Page 33 of Shift Change

Holky smirked. “How?”

Brody flashed me a fuck-you grin. “Pay him for the pizza.”

We all laughed, but I couldn’t let that stand. “Fuck off. What does a guy do who can’t get a hockey scholarship?”

Brody rolled his eyes. “What’s that?”

“Try Michigan. They’re always looking.”

Laughter burst out of us, and it was so loud a few guys turned to see what was so funny. When the noise settled, Holky rested a hand on Brody’s shoulder. “Would you mind letting me sit here?”

Brody’s eyebrows lifted. He glanced between Holky and me, then put on a little smile. “No problem. I should go see what Gabe’s up to.”

The second Brody was out of earshot, Holky leaned in and whispered, “Sorry I was quiet earlier. Just really tired.”

That didn’t sound like the whole story, but I didn’t press. He was here now, sitting beside me, leaning his knee against mine.

I shook my head and gave him a small smile. “No worries. I get weird in the mornings too.”

“Good to know.”

Our eyes met, and a rush of thoughts left me lightheaded. Something inside me let go. I hadn’t realized how fucking worried I’d been, scared he was pissed at me, or worse, that he was freaked out by what happened. Ordidn’thappen. I’d been fucking terrified that whatever had been humming between us had shattered, and that I’d lost my chance at something even if I didn’t quite know what it was.

An easy silence settled between us as his eyes drew me in. They were a kaleidoscope of brown, green, and gold, and I couldn’t look away. Somewhere on the periphery of my mind, I thought I’d never been lost in a man’s eyes. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except making sure we were okay.

“I was tired,” he whispered, “because I was up most of the night thinking about what nearly happened yesterday.”

My heart stuttered. Maybe we weren’t okay after all. “Did you figure anything out?” I whispered.

“Yes. I don’t understand what the hell’s going on, but it’s okay. I’m not afraid of it if you aren’t.”

Now my heart leapt, and I wondered if it might give out before we landed in Minnesota. “I’ve thought about it too, and I’m not afraid.”

“Good. Figure things out as they happen, then?”

“If we aren’t going to run, that’s all we can do.”

He nodded, and we grinned at each other for a while. Eventually, he asked, “Want to take a nap? I sleep better with you.”

“That sounds perfect.”

We settled in, and the next thing I knew, a flight attendant was shaking my shoulder. “The captain’s getting ready to land,” she said. “We’ve been circling for over an hour because of the snow.”

I blinked, still half-asleep, suddenly aware that my head was resting on Holky’s shoulder. We sat up and stretched before her words clicked.

“Snow?” I asked.

“Holy fuck,” Holky said. “Look at that.”

I turned to the window and swore under my breath. The world outside was gone.There was only swirling, shiftingwhite,thick enough that I couldn’t see the wingtip. Snow streamed past like the sky was collapsing, swallowing everything in its path.

“No wonder we’ve been circling,” I said, still trying to get my eyes to focus.

“Welcome to Minnesota,” Holky deadpanned.

When the plane landed, the private terminal’s lack of jetways meant we had to deplane into the chaos. As soon as the door opened, a brutal gust of wind screamed through the cabin, slamming into us like a wall of ice.

Holky and I both grunted as we stepped outside. The wind cut through my coat and howled in my ears. Snow stung my eyes, blinding me, and I had to shield my face with a hand so I could see the airstairs. We made it down safely, and as our shoes crunched through several inches of snow, I glanced at the towering drifts along the tarmac. They’d been trying to keep it clear, but the snow was winning.

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