Page 28 of Hearts on Ice
He glanced over to see if she was messing with him, but he didn’t think she was awake enough to do that.
“I’m not being nice. I’m helping out my students.”
“Sure, if that’s what you think. You brought me coffee.”
“Because I didn’t know if you’d be ready on time and I didn’t think we’d have time to get it on the way to the rink.”
“Now come on. Have I ever been late to practice?”
He was sure there had been a time or two, but he couldn’t think off the top of his head. “I just didn’t know since your lifestyle changed so much since you left skating.”
“It has, but it was pretty easy to get back into the groove. Actually easier than I expected, if I’m honest. The coffee has been a big part of the groove, I will admit. Though I don’t usually indulge in mochas much anymore. I still like them, though,” she added quickly. “And this one is very good. But I just haven’t been able to work off the calories like I used to.”
He would not say, would not say, that she was doing a great job, because he would not admit to looking at her and appreciating her very trim figure.
“I could still lift you,” he said. “Speaking of lifts.” He was grateful for the opportunity to change the subject. “I don’t want to use that lift.”
“What? Why?”
Either the caffeine had kicked in, or she was mad. “Because it’s going to take a while to master, and it’s risky, and it’s not going to give them enough extra points to justify the time and risk it will take to learn it. I think we need to look at another lift. There’s the over the shoulder one, you know, which I think would work fine.”
She didn’t say anything, and reading her expression in the flashing of the streetlights they drove under was nearly impossible. He should have waited until they got to the rink.
“I thought it would look really great, be really memorable.”
“I get that, but we did it after we were pretty established. People had seen us perform other lifts, so learning to do that one was a challenge, and it had an element of surprise. These two are working their way up. I think a simpler lift would work for now. Maybe after we get to regionals, we can change it up a bit, when they’re more comfortable with the choreography.”
“That makes sense,” she said, dragging out the last word.
“But are you okay with making the change?”
“The contract said you have the final word on the elements. If you think this will put your skaters at risk, we won’t do it.”
“The contract you haven’t signed, you mean?”
“As soon as the car gets fixed, I’ll get with the lawyer Evan recommended.”
“Thanks. I’d appreciate that.” He hoped she was serious as he turned into the parking lot of the rink.
What was—he was used to driving into an empty parking lot, but today five cars were parked near the entrance of the rink. Beside him, Colby sat forward.
“Who is that?” she asked. “Josh and Lexi?”
“No, not yet.” They weren’t due for half an hour.
“Ah, you don’t think reporters are staking out the rink?”
This time his glance in her direction was sharper. “You’ve got to be kidding. Surely they’re not that interested in your life to be here at this hour.”
She shrugged. “They used to stay out late to follow me home.”
Maybe he’d underestimated her fame, because he couldn’t imagine that, especially since she wasn’t in the public eye as much as she had been.
But he was wrong and she was right. When he pulled up, the reporters popped out of their cars with their cameras as he and Colby got out of the truck.
“So it’s true? You’re back together?” one of the men shouted.
All of it came rushing back then, the late nights at the clubs, walking out to face the media, Colby eating it up, so that he’d kind of wondered if she’d been the one to let the photographers know where she was.
