Page 101 of Doc Defence

“I started playing hockey when I was five years old, and from that moment, I was hooked. It was the first thing I thought about when I woke up in the morning. I insisted on my parents taking me to the rink for an hour before school. And I would go there again as soon as school finished.

“I lived it, and I breathed it. If I was on the ice, I felt like the luckiest kid alive and in the entire time I played I never lost that feeling. When I got traded from a team I loved to another team, I still felt lucky I got to play. I have loved every minute of my NHL career. It was a dream come true for a man who was once a small boy with big hopes.”

Frost took a deep breath.

“That’s great, Frost. That’s the perfect ending to the documentary.” Greg gave him the thumbs up from behind the camera.

“Thanks, but I have a better ending.” Frost looked at the camera, smiled broadly and began to talk again.

CHAPTER 35

HEL

“Igotanemailtoday,”Hel sighed.

“From Frost?” Gloria immediately guessed.

“No,” Hel said, shaking her head. “It’s Frost adjacent.”

“What is Frost adjacent?”

“They’ve invited me to a premiere or showing or something of his documentary,” Hel huffed.

When she saw the email with his name on it, for one millisecond, she thought maybe it was Frost messaging her and had sagged in disappointment when she saw it was actually from Coach Morgan, inviting her to join the Burra Wombats to watch the documentary about Frost.

“Are you going?” Gloria enquired gently.

“No. Yes. Maybe.” Hel shook her head. She had no idea what she wanted to do.

She wanted to see some of the players again. Rocky and Aiden had already messaged her to let her know they would be there and were looking forward to seeing her, and she would love to see them as well. She wasn’t sure though if she could sit through an entire documentary about the man who still inhabited her waking and sleeping thoughts. Would it make it all worse?

“Will Frost be there?” Gloria asked quietly.

Hel shook her head. “No. He’s in Canada. He won’t come over here for a documentary showing.”

She knew where he was as she Googled him far too often and saw how well his season was going as an assistant coach in Vancouver. There was even talk on the hockey gossip sites—yup, those existed—that he would quickly move up through the coaching ranks, having shown obvious talent in the role.

“It’s up to you, darling. If I were you, I would go so I could see the other friends I’d made. Don’t let the shadow of Frost stop you from doing what you want.”

Hel nodded slowly, taking another sip of her drink. “Yeah. I think you’re right. Thanks, Gloria.”

Hel batted Clara’s hand away to stop her friend from fussing any more with her hair. “It’s a movie night to watch a documentary. Unlike some people, I’m not going to the Oscars.”

Clara grinned and ignored her friend, poking at her mass of red curls one more time. “Yes, but you still want to look nice. You know, just in case.”

“Just in case what?” Hel said.

She knew exactly what her friend meant but, for some weird reason, needed to hear it out loud.

“In case Frost is there.” Clara’s smile turned sheepish.

“He won’t be there.” She was glad he wasn’t going to be there. After seven months, her feelings for him hadn’t faded, and seeing him again would only prolong this phase in her life rather than let her recover from the heartache.

“Okay.” Clara didn’t argue any further, but she did add cheekily. “You look hot, by the way.”

Hel swatted at her friend even as she smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Maybe she took a little more care with her hair and makeup compared to normal and maybe she was wearing a new dress, which made her hazel eyes sparkle and her red hair pop. And maybe she went shopping with Frost in mind as she could recall the look he gave her when she wore her bridesmaid dress.

It was ridiculous. He wasn’t going to be there.

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