Page 71 of Puck Drop
“Isn’t it too soon for there to be any trouble in paradise?” he teases. “What happened to all the love and support from a few weeks ago?”
I roll my eyes at him, knowing that he’s just giving me a hard time.
“I’m warning you right now, though.” He points a gloved finger at me. “I am not moving her out of that place next. I about broke my back when she moved in. Not to mention, the ride to your house in the death trap.”
“I’m pretty sure that big moving truck is safer than whatever it is that you drive.”
Sebastian shrugs and continues skating. “Still, though, ain’t doing that again.”
“So noted,” I deadpan.
I stop in front of the net without saying anything more. He stops next to me, and I can tell that he’s practically bouncing off the walls wanting to know what’s going on between me and Elizabeth.
“Her father was at the gala the other night.”
Sebastian frowns in confusion. “The owner of the Sliders was at the event thrown by the Aces?”
“Yeah,” I confirm. “It threw me off, too.”
He skates backward, gliding his stick back and forth against the ice. Once he put a bit of a distance between us, he skates forward, hooking the stick onto the net and propelling himself behind it. He plays around like he’s a little kid.
“Was he there just to see the two of you?” he asks once he’s gathered his scattered thoughts.
I follow his suit and skate around again. We basically chase each other around, at a low speed. In the corner of my eye, I notice a few of the guys messing around, too. Practice is done for the day, but I don’t feel like going home just yet, especially since I don’t know what mood I’ll find Elizabeth in.
“So, what’s the drama, man?” Sebastian snaps at me. “You and his daughter are over then? Did he threaten to kill you and your family? What happened?”
He makes me laugh with his antics. “It wasn’t as dramatic as that.” My tone is laced with amusement. “But let’s just say hewas an ass to us, especially to Elizabeth. Basically told her she can’t survive in life without him. Stuff like that,” I shrug.
“Well, she obviously can survive without him if she’s been here on her own for a while now, and she’s not dead yet.”
I bust out laughing. “How can I argue with that logic?”
He bobs his head up and down as he points his stick at me. “I am wise beyond my years,” he says.
Someone blows a whistle from the stands, and we all turn to look at the same time.
“Warm up is at seven tomorrow morning…”
We all groan in unison.
“Make it six fifteen,” he retorts. This time, no one reacts in any way. He does that to us sometimes, where he’ll make us be at the arena earlier if we complain about an early time. However, he doesn’t do that all the time, so it’s hard for us to know when we should keep quiet.
“You all better be wide awake and ready to go,” he grumbles. “If you are late, even a minute late, you’ll be benched for the game on Friday.”
More protests echo from the ice. “I don’t give a flying fuck,” he yells. With that, he is out, and we are back to doing our own thing. By now the sweat I worked up during practice today feels cold as it runs against my skin.
“I need a hot shower,” I tell Sebastian, then skate toward the exit off the ice.
“An ice bath first would help you more,” he tells me. “Also, way to just leave me hanging.”
I step off the ice and waddle toward the locker rooms. “How am I leaving you hanging?”
“I thought there was more to this story with your girl’s father. Is she leaving you now because he told her to?”
I snort. “No, she’s not leaving me.”
My stomach drops a little when I say the words. I really hope he didn’t get into her head that badly. Although, the way she’s been acting since that night makes me wonder.
