Page 6 of Hearts on Ice
“I don’t mind what I do,” Declan said. “And to be finding success on this side of it is exciting. You have to know how that feels.”
“I love my job, but I don’t live it twenty-four/seven. I took time to fall in love, get married, have a family. You’re not a kid anymore, Deck.”
“I’m perfectly happy being a favorite uncle.”
“Yeah, as long as you make time for them, as well.”
He heard the chiding in his brother’s voice, and he was right. “My students have dance class on Monday and gymnastics on Tuesday. Maybe I can come by one of those days?”
“Yeah, I’ll get with Meghan, and get back to you. I think that would be really good.”
“Yeah,” Declan agreed. “Yeah, it would.”
He admitted to being a little distant during the afternoon practice. The ice was more crowded in the afternoon, even though hockey practice hadn’t started yet. Several other lessons were going on, with younger kids, a few teen girls who came just to skate, and, he suspected, to admire Josh. Seemed like it was always the same group of girls, and they came several times a week.
After the lesson, he allowed his manager, Julia, to close up. He’d been trying to give up more responsibility, and today seemed like a good day to do that. On the drive home he picked up some comfort food at a fast food restaurant, something he didn’t usually allow himself, but again, if there ever was a day, this was it.
He got home to his dark, sad apartment, pushing his brother’s words out of his head, trying instead to think of the success Josh and Lexi had had today, despite Declan’s mood.
He sat in front of the TV with his foam container of food and yes, his sugary drink, and turned the TV to the video app. Yeah, he was a glutton for punishment as he did a search, and found pages of results for he and Colby skating together. He scrolled past the gold medal skate, down to his favorite of their performances. The routine was the same as the gold medal one, but this one, he thought, was more compelling.
More intimate.
She’d always looked beautiful in that deep crimson dress, and his shirt matched, though he was wearing black pants. They’d started the routine facing each other, not touching, before skating slowly toward each other. He stretched a hand across the front of her waist. She mirrored him as they skated in a circle, looking into each other’s eyes before he took her hand and whipped her around to skate side by side with him, still looking into each other’s eyes. Watching the routine and feeling the same feelings he’d had then was weird, the excitement of competing, the elation of skating with the woman he loved, the desire he’d felt as he held her, touched her.
On screen, the two of them gained momentum for a lift, just a simple one, before they separated and spun separately before he caught up to her, holding her hand, then drawing her back along his body, both of them raising their right leg so they could do tandem camel spins, his hands on her waist. Even now he could feel the beading of her dress against his palms as they straightened and skated backwards, him drawing her along, her body tensing under his hands as she pulled herself in, preparing for him to lift her and throw her in the air for a spin. She completed two rotations before a perfect landing on the outside edge of her skate, reaching back toward him, that sweet smile belying her breathlessness. He caught her hand and drew her against him, her back to his chest, her free arm raising over her head, so elegant, so graceful. He straightened, rotating, lowering her into the death spin, keeping his focus on her as they spun with her back arched, her head inches from the ice. He strained and brought her back upright, turning her to skate side by side again, clasping one hand in his, his other on her waist. They skated across the rink to build up speed for another lift, him settling her on his shoulder as he spun once, then skated the length of the rink again before he set her down, turned her to him, and they skated together in a waltz, looking into each other’s eyes. He spun her one way, then the other, before bringing her back against him and wrapping his arms around her waist, she looping her arms around his neck, both of them spinning to a stop in the center of the rink.
The cheers of the crowd poured from the speakers of his television, and his heart pounded as if he’d just skated the routine. He was pretty sure he could, right now, if someone put the music on.
He watched the young, hopeful pair on the television another moment before he clicked off the video. As he did, he caught sight of another video, someone who’d recorded of Colby’s rant outside a nightclub. Declan had stood by in stunned horror as she’d demanded to be allowed inside the posh club, when she’d pointed to him and said, “Do you know who we are?” Like they’d been anyone with clout, anyone other than a pair of athletes who happened to win the favor of the country.
Yeah, that was the reminder he had needed. Not how good they’d been together, but how selfish she had been. How bad they were for each other.
Declan hadn’t sleptmuch when he came to open the rink the next morning, and he was startled that nearly as soon as he turned the lights on in the lobby, Colby showed up at the door.
He thought about making her wait outside, but he wasn’t cruel.
Usually.
He walked back to the door and unlocked it to let her in. “You’re early.”
“I thought, maybe you’d let me have some time on the ice before the kids got here?” she asked, holding up her skates. “Just some, I don’t know. Warm up time? Unless you were planning to skate.”
His face heated as he remembered she’d been on the sidelines watching him skate yesterday Maybe she felt like she needed to show him that she still had skills, too. Fine, she could go skate. He had other work to do before Josh and Lexi got here.
He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, granting permission silently, then walked over to the switch on the lights for the rink. The lights took a few minutes to warm up, and she used that time to sit on one of the benches, layer another pair of socks on, and lace up her skates. He tried really hard not to pay attention as he went about his opening procedure, which was usually automatic, but today felt out of sync.
He started to close himself in his office to work, but if she fell or hurt herself on the ice, he wouldn’t know. Besides, he really hated closing himself in the office. Paperwork was a necessary evil to running a business, but his least favorite part, especially when he had to be in that tiny office to do it.
So he brought the laptop onto the table closest to the office and snack bar, where he could keep an eye on the rink. Just in case Colby needed him.
Just in case.
She was steady on her skates as she took the ice, took a lap, then another before indulging herself in a series of spins, each one more challenging than the last. Did she know he was watching? He was pretty sure she knew he couldn’t help himself. He was not getting any work done, watching her lose herself in her skate.
Or maybe find herself.
He could understand that.
