Page 15 of Ice Ice Maybe
“You are so full of it,” he spat.
Nolan leaned back, a hint of steel in his smile. “You know, Mitch, for a man with fifty million in his pocket, you don’t seem content. Weren’t we here to celebrate your signing?” He stood, smoothing his blazer. “If you’ll excuse me, nature calls. Please try not to judge other people while I’m gone.”
The table fell into a silence so thick you could have cut it with Dad’s steak knife. I caught Mom’s eye, and she gave me a subtle nod of approval. She took a bite of her swordfish, but her face was slightly tinged with worry.
Mitch’s gaze followed Nolan until he disappeared into the restroom, then snapped back to me, his eyes narrowed. “I don’t get what you see in him.”
I met his stare, unflinching. “And I don’t expect you to, Mitch. Can we just eat dinner in peace? This is indeed supposed to be a welcome dinner for you, not an interrogation of the man I’m seeing.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw as he abruptly stood, tossing his napkin onto the table with more force than necessary.
“Where are you going?” I asked, a knot forming in my stomach since I was pretty sure I knew the answer.
“To the bathroom,” Mitch replied. “Is that okay, or do I need a hall pass?”
As he strode away, following Nolan’s path, alarm bells rang in my head. The restroom suddenly seemed like a room full of dynamite, with Mitch carrying the detonator. I wondered what confrontation might brew on the other side of that bathroom door, and hoped that our carefully constructed charade wouldn’t come crashing down on us.
I glanced at Dad and widened my eyes at him, hoping he would go after them and intervene. He sighed, nodded, then stood and walked toward the bathroom.
My mind raced through worst-case scenarios, each one ending with the realization that if Nolan got hurt because of our plan, I’d carry that guilt forever.
Chapter Five
Nolan
I stood at the urinal in the bathroom, taking care of business, while my thoughts wandered to the giant mountain of douchebaggery I’d left at the dinner table. Mitch Redding was an absolute tool and had the personality of a soggy piece of bread. What in the world had Zena ever seen in him? It made no sense.
As I continued to ponder the mysteries of Zena’s past romantic choices, the bathroom door swung open. I didn’t need to look to know who it was. The air suddenly felt thicker, like it was being pushed aside by an oversized ego wrapped in an expensive suit.
“If you’re here to challenge me to a pissing contest, I’m not interested,” I said as I zipped up my pants.
“You’ve got a smart mouth on you,” Mitch growled, his voice low and menacing. “You’d better watch yourself.”
I turned and met Mitch’s glare in the mirror as I lathered up my hands with soap. “Can I help you with something?”
His face contorted into a scrutinizing scowl. “Something’s not right with this picture. Zena would never go for a pretty boy like you. You’re not her type. What did you do to get her to like you?”
I rinsed my hands, grabbed a paper towel, and turned to face him as I dried off. “I’m flattered you think I’m pretty, Mitch, but I’m spoken for.”
He ground his teeth. “You may think you’re funny, but I’ll be the one cracking up when Zena dumps you and comes back to me. Enjoy it while it lasts because it won’t last long. Mark my words.”
“Sorry to break the news to you, but Zena has already gone through her caveman phase, and now prefers men who don’t grunt when they talk and drag their knuckles when they walk,” I said.
I felt a slight twinge of guilt for perpetuating the deception, but Mitch’s troglodyte-like behavior made it easier to play my part. And if it helped Zena escape the clutches of someone like him, maybe there was some good coming out of this charade after all. Still, it felt like I was walking a fine line between helping and hurting. I hoped that when all was said and done, I’d be able to look at myself in the mirror without regret.
I also knew I had to be careful how much and when I poked the bear. I’d met my share of egotistical jerks back in my hockey days, but Mitch was a different breed, even more massive, powerful, and relentless than I had ever encountered. I was still in decent shape, but I’d have been a fool to go toe-to-toe with him. It would not have ended well for me, I knew that. Still, I had no other option than to stick with the plan if I wanted to keep my job, plus help Zena. I just didn’t want to die or end up disfigured in the process.
“I’m warning you …” Mitch stepped closer, looming over me like an unbalanced sequoia tree with anger management issues.
“Take it easy—you don’t want to end up in jail and miss your first game with the team tomorrow,” I said, throwing my hands up in defense and slipping on a wet spot on the floor in front of the sink.
My arms flailed in the air like a cartoon character slipping on a banana peel. In a moment of panic-induced decisions, I latched onto the nearest lifeline—Mitch’s silk tie.
Big mistake.
We went down like a two-man circus act gone horribly wrong. First, a graceless slam against the counter that would definitely leave a bruise on my ribs, followed by a spectacular tumble to the floor that ended with me on my back and Mitch on top of me with his face plastered against my chest like a misplaced postage stamp.
For one surreal moment, all I could think was,His cologne actually smells pretty good up close. I wonder who the designer is.
