Holiday Hockey Tale The Icebreaker's Impasse (By Ivory Row) novel Chapter 62

Easton

“Suddenly, a lot of questions Cole has asked lately make sense.” I muse as our real waiter brings our dinner. She’s smiling with serious amusement the entire time.

“Yes they do.” Luci looks thoughtful.

“I need to find out exactly what he asked Santa for now.” I frown over that. It could be me dating Luci or he wants Luci as his mom like Barrett’s wish.

She nods almost sadly. We’re both concerned about his perception of this. “You’re afraid of what he asked for?” I suggest.

“Yes. Santa encourages big, impossible dreams by a set date and I don’t want him to have his heart broken.” She sounds almost broken over it herself.

“We’ll make sure it isn’t somehow. I promise. I don’t want him hurting. Maybe he just wished for us to go on a date since Baker helped him.” I already know I’m wrong, but I hate seeing her like that.

She nods slowly. “I hope so.”

“Start on that tomorrow. This is a date and I believe I was left with expectations.”

Luci makes a very serious face. “Yes and you have to report back to your romance rascal in the morning.”

I shake my head, playfully grimacing. “The words of Coconut book is getting an update tonight. Might need a few blank pages.”

We move on from Cole for a minute, talking about final exams. Luci tilts her head before her next question. Her tell this is something she’s wondered hard about. “You all want to play hockey professionally, but you’re all business majors. How is that going to work with your dad’s company?”

“Dad wants us to play for as long as we can. Always has. He’s the ‘live your dreams‘ parent. Mother was the practical one. And now he wants us to play for his team. We can play and during the off–season, work for him to learn more about taking over. Each of us have our own… .gifts I guess you’d call them. Strengths, but they also come naturally. Jackson has a way with words when he decides to talk. Legal clauses, smoothing things over, that’s his forte. I call him our poet. Becker is the goofball but he’s incredibly good with seeing the future potential in things. He’s our grounded dreamer. Kingston is numbers and analysis. He’s always quietly assessing something. I call him our grounding tether.”

She waits patiently for a few minutes. “You left yourself off.”

“That’s easy. I’m the muscle.” I joke. She doesn’t laugh. Instead, those eyes size me up, never leaving mine.

“You are the enforcer, the gatekeeper, the encouragement, the protector and the one who rounds them all up. The control or for lack of a better word, the ringmaster in your four–ring operation. You see the tiniest details all the way up to the bigger picture.” She says calmly.”

You dream too, but you hide it. Nudge Becker so he can express the dreams you share. You worry about them as much as you worry over Cole. There is a reason you are the captain of the hockey team.”

I stare at her silently shaken.

“My brain will hold onto little pieces and observations and then it stacks them together over time. I’ve watched you four at dinner so many nights. I won’t reveal your secrets.” She smiles.

“You see a lot, Luci.” That’s all I can manage.

“I told you I loved all of you.” She states simply.

“And I keep finding more of you to love.” I express the thought before I can second guess it.

“There’s not much more to me.” She deflects. But Luci doesn’t play games. She believes that. I don’t. I’m betting there are layers to her, she doesn’t realize she has.

We share our cake obediently as I learn that Baker has been revealing all our childhood mischief to her and Cole. “Yes, we decided to put a slip and slide in the downstairs hallway.

Thankfully, and I use that word as a parent now, we only had it on for like five minutes. Kid me says that with total disappointment and regret.”

“Perspective is important.” She adds with a laugh before we decide to leave.

After I help her into her coat, I wrap my arm around her waist for us to leave. On our way through the restaurant, I recognize several people including Dad’s secretary, Lorna. She waves to me with a curious look on her face. From Dad’s apology to Luci, he’s well aware something is going on between us. I’ll tell him we’re dating tomorrow to head him off.

Distracted by that, I miss the laughing couple who run right into Luci. “Sorry, we weren’t paying attention.” Her eyes widen and she smiles. “Easton! Oh my gosh, haven’t seen you since graduation. How are you? Look, Ben, it’s Easton Reed.”

She tries to hug me, but I refuse to let Luci go. I have no reason to touch Nicole, with or without Luci here.

“Hi Nicole, Ben.” He holds his hand out and I reluctantly unwind from her to shake it. “Hope you have a good night. We have to go.”

“Come have a drink with us. I’ll buy. Catch up on your hockey playing.” Ben offers, grinning.

Nicole bobs her head excitedly. “Elena’s joining us. You could catch up with her. Scott and Wallace too.”

I stiffen at that. My last ex, f**k to the no on that one. I won’t expose Luci to that kind of crazy twice. “We have to leave. Sorry. Enjoy.” I wind Luci’s arm through mine and we leave. She squeezes my arm. “You got very tense. Did you not like some of those people?”

“Let’s get you inside the truck first. Too cold for you.” As we drive away, I glance over at her. “I didn’t introduce you for a reason. Nicole was the high school gossip. Friends with every girl in school, so she could always have the drama at her fingertips. She’s nice enough otherwise. Ben’s fine. So is Scott. Wallace was a pompous prick and Elena is my other ex.”

“Hence the tense Easton Reed.” She says quietly.

“Exactly. I don’t want to catch up with them.”

“Understandable.” That’s all she says. I’m curious about that. I’m desperate to know about every f*****g guy she ever dated even for a high school dance. Does she not wonder about Elena? I drop it for now.

I follow her to her door, glancing around us as she takes her keys out of her purse.

“So was there enough romance to warrant a kiss?” I tease.

“Lots of candles and the flowers are pretty. I suppose so.” She unlocks her door and steps inside.

“Oh enough romance for me to come in?” I’m thoroughly enjoying spinning this out.

She rolls her eyes and grabs my tie to pull me over the threshold and shut the door. “You know I picked this tie. He said you needed a tie for a restaurant. All your others have hockey stuff on them. Tried to buy you cologne too. Sneaky little rascal.” She laughs.

“You have good taste.” I add.

“Are you fishing for compliments…Captain hottie?” She tugs on my tie and I groan at the nickname as she giggles. But then she kisses me and I really don’t give a damn what she wants to call me. Luci’s kisses can be sweet and make you feel soft and loved. Or like this, where I have no doubt she wants me. Where she claims me. She backs away and I grip her hair tugging firmly, but not enough to hurt her. I kiss her again, letting my tongue dominate hers this time as her fingers grip my coat. I move down to her throat and she calls my name. I lift my head to stare down at her.

“I want you, Luci, but it seems wrong to take you to bed knowing I have to go home after. That I can’t stay with you like I want to.” I tell her honestly.

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