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I direct my gaze back to Austin as he takes a forkful of food and pushes it into his mouth. Aria and I got back to Idyll Cove two days ago and we still haven't talked about anything that happened while we were away. In a way, it's probably for the best. None of it meant anything. We were both swept away by the moment and the win. Since we returned home from Germany, we've settled back into our normal pattern of ignoring each other's existence except for when we have to skate together.
"I heard you and Ari won the gold."
"Yeah, we did," I tell him, confirming the fact he already knew. My fork pierces the cauliflower on my plate and I hold it down as I slide my knife through it. "Our performance went really well."
Austin nods and takes a sip of his water. "I saw the highlights on TV. You guys look like you have a lot of chemistry together."
"I suppose so." I take a bite of my food.
He cocks his head to the side. "Are you telling me after everything so far, you still don't like my sister?"
I finish chewing and let out a sigh as I set my knife and fork down on my plate. "It's not that I don't like her… it's just better if I don't."
He watches me for a moment, his gray eyes boring holes through mine. For a moment, I feel like I'm looking at her. Aria's eyes are the exact shade as her brother's except in her left eye, there's a small fleck of dark blue on the right side. Austin doesn't have that.
His face is free of any judgment, but his tone is a little terse. "So, you do like her, you just think you shouldn't?"
"I don't know," I admit with a shrug, wanting this entire conversation to evaporate. "It's complicated."
Austin raises an eyebrow. "Do you have a thing for my sister?"
"Absolutely not."
The words tumble from my lips in a haste. I do not have a thing for Aria Reed. I just like to fuck her occasionally.
"I don't know whether or not I believe you," Austin says with a raised eyebrow. "At the same time, you are both consenting adults, so what you do together is your own business." He pauses for a second, his eyebrow falling in line with the other as he fixes his gaze on mine. "My earlier warning of fucking you up if I have to still stands. Not only in relation to you and her working together, but I guess now on a more personal level as well."
I stare at him for a moment. This is the exact conversation I don't want to have with him. He has no idea we slept together—multiple times now—nor do I ever plan on telling him. It's one of those secrets I plan to take to the grave with me. "You have nothing to worry about."
It's not a lie. There is nothing for him to ever worry about. Aria and I already have an understanding concerning what has happened and anything that happens in the future.
"I hope not," he tells me after a pregnant, awkward pause. "If anything changes, do tell me."
I bark out a laugh, shaking my head at him. There's no way in hell. "You'll be the first to know."
Austin gives me a smile, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. There's something lingering in his gaze, but I'm not going to question him on it. Even though he's my best friend, I wouldn't blame him for making sure his sister is good. She deserves to have someone on her side like that. I can keep her safe on the ice, but I offer no layer of protection for her heart.
"What's been new with you? What's brought you back to Idyll Cove?"
Austin finally made the official move to NYC recently. He had been bouncing back and forth from Charleston and the Big Apple for the past few years after his business took off. He designed a refrigeration system for ice rinks that is more energy efficient and leaves less of a carbon footprint. After he signed a contract with the biggest hockey league in the world, things really went wild for him. He had quite a few contracts and different things in the works.
The unreadable look that was in his eyes vanishes. "Well, you're looking at the new owner of Idyll Ice Rink."
A smile spreads across my lips and I grab my drink before leaning back in my seat. "No shit. I didn't know it was up for sale."
"Yep." He pops the P with his lips. "Mr. Belmont had been talking about selling for a few years but he wasn't ready to give it up. Things started to get tight for him financially and, as I'm sure you've noticed, he hasn't been able to keep up with all the maintenance for it. We put the new cooling system in for free and then he decided he was ready. We've been in negotiations for a little bit since there was a lot of sentimental value in the place for him, but I guess for the right price, anything can be bought."
I stare at him for a moment. "And what exactly are you going to do with an ice rink?"
Austin knows how to skate, but he doesn't do it often. Hell, I don't even know how long it's been since he was on the ice last. When we were kids, he used to come dick around at the rink when Aria was there. That was as far as his skating career went. He wasn't interested in hockey, and definitely not figure skating. Austin was only ever interested in building his own empire, even from a young age.
He shrugs with indifference, setting his utensils down on his plate before pushing it off to the side. He settles back in his seat, lifting his own glass from the table as he takes a drink. "I'm not really sure yet. I plan on talking to Ari about it. I'd like to see if she has any ideas."
"Have you thought of turning it into a training facility or anything like that?"
"I have. I've thought about quite a few different routes I could pursue." He tilts his head to the side. "Maybe you and Aria can talk about it and see what you two can come up with. I know you guys are relatively busy right now, but any input would be appreciated."
I nod. "I'll see her tomorrow morning at practice. I'll say something to her then."
