Page 78 of Doc Defence

“Sure. Take your jersey off, and I’ll do it now,” Hel said.

“Thanks, Doc.” Rocky bounced off, yanking his jersey over his head as he went and grabbing his sports tape from his locker.

“Anyway, duty calls.” She shrugged, giving Frost a strained smile and purposefully avoiding his eyes as she turned away.

CHAPTER 27

FROST

FrostglaredatRockywhen he took his jersey off and sat down in front of Hel. He scowled even more when she touched the other man’s bare skin, and his first reaction was to storm across—well hop across—pull her away from the young player and into his arms, then not let her go.

Glancing over, he saw Greg filming him and averted his gaze from Hel, sure they caught something on camera he probably didn’t want them to. Instead, he hopped over to stand next to Coach Morgan. Wincing as the crutches pinched and pulled at the material of his suit jacket.

Frost made sure he didn’t look over at Hel, didn’t watch her hands as they touched another man.

Going into autopilot, he gave the team a pep talk for the next period as Coach Morgan looked on, nodding his approval at Frost’s words as he mixed in encouragement and praise with suggestions for how to improve things and play better.

Even as he was talking, he had to fight to stop his eyes from straying to Hel.

Only when the players cheered to pump themselves back up again at the end of his talk did he allow his eyes to find her. She was laughing with Rocky. Her hair was escaping from the ponytail she had scraped it back into. She wore a big jacket zipped up to the neck to fend off the cold in the arena, jeans, and trainers. She was the most stunning woman he had ever met.

Frost was leaving in a couple of months, but maybe they could make things work long distance, or maybe she would move to Canada? He didn’t know how it would work out, but he needed to try. As if he didn’t ask her on a real date, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Although, maybe she didn’t want to. Since their almost kiss on the sofa—which he was still annoyed with Aiden for interrupting—she had been avoiding him, even if she claimed it was just work.

Where previously she held his eyes and touched him at every opportunity. Now, she dropped her gaze the instant it met his, and he couldn’t recall the last time she touched him.

Shit. Maybe he shouldn’t ask her out. Maybe she wanted nothing to do with him, and she thought almost kissing him was a mistake.

Glancing across at Hel, his eyes met hers for a moment before she dropped her gaze, a small flush rising up her cheeks. He stared, willing her to look at him again, but she didn’t.

He huffed a deep sigh and followed the team back to the rink. He spent the rest of the game desperately trying to concentrate on the action on the ice, but as the time ticked down on the clock, his mind went backwards and forwards between asking her out and not wanting to ruin their friendship if she didn’t feel the same way he did.

When the final buzzer sounded, Frost had finally come down on the side of nothing ventured, nothing gained.

He started to hop towards Hel, when an announcement came over the speakers of the arena.

“Ladies and gentlemen. If I could have your attention for another minute. I have a lady here with me who has a special announcement to make.” The commentator’s voice boomed around the arena, the chatter of the crowd quietened, and a hushed anticipation settled across the place.

Frost squinted when the door on the other side of the rink opened, and a woman carefully made her way out onto the ice, with a linesman holding onto her so she wouldn’t fall. A man carrying a camera followed closely behind them.

No, no, no, no, no. If he hadn’t recognised the woman immediately, the camera trailing in her wake gave away exactly who it was. Patricia. Bloody Patricia was in the middle of the ice, and if he knew her, and he did, she was about to do something he wasn’t going to like.

“Hi everyone.” Patricia spoke into the microphone in her hand and giggled.

To the uninformed, it would sound like the nervous giggle of a woman overwhelmed to be in front of a crowd. To Frost, it was like nails on a chalkboard. He knew that practised laugh and he also knew she loved being in front of an audience, she was never nervous. What the hell was she doing?

He glanced over at Hel, who was looking straight ahead, and even from the distance he was away from her, he could see her jaw was clenched.

“I’m here to beg forgiveness from the most important man in my life,” Patricia continued.

Frost’s blood ran cold, he needed to get to Hel. He tried, but it was hard to negotiate around the giant hockey players who were milling around and blocking his path.

“It’s for you, man.” One of the young players slapped him on the back hard enough that he had to catch himself with his crutch or risk falling. The young player realised what he had done and grabbed hold of Frost’s arm to stabilise him.

Frost tried to see over all of their heads to where Hel was standing, but they were all so tall, especially in their skates, that he had no chance.

“I said some very hurtful things, and the only way I felt I could show him I was truly sorry was to do this.” Patricia managed to put a little hitch in her voice as if she might break down in tears at any moment.

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