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Logan pauses, brows pulling together. “Is that what she said? That she volunteers with Lovey?”
“Well, she said she knows her from the foodbank.” I rid myself of my jersey and shoulder pads before I get to work on my skates.
The furrow in Logan’s brow smooths out, and his face goes carefully blank as he unclips his shoulder pads. “Her last name is Marks, yeah?”
It was on the back of her jersey and inside her skate. “Seems that way. Why?”
“Just curious.”
“You’re never just curious.”
“She’s a new face.” He pulls his undershirt over his head. “I gotta hit the showers. I’m on night shift this week.”
We’re quick to shower and change, and we drop our equipment off to be cleaned. The girls are already in the lobby when we get there. Winter’s back in her leggings and T-shirt, her long, dark hair wet and hanging over her shoulder. She’s built like a hockey player, with strong legs and a serious butt. I try to be subtle about checking her out.
“You guys want to grab a bite at the diner?” Lovey asks. “It’s still open for another hour.”
“Sure, sounds good.” I can always eat. Even in my sleep.
Lovey turns to Winter. “You’ll come too?”
Winter tugs on the end of her hair. “Oh, uh, I don’t have my debit card, and I forgot to bring cash.”
“I got you covered. I owe you for this morning,” I say.
Her grin turns wry. “Pretty sure I evened things up when I took you down on the ice.” She looks away. “I should head home. I have an early shift at Boones. Maybe next time.” She turns toward the parking lot. The sun has already set, so she’ll have to ride home in the dark.
I break rank from the group. “I’ll give you a lift.”
“It’s okay. You don’t need to do that.” She adjusts her grip on her hockey stick. The tape needs replacing.
“I don’t mind. I gotta be up early for skate practice anyway.” When I picked her up, we were still a few miles out from the arena. A half-hour bike ride in the dark isn’t the safest.
Seems like she’s on the fence, but when lightning streaks across the sky, she relents. “Yeah. Okay. Thanks. That’d be great.”
Lovey starts the hug train with Winter before she moves to me, whispering that we’ll talk later. For sure she has questions. Winter and I load our bags in the back of the Jeep and climb inside. The temperature has dropped, and the promise of a summer storm makes the air feel electric.
“I’m sorry I’m taking you away from your friends. And I’m really sorry about what happened on the ice earlier. That was all me.” Winter clasps and unclasps her hands, like she isn’t quite sure what to do with them.
“Eh, don’t feel bad. Hits happen on the ice, especially when you’re playing with a bunch of retired professionals. As for my friends, I see them all the time, and I do have to be up early, so it was a good excuse to get out of there. Otherwise, I’d be up until midnight and feel like a bag of ass in the morning. Should I head toward where I picked you up?”
“Yeah, I’m not too far from there.”
I pull out of the spot and turn on to the road that leads to the lakeside cottages. “Did you have fun tonight?”
“I’m still kind of reeling that I got to play hockey with all these legends. So surreal. And you being a figure skater also threw me for a loop.” She gives me a sidelong glance.
“I don’t fit the profile.” The beard I lose for competitions, but I don’t have one for a few more weeks. “Did my dad try to recruit you to his women’s team?”
“He mentioned the program they run at the arena, and he gave me a bunch of pamphlets.” She runs her hands over her thighs. “Hockey’s expensive, though.”
“Yeah. It can be. Figure skating is the same.” Between the ice time, costumes, and lessons, it can cost tens of thousands a year, especially at a competitive level.
“How’d you get into figure skating when your dad is a hockey player?”
“My mom’s the figure skater.”
“You were destined for a life on blades.” Winter shifts so she’s looking at me instead of the road. “It’s kinda cool that you went the figure-skater route.”
