Holiday Hockey Tale The Icebreaker's Impasse (By Ivory Row) novel Chapter 28

Luci

“Don’t eat your eraser. Did you skip breakfast?” I stop chewing on my pencil to stare up at Easton, who smirks down at me. His brothers are all moving into the seats around and in front of me. I stare at them confused.

This is our one mutual class and I sit in the back to hide. They usually sit up front on the far wall by the windows.

“Umm are you guys lost?” I ask confused. Easton sits to my left with Becker on my right.

“No, we’re sitting here.” He answers me quickly.

“Why?” I am suspicious.

He stares at me for a minute, pressing his lips together. “The view’s better up here.”

What does that mean? I go back to biting the back of my pencil and looking at my to–do list. Until a hand wraps around it and tugs it gently away. “Here Luci.” A handful of Ferrer Rocher tumble onto my desk and I turn my head to stare at Easton who is zipping his backpack closed. “Those taste better than pencils.” He says lowly.

“Are you feeling ok? Did you fall off another shelf?” I turn to Becker who is snickering silently. “Is he ok?”

“Well you see Luci Lou, he finally found his spine and his senses. They’ve been missing. Senses were dulled but after a few slaps to the back of his head, they work again.” Becker says with Jackson and Kingston both chuckling.

“He’s a regular f*****g comedian. But, maybe someone else needs to be slapped too.” He reaches down and smacks Jackson’s head. He turns, glaring at his brother.

Maxton walking in distracts me from their antics. His eyes automatically move up toward me and I shrink down in my seat a little, noticing how his face tightens with anger. “No Luci, sit up. He isn’t allowed near you.

We’re here.” Before I can stop him, he pulls on my left sleeve and Becker pulls on the right one, lifting them past my elbows. “Right side, small bruise.” Becker growls and I hurry to yank it down over the one bruise from Maxton’s thumb.

“Cole told us he touched you. Next time, I want you to tell me.” Easton orders, but I notice he’s glaring at Maxton.

“I bruise easily.” I mutter.

“More reason why he shouldn’t touch what doesn’t belong to him. Cole said he asked you on a date.”

“He didn’t grab me that hard this time. I stabbed my nails into his hand. He knew who Cole was, it seemed to make him angrier.” I say watching him.

Easton’s eyes blaze as he turns to me. “He’s never met Cole. Shouldn’t know who he is. Fucker has been up to no good. You’re sure?”

Dread fills me. “Yes he said “I know that kid” and accused me of…ummm trying for the Reed brothers. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought him to campus.”

“No Luci, that’s not for you to be sorry for. I’ll handle it.”

“Either Coach told him or he’s been digging” Kingston says quietly.

I take my planner out to jot down something before I forget. I had to tape it back together after Maxton

destroyed it.

“That reminds me.” Easton eyes my planner for a minute before reaching into his bag to remove a very fancy planner. “Here. It has pockets so you can slip the sheets you already filled out into them to transfer it over. Less work for you.” I gape down at it. I know planners well and this one is a fancy one that costs at least four times what I paid for my current one.

Our professor walks in and I shake my head. “Seriously, what has gotten into you?”

He raises one eyebrow with his usual blank expression. “You’ll figure it out.”

Each day, he keeps acting the same way. Dropping little things on my desk in class like chocolate and pretty pens which I have a serious weakness for. I swear I saw him following me to a few of my other classes. When I pointed it out to Syd and tried to turn around, she just looped her arm in mine and told me to watch where I was walking instead. I haven’t seen Julian or Maxton anywhere near me all week either.

Then there’s the way he stares at me during dinner, which they suddenly are home for every night. Wednesday night, he steps into the playroom to tell me dinner is ready with a pair of very soft wool gloves in a light purple color. “Should keep your fingers warm so you don’t have to rub your hands together and shove them into your pockets all the time. Especially early in the morning when it’s damp and cold.”

“How did you know I don’t have gloves?” I keep meaning to buy a new pair and cannot seem to remember.

He shrugs. “Thought you might like that color.”

By Friday, I’m convinced I’ve stepped into the twilight zone. Especially when I go to leave my apartment and find an enormous bouquet of flowers sitting on the mat. Probably two or three dozen sunflowers and Gerbera daisies in every color imaginable. It’s gorgeous and I bring them inside to check the card. Which is no easy feat, they are seriously heavy. Someone’s going to be upset these went to the wrong person. I can at least bring them in so they don’t freeze while I see who to call about getting them to the correct recipient. I lift the card out, reading it twice: For Luci and the best “mistake” I’ve made.

Who would send me flowers? It has to be a joke. A very expensive, pretty joke. I leave them on the island. “I’ll call the florist later and they can tell me who paid for this trickery.” I promise myself, pulling my phone out to add it to my list for today.

Syd bangs on the door and I hurry to let her in. “Thought you would be waiting for me in your car already.” She walks in and is looking around expectantly. I watch her eyes light on the flowers as I grab my backpack, purse, hat and scarf. “Those are stunning and huge. And that’s at least two dozen flowers, maybe closer to four.” She laughs with pure amusement.

“Yeah and they claim to be for me. Someone made a mistake. I mean who would send me something that fancy and expensive?” I say as I make sure I have everything.

“Someone very easy to make jealous of half a dozen flowers, I’m guessing.” She murmurs and I turn to face her.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. I think you have a secret admirer, Luci Lou. You ready to go watch Coco gobble like a turkey?” She grins happily.

We are skipping our first class to go to this which wasn’t a big deal per our professor. The last day before Thanksgiving break he truly wasn’t planning on even teaching he said, Sydney wanted to ride with me. “Those are pretty gloves. I’m impressed you remembered to buy some. And is that a new scarf with matching hat?” She fingers the really soft knit pieces all in a matching pale lavender color, which is my favorite. It’s pretty, being the same purple color as the gloves, with white flowers all over. The hat is the same with a big purple pom on the top.

“Easton gave me the gloves two nights ago. He’s acting weird.” I tell her that he brought the scarf and hat last night, mentioning how cold this weekend will be. “I don’t get it.”

“So to recap, he keeps bringing you chocolate, bought you a very fancy planner, which is remarkably important to help you stay on track, some cool pens in different colors, gloves, hat, a scarf….anything else? That scarf and hat are cashmere in case you didn’t know babe. Why they’re so soft.” She ticks off her fingers.

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