Page 93 of Ice Darling
“But you haven’t let me finish. The Lady Luck Society is?—”
“Excuse me.” I brush past Marjorie, my head lowered and my ribs constricting.
Out. I need to get out of here.
I can see Gwen so clearly in my mind. That night, she stood on stage, and she sparkled. How could a light that shone so brightly be snuffed out in one moment?
“Cordelia?” Renthrow’s voice makes the roaring in my head go quiet.
A smile of welcome grows on his face. He jogs away from his car without even closing the door. “Hey.”
I’m immediately drawn to the sparkling green in his hazel eyes, but I force my gaze back to the ground.
Ofcourse, Renthrow’s here at Phil’s Donuts.
This is Lucky Falls after all. Where everybody runs into everybody all the time.
Renthrow stops in front of me, his broad shoulders completely shielding me from the sun. His cologne swirls around me, and I try my hardest not to inhale.
“You should have told me you wanted donuts,” he says, sounding genuinely excited. “I would have gotten for you.”
I shake my head. “You don’t have to do that.”
“It’s no problem. Gordie shouldn’t be eating that much sugar anyway, but I couldn’t say no to her. As usual.”
I don’t really want to speak to him, but the mention of Gordie pulls on my heartstrings. Plus, it helps to focus on something other than my memories of Gwen.
“How’s Gordie doing?”
“She’s great. Although she was upset that I dropped you home last night instead of bringing you over to see her. That’s why I’m on donut duty.” He lowers his voice. “You seemed a little out of it after our discussion. Did I say something…”
I take a step back, still avoiding eye contact. “No, not at all.”
Liar liar, pants on fire!
“Good.” Renthrow follows me when I back away. “How’s your hand?”
He reaches for my fingers to inspect the bandage. The moment his fingers close around mine, I want to link our fingers together the way we did at the restaurant.
I want to tell him about Gwen and about how losing her tore my heart in half.
I want to tell him about the three years I pretended everything was okay. And then the day I snapped.
I want to tell him how hard it was to switch from being a Davenport with the world at my fingertips, to a rookie mechanic who could barely afford a certificate program at a trade school.
But pouring my soul at his feet would be stupid. Viking Renthrow is in love with someone else, and the closer we become, the more I can see myself falling into a one-sided relationship with him.
I’ve already tried the unrequited love path, and itsucks. I won’t be back for a second helping ofthatslop, thank you very much.
I slip out of his grip.
His eyes whip to mine.
Awkwardness strains the air between us.
“I forgot I have something to do,” I mumble.
The giant hockey player goes still, and I can feel him watching me like I’m an engine he wants to fix. “Okay.”
