Page 64 of From Ice to Home
“Dec, quit it,” Lucas says, giving him a look.
He lifts his hands in mock surrender. “Just making conversation,” he says in his thick Boston accent.
I study him carefully before finally placing him—he was in Vegas too. He spent most of the night trying to get Liz to give him the time of day. Although, from what I remember she was more preoccupied with EJ than with him.
“I made brownies for everyone,” I say, taking off the lid and letting the air fill with a delicious chocolate scent. “But as I recall you wouldn’t know what to do with a sweet thing if your life depended on it.”
EJ’s grin widens as he reaches forward, swiping a brownie and taking a bite. “That’s right. Me on the other hand…” he winks. “How is the lovely Liz by the way?” he asks.
I don’t miss the way Declan’s face twists with frustration.
“She’s great,” I tell him. “She sends her love.”
Before EJ can say anything, another guy steps forward. He looks younger than Lucas, his shoulders broad and his shaggy brown hair sticking out beneath his helmet. His blue eyes widen in a boyish manner as he stares longingly at the brownies.
“But Coach won’t let us have treats on game days,” he says, sulking. “Why do you get to eat one?” he asks, turning to EJ.
“It’s because I don’t toe-pick every time I take a turn, rookie,” EJ says, taking another slow and deliberate bite of his brownie. “You’re still out there looking like a baby deer on skates.”
The young guy looks at the brownies as he leans slightly forward to relish in the smell of them. “They sure look good.”
“And they taste good too,” Lucas says, grabbing one too. “It’s her mom’s recipe.”
“I’ll take one,” a gruff voice with a russian accent hits me from behind. A large hand moves past me, taking two brownies instead of the one he asked for. Looking at Nikolai, I watch as he shoves both brownies in his mouth, chewing with fervor.
“Good,” he murmurs with a thumbs up.
“Sorry, she doesn’t speak bear,” Murphy says. “Doll, we can’t eat those and still look good enough for you to enjoy. At least some of us have enough self-discipline to stick to our routines.”
“Dec,” Lucas warns again, his eyes narrowing. “What’s up with you?”
He turns away, muttering beneath his breath as he heads off toward the ice.
I look up to Lucas, wondering if it’s something I said…or done. He catches my gaze easily and says, “It’s not you, Sanders. I’m sorry about him.”
EJ looks over his shoulder to where Murphy is skating full out, pushing himself to go as fast as he possibly can before making a sudden stop and going the other way.
“Yeah, he’s usually a bit more respectful when it comes to the women related to his teammates.”
I get that it might be strange to meet me. Not to mention it’s game day. Some players can be very strict when it comes to their routines on game days, their superstition getting the best of them. I just hope we can have some sort of friendship moving forward.
“It’s fine,” I say with a smile.
“I want another one,” EJ says, stepping closer but he doesn’t reach out to take one. “But after the game. Then I’ll take two.”
I can’t help but chuckle. “I’ll remember that next time. Post-game brownies.”
The young guy beams with excitement before he pumps his fist in the air. “Yes!”
“Lindgren! Johannson!” The coach yells from the other side of the rink. “Get on the ice.” He looks toward us, squinting before turning slightly red in the face as he shouts again, “Honeymoon is after the playoffs, Walker! Get in your gear!”
The coach isn’t done as his attention swings to Nikolai. “Petrov, is that chocolate on your face? It’s the playoffs!”
Nikolai wipes his mouth with the back of his hand before dropping his visor and getting back on the ice.
“Stay and watch, Sanders.” Lucas turns to me, his voice is low, his words and his smile just for me. “I’ll see you in a few.”
SeeingLucas on the ice just cements the fact that we made the right choice all those years ago. He belongs here. The way he moves, his confident stance, his raw skill—it’s undeniable. He needed to be on this team and God knew that before we did, before we could fully comprehend the path God had set out for him. It was hard to come to terms with God’s plan back then, but when I prayed about it—really prayed—I knew we needed to go our separate ways.
