Page 99 of On Thin Ice

“Probably, yeah,” Jacob said.

“You think he’s still out there?”

Jacob nodded.

“Well, I’m gonna take a shower and then maybe I’ll try to catch him after,” Finn said, lifting himself up.

“Alright,” Jacob said.

Finn turned and grasped Jacob’s arm. “I . . .thank you,” he murmured. He wanted,so badly,to lean down and kiss Jacob. To tell him, with his lips, just how much he appreciated him. Coaching him and talking to him andbelievingin him. Even when he was wrong. Especially when he was wrong.

But they’d already risked touching enough—not just in this building, but with Morgan just outside.

Still, it would’ve been easier to say it with a physical gesture than with his words. Words didn’t feel like enough.

“You know I’m here for you,” Jacob said. “Foryou, to be one-hundred-percent clear.”

“I know.” And Finn did. He took one last risk, reaching out and squeezing Jacob’s knee.

“I’ll call you later tonight?” Jacob asked hopefully.

“Call?Call? How oldareyou?” Finn teased.

Jacob grinned. “Old enough.”

“Yeah. Call me.” Finn leaned in. “Maybe we’ll even go wild and FaceTime.”

The heat in Jacob’s eyes stayed with him all through his shower and through getting dressed.

It kept him company as he walked out towards the front—and sure enough, there was his dad, leaning against the wall, gazing at a display case full of memorabilia of past Portland Evergreens’ teams.

“Hey,” he said.

Morgan turned, shoving his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket.

“I—” Morgan started to say but Finn held up his hand.

“You’re full of shit, you know that?” Finn interrupted him.

Morgan rolled his eyes. “Am I?”

Finn smacked him. “You sure fucking are. You’re more than just hockey, you know that, right?”

“Jacob talked to you, didn’t he? God, I hate that guy.”

“No, you don’t,” Finn said, wishing it was true more than believing it. Maybe his dad really did hate Jacob. But he hoped not, because it was going to make everything going forward so much harder.

“Ugh, and then there’sthat,” Morgan grumbled under his breath.

“Stop being an asshole for ten seconds, okay? Listen to me. I . . .I appreciate you’re making an effort here.”

“Do you, really?” Morgan questioned.

And okay, that was fair.

“Yes,” Finn said firmly.

Did he love that Morgan had apparently moved to Portland because that was going to cramp the hell out of his relationship with Jacob? No, he did not. But hecouldappreciate that Morgan was trying.

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