Page 5 of The Love Comeback
“That’s great!” Ella calls back, a bright smile on her face.
“When’s our next lesson?” Colton peers up at me as we make our way toward the exit.
“Two days.” I grin and open up the gate for him.
“You think I’ll be good enough to play hockey?”
I shrug. “I don’t see why not. We’ll have to work hard, and practices might need to be longer than an hour.” I glance over at Ella, noting that she’s listening intently. “If that’s okay with Ella.”
“If he wants to have a longer skating lesson, that’s fine … as long as you’reokay with it,” she answers. “I don’t want to put you out.”
“You’re not going to put me out. I don’t think you could ever do that.”
Ella narrows her eyes. “I’m not so sure about that … but thanks for taking the time to give him lessons. It really means a lot.”
“Yeah, of course, anything for you,” I say, knowing just how strong my language is coming on. I want her to know that she still matters to me … and that I’m not mad at her for the way she shut me out of her life after we broke up.
“Well, thanks,” she says flatly.
I lean against the wall, unable to help myself. “So, what’re you up to these days? You didn’t stay long after we sorted out the skating lessons.”
“I just got a job as the head of mathematics at Meadowlark Middle School,” she answers. “So, basically, I’m a glorified math teacher with more responsibilities.”
“That’s cool.” I smile, thinking of the way she was always so nerdy. “And what about your personal life? Are you dating? The dating scene sucks around here…” I’m trying to play it cool, but I don’t know if it’s coming across that way. However, Ella seems unbothered by it.
“I don’t date. I have Colton.” She gestures to the kid as he throws his now-empty water bottle into a black bag. “It never really works out, and I’m pretty careful about who I bring into his life, especially after…”
“Her dumb ex-husband,” Colton quips, rolling his eyes.
“Well, okay then.” I raise my brows, sometimes forgetting how much a ten-year-old knows.
“I’m starving.” Colton turns to Ella. “Can we get some food?”
“How about pizza?” I offer. “My treat, since you guys were nice enough to come hang out with me.”
Ella scrunches her nose. “We’re just here for skating lessons.”
“Yes!” Colton’s shout drowns out her comment. “That would be so cool!”
Ella sighs. “Um, okay. Yeah, we can. But then we’ve gotta get home. It’s a school night.”
Colton huffs, but grins while doing it. “Sweet!”
“There’s a really good place just a couple of blocks from here. In my opinion, it’s the best in the city. I’ll send you the pin, and we can meet there?” I dig my phone out of my hoodie pocket and then look across to Ella, who pulls her own phone out. “Is your number still the same?”
She shakes her head. “I changed it years ago.”
Maybe that’s why none of my apology texts ever got answered.
“Okay, here.” I hand her my phone, letting her add her new number in place of her old one. She stares at my phone screen for a moment, and I realize it’s probably because her old contact picture is the same—her senior picture. She’s changed in a lot of ways, but in a lot of ways, she hasn’t.
Ella clears her throat as she hands me back my phone, and I quickly send her the pin with the location of my favorite pizza joint, The Wedge.
“I’ll meet you guys there in about twenty minutes—sound good?” I ask.
“Sounds good.” Ella stands to her feet and slings a messenger bag over her shoulder. I hold her gaze a little longer, and something flickers in those pretty hazel eyes of hers, the emerald shifting to gold in a flash.
It draws out the old feelings…
