Page 88 of Ice Princess

Chance grins from ear to ear. “Guilty.”

I raise a hand and admit, “Me too.”

Both men freeze, staring at me in shock.

I lower my hand.

Rebel’s laughter carries on the breeze.“You know, it wasn’t easy,” she says into the microphone.“To tell you the truth, we had a bit of a mishap with a dog and a can of paint. But it worked out. We now have a whimsical paw trail across the basketball court,a fun design for the kids.”

She glances at me and smiles, her eyes crinkling in the corners.

My heart detaches from my body and floats all the way across the lawn to her feet.

In another lifetime, all those crinkly-eyed smiles would belong to me. In another lifetime, I wouldn’t have abandoned our friendship. I would have joined her in that field of daisies and soaked in the warmth of her like sunshine. I would have kissed her at Buddy White’s birthday party and confessed that I’ve been thinking about her for years. All those times I snuck looks at her in the school hallway, she would have been looking back.

In another lifetime…

Regret winds through my veins and my shoulders slump.

I was lying to myself earlier.

I know exactly what this feeling is.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SEVEN

REBEL

Gunner Kinsey is staringat me.

And normally, that wouldn’t do anything but annoy me. If I even noticed at all.

However,today, I notice.

And I force myself not to turn his way for fear of losing my train of thought. The last thing I want to do is look like an idiot on the nightly news.

Kierra Griffin, a high school classmate, conducts the interview.

Kierra’s got a chirpy, upbeat personality, which wouldn’t suit a metropolitan news station. However, there’s something about hearing ‘a chicken thief’s on the loose’ or ‘there’s flooding around the Lonely Rise Creek’ with her exuberant, smiley-faced delivery.

“Okay, I think we’ve got enough for tonight’s slot. Thanks, Rebel,” Kierra says, her dark eyes glittering.

“No problem. Is that all?” I step back.

“Oh, one more thing.” Kierra gestures to me. “I notice you didn’t mention the Lady Luck Society at all.”

“Er… no I didn’t.”

Her eyes sharpen and I see exactly why Kierra went into journalism.

“Was that intentional?” She shoves the mike at me as if she wants to stick it into a nostril.

“Ugh…”

Never losing the smile, she sinks her claws in, smelling blood. “Everyone in town knows about the announcement made at the game. However, Carol Kinsey—the chairwoman of the Ladies—has yet to put out a statement. Do you know why she hasn’t publicly declared you as one of the Ladies?”

“Well, Carol Kinsey is busy.”

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