Page 57 of Ice Darling
He checks his watch. “I gotta go. I have a meeting with Max before the announcement. Enjoy.”
Before I can say another word, Renthrow retreats to his car and drives off.
Guess I won’t be having sandwiches for lunch.
I’ll admit…I’m excited to eat his food again. I climb off my bike and return to the garage. Both of my bosses are grinning at me like kids who saw Santa Claus creeping around the chimney.
“What?”
“You and Renthrow?” Rebel wiggles her eyebrows.
“We’ve decided to fake a relationship,” I explain, sounding guilty to my own ears. “In front of my mother.”
“Oh. Right. Is that why he brought you lunch?”
“He didn’tbringme lunch. He asked me to check on his car, and he happened to offer me—look, it’s not like that.”
“Mm-hm.” Rebel grins even harder. “The Pink Garage has a phone number. He could have called.”
My eyelashes flutter. Are they right? Did Renthrow come over intentionally to see me?
No way. He doesn’t like me like that. He’s only tolerating me for Gordie’s sake. I can’t delude myself into thinking he feels anything more.
“Can I see it?” April begs.
“You want to see…his lunch box?”
“Everyone in town knows about Renthrow’s lunch boxes.”
Rebel presses in too. “If he wasn’t a hockey player, he could run one of those ASMR cooking channels. The man has skills. Gordie’s lunches were even featured in the school newspaper. It’sthatnext-level.”
Curious, I tear the lunch bag open and peer inside.
Rebel’s smile droops when she sees the neatly scooped rice and chicken-salad bowl.
“It looks delicious,” April says, her own smile a bit disappointed. “But it’s not what I heard.”
“Guess he only takes special care of Gordie’s lunch and not his own,” Rebel says.
The ladies wander off while I continue staring at the simple, unremarkable meal.
I guess he only cares for Gordie’s lunch and not his own.
Why do I feel like that’s true in areas outside of packed lunches too? And why do I suddenly have the urge to see Viking Renthrow receive all the care he denies himself and so selflessly offers to his daughter?
Chapter Twenty
Renthrow
I knock on the door of Max’s office and hear him yell, “Come in! Unless it’s you, Bobby!”
The door creaks as I stride inside. “What did Bobby do to deserve that?”
“He thinks we should spend all our marketing funds on attracting a former pro-leaguer like Chance to the team.”
“It’s a great idea.”
“It’s aterribleidea.” Max runs his hands through his hair. “We only have one shot at this.”
