Page 27 of Off The Ice

“Well, they’re going to invade your space whether you like it or not. And to be honest, you’re only making it worse for yourself. The less you give them, the more curious they’ll be.”

She had a point, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. Or go along with it, for that matter. I wasn’t going to feed the insatiable beast that was the public because, like she said, the more I gave them, the more they’d want. And I’d never been much of a giver.

“Look.” Maggie sighed. “I’m only saying this because I care about you. But you’re so closed off. Not just with hockey, but with everything. You’re letting it bleed into your normal life.”

“My normal life? And what’s that?” I arched a brow at her.

“Exactly.” She nodded as if I’d just confirmed her point. “You don’t have one anymore. Your whole life is hockey games and training and isolation, and it’s not maintainable. You’ve been closed off foryears.It’s so hard to even reach you.”

“Maggie,” I said, about to counter everything she was saying, to tell her that it was justme, when she held up a hand to stop me.

“No. Liam, I love you, but you need to let someone in. Anyone. Otherwise, you’re going to break, and there’s going to be no one around to pick up the pieces. Hockey cannot be your end-all, be-all. You’re a person. And people need people.”

Without warning, and definitely without my consent, my thoughts wandered off on their own, settling on the image of that little blonde that my sister had sprung into my life.

I’d already let her in. To my home, my life, my thoughts.

I shook the thought away, unsure why it had even popped up in the first place. Cassie was temporary. I needed to remember that.

“Well, anyway.” Maggie stood from the couch, clapping her hands together. “You’re welcome for the therapy session. You can pay me by coming to get the rest of Cassie’s stuff from my car.”

And with that, she bounded out the front door, leaving me with no choice but to follow.

Chapter Eleven

Cassie

One look at me, and it was painfully obvious to anyone with functioning eyes that I was not, by any stretch of the imagination, athletic. Still, even sedentary human beings required a baseline level of arm strength to navigate day-to-day life.

Unfortunately, somewhere in my genetic code, something had gone catastrophically wrong. My arms weren’t just weak. They were useless. Truly abysmal, even by small, unathletic female standards.

This explained why, halfway up the endless stairs to Liam’s condo, I was convinced my arms were about to snap clean off. Multiple grocery bags dangled from my hands, their weight pulling on my fingers like they were trying to drag me to the ground.

I looked like an idiot, but at least I was an idiot with a purpose. I’d decided to cook dinner for Liam to prove I wasn’t a freeloading leech, sucking up all of the generosity that he had offered me.

Grimacing, I clutched the straps tighter and heaved myself up another step, silently cursing my life choices. By the third-floor landing, my willpower broke.

Reluctantly, I set half the bags down, arranging them haphazardly against the wall where I hoped they’d remain untouched.

“Don’t worry,” I muttered to the bags like a lunatic. “I’ll come back for you. Promise.”

With a deep breath, I grabbed the remaining bags and resumed my trek upward, silently praying my arms would hold out long enough to make it to Liam’s door.

By the time I got there, I had fresh sweat stains and the revelation that I probably needed to look into a gym membership. But then again, maybe these stairs of his would be enough of a workout.

Therewasan elevator in his building, but considering the number of people already waiting for the lift, I wasn’t going to be a jerk by crowding the small space with all my stuff. So, I chose instead to permanently destroy the ligaments in my arms.

Dropping the bags, I made a run for the abandoned groceries I’d left in the stairwell, hoping that no one had touched or tripped over them in my absence.

Heaving a sigh of relief when I found them where I had left them, I grabbed the rest and hurried up the stairs to get started on dinner. I didn’t know when Liam got home from work or—training, I guess? But I knew I wanted dinner made and cleaned up before then.

It wouldn’t exactly be the nice surprise I was planning if he came home to a huge mess in his kitchen.

The key Liam had made for me was under the doormat where he told me it would be. I used it to let myself in, carrying a few of the bags with me. I unpacked the food on the granite countertops, displaying the ingredients needed to make the perfect homemade chicken parmesan.

Hopefully, this would help show him how much I appreciated him hosting me for a little while. Moving toward the door, I wandered back into the hallway to get the rest of the groceries, letting the door shut behind me. I bent down, scooping them up in both hands, wondering if I’d bought enough food. I didn’tjustwant to buy dinner. I wanted to stock his fridge, too. To show him I could pull my own weight and contribute to the household, no matter how briefly I’d be part of it.

Being a burden was the last thing I could handle.

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