Page 74 of Broken Ice, Mended Hearts

After clicking to disconnect, I stared at the chair Jack had sat in earlier. I was back to square one, for about the hundredth time in my life.

I spent a restless night wondering if I’d done the right thing. When we boarded the plane back to DC the next morning, I chose a seat near the back and dug my tablet out of my bag. I doubted I’d be able to read, but if others thought I was, maybe they wouldn’t try to talk to me. Everything was fine until after takeoff, when I sensed someone standing in the aisle nearby.

“May I sit here?”

The voice was Drew’s, and as much as I wanted to be alone, he’d become a good friend. I glanced at him and forced myself to nod. “Take a load off.”

He sat and buckled his seat belt before looking me in the eye. “Everything okay? You having a hard time today?”

“You could say that.”

“Sorry to hear it. Gags?”

I stared at my e-reader, afraid I might blubber if I looked at Drew. “Who else?”

“Want to talk about it?” When I didn’t answer, he said, “You don’t have to, but I’ll be glad to listen. I might understand better than a lot of people would.”

My stomach was tied in a hard knot. If I could trust anyone, it would be Drew, so I turned toward him. “I think we broke up lastnight. I got very emotional and cornered him. When he didn’t say what I wanted to hear, I told him to call me sometime and hung up.”

“Shit.” Horror, then sympathy flashed in Drew’s eyes. “Did he call you back?”

“Yes, but I didn’t answer. Nothing since.”

“Text him right now. Say you’ll call him as soon as we land.”

I shook my head. “They’re already in the air, remember?” The Barracudas were on their way to Detroit for an evening game. I’d come close to calling Pip earlier, but restrained myself. Although I was ashamed of how I’d acted, the lack of messages from him made me wonder if I’d done the right thing for both of us. “I thought I’d text this afternoon and say I’ll call him tonight. I don’t want to fuck up his game if our conversation doesn’t go well.”

“You think he’s not screwed up already? No offense, but I could see you’re a mess from twenty yards away.”

“That’s why I’ll text him this afternoon. If he wants to hear from me, he’ll know we can talk later.”

Drew rubbed his mouth. “I’m not sure that’s the best plan. Do you want to tell me what happened?”

Between my emotions and a whispered rant, it took a while to relate the story. By the time I was done, we were taxiing to Dulles Airport’s private terminal.

Drew blew out a hard breath. “I understand why you’re so upset, but it’s hard to believe Gags doesn’t love you. You said you cornered him. Nobody likes that, and he’s a proud man, so it might be hard to change his way of thinking. Since it’s his first relationship with a guy, it might take him a while to accept that he’s in love.”

“I get that, but it’s been months. Shouldn’t he know by now?”

The plane pulled up to the terminal, but instead of standing, Drew held up his hand. “He may already know, but we’re allhuman. Knowing something and admitting it are sometimes two different things. This could be very hard for someone who always assumed he’d end up with a woman.”

I was so addled it took a minute to think that through. “You’re right, but whether you love someone or not ought to be clear.”

“It could be, especially now that this has happened. Being afraid you’re losing someone can put things into perspective in a heartbeat. Don’t forget to text him, and when you call, keep trying until he answers. Whatever either of you think, your conversation isn’t over.”

“Okay.”

He caught me with a hard stare. “I’m not trying to be a bully, but I need you to promise—not me, but yourself.”

“All right. I might go to his house before I call. We have happy memories there, which might help me stay positive.”

“Sounds like a good plan.” He stood and put a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s get off this bird.”

Chapter 21

Gags

“What the hell happened last night?”

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