Those beady eyes narrowed on me. “Our lease agreement doesn’t guarantee you that, Sutton. And prices are going up around Sparrow Falls. I have to keep up with the times. I’m sure you understand.”
I didn’t understand. But I also couldn’t speak. All I could think about was the fact that even if Rickwasdoing something shady, I didn’t have the funds to hire a lawyer to fight it. And it wasn’t like someone would magically show up and have my back.
Some part of my brain was aware of Rick’s too-fancy shoes clicking on the floor as he headed out after completely explodingmy world. My hands trembled as I picked up the piece of paper. When I opened it, there was nothing I could do to keep the tears from springing to my eyes.
The figures on the sheet were insurmountable. I could keep the bakery or my apartment but not both. There was no way. And if I let go of either, I’d lose everything.
4
COPE
Mayhem reignedas the kids charged across the ice, letting out screams and battle cries. Some raced, others crashed into each other, enjoying the protection their pads afforded. It was fucking adorable.
Kenner skated to a stop next to me. “How’s it feel being on the other side of things?”
I watched as Luca darted around another kid named Daniel. His skating was damn good for someone with no hockey experience. “Kinda nice,” I admitted. “Reminds me of when the game was pure.”
Kenner raised a brow at that.
I quickly changed tack, the feeling of showing too many cards churning in my gut. “And it feels damn good to be the one holding the whistle.” I picked it up from around my neck and gave two short blasts. “That’s it for today, you monsters. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
There was a mixture of cheers and protests, but all the kids started toward the boards and their waiting parents. I couldn’t help scanning the crowd in search of blond hair and turquoise eyes. The moment I caught sight of her, I couldn’t look away.
It was more than just how beautiful she was. It was how she curved around her son in a move equal parts protection and attunement as if what he was saying was the most important thing in the world. Growing up with the siblings I had and knowing the things that had brought most of them into foster care, I knew that it was far too rare to see that sort of attention.
And I knew what a gift it was. I’d felt that. As if nothing was more important than the absolute nonsense coming out of my mouth. An invisible blow hit me in the solar plexus, but it might as well have been a stone fist. It didn’t matter that it had been seventeen years since I’d lost Jacob and my dad; grief still lashed out like a sucker punch. Griefandguilt.
“I wouldn’t go there.”
Kenner’s voice cut into my spiraling thoughts, and I blinked, trying to pull myself from the darkness and the memory of screeching tires and shattering glass. So much pain. Slowly, the rink came back into focus.
Sutton was almost done helping Luca out of his gear.How long had I been staring? Shit.I forced my gaze toward my fellow coach. “Sorry, what?”
Kenner inclined his head in her direction. “Sutton Holland. I wouldn’t go there. I sense she’s been through a lot.”
I stiffened, the reaction fueled by too many things. First, Kenner clearly had his sights set on Sutton. My annoyance at that was beyond ridiculous when all I’d shared with the woman was a few bantered barbs. Second, the woman who kept stealing my attention was apparently single—not a temptation I needed. But more than everything else was the knowledge that something in Sutton’s past may have harmed her.
Kenner likely meant she had a dickhead ex. But I couldn’t help worrying that it was something more. My gaze cut back to Sutton as if my eyes had a mind of their own. Luca’s hand was firmly in hers as they headed for the facility doors, and she carried the massive gear bag as if it were nothing.
It was more than clear that she was used to shouldering theweight of the world. I had the most bizarre urge to go after her, take the bag from her hold, and carry it to her damn SUV. A vehicle I hoped had a new tire by now.
“Cope?” Kenner pushed.
I shook my head. “Sorry, it’s not that. She just reminds me of someone.”
What a stupid lie. I’d spent maybe ten minutes with the woman and already knew she was one of a kind.
“Oh, sorry,” Kenner mumbled. “Didn’t mean to overstep.”
The hell he didn’t. He wanted to piss a circle around Sutton. I knew guys like him. They played the long game. Pretending to be an unassuming friend but always with the goal of getting in her pants.
My back teeth ground together as I forced a smile. “No worries, man.”
A flash of movement caught my attention as a figure pushed onto the ice. Her ease of motion told me she was at home there. Her skates told me she was a figure skater.
She crossed the rink in six long strides. “I heard we had a legend in the house.”
Her gaze slid over me in a look that had me fighting not to take a step back.Jesus.The girl looked barely over eighteen. And that wasnotmy thing. Not since I’d been eighteen. And that was twelve years ago.
