi repeated, at least muffling his excitement somewhat this time. “He had an insane rookie year, but he retired just five years in.”

“Do you know why?”

Levi shook his head. “Nothing was ever officially stated.”

The lifespan of a professional career in sports was short enough, with most only making it through their early-thirties if they were lucky. If life had panned out for me like it was supposed to, and I’d gone pro, they would have had to drag my old, creaky body out of the rink. I couldn’t imagine willingly walking away early.

My curiosity was definitely piqued, but I couldn’t exactly walk up to Jeremiah and ask him point blank why he’d retired.

“But damn, that’s some serious pressure,” Levi said.

I took in a big breath and then let it out with a sigh. “Add on that she’s a goalie just like him. It’s not like I have the level of knowledge he does about that position. I was just a blueliner. The closest I got to being in the crease was that time a Washington State girl bulldozed me into the net.”

Jada’s brows rose in the most comically confused expression. “You might as well be speaking Latin. What even was that sentence?”

I just stared back at her. “Seriously? In all these years, you haven’t caught on to anything?”

“Honestly, I tend to tune you both out when you start talking hockey.”