Page 69 of Snowflakes and Ice Skates

“I’m glad you got the flowers.” No hellos, just straight to the point.

“They’re beautiful, but you didn’t have to do that. You could have just called or stopped by if you wanted to have lunch.”

“Sure, but I thought the flowers might help convince you.” There was a laugh in his voice that made me smile.

Ugh. There I was again getting all gushy over him.

“Should I meet you somewhere for lunch?” I changed the topic to stay on track.

“No, I’ll pick you up at your office.” I heard a noise on his end, then he was back, “Sorry, I’ve got to help Olli with something. I’ll see you soon.”

“Okay, bye.” I rushed out the words before the call ended. I bit my lip to keep my smile under control. This was Lance. We’d known each other for a while now.

So, why was I so excited? And nervous?

Six

Lance

I woke up with the bizarre urge to see her again. It was an unseasonably warm day, in the low forties, so I decided to walk to the arena and past a floral store. When I saw the window displays of arrangements, the idea came to me. I knew sending her flowers was a risky move, but it worked better than I expected. She said yes.

She agreed to not one, but two dates.

To say I was shocked would be the understatement of the year. It wasn’t necessarily that I expected her to say no. She was too polite for that. But she didn’t turn it into a group date. She didn’t modify the plans at all. No suggestion of Dani and Jake joining us. She said she was looking forward to seeing me. That was a huge jump from avoiding me like she did just weeks ago.

We were making progress, and that had to mean she no longer saw me as just the rumors she heard. Right? I wanted to believe that. I wanted this to mean something more than just lunch.

It was hard to focus during practice. The entire time I was on the ice or bench I wanted to sneak back to the locker room to check my phone for her response. I wasn’t sure she would even send any reply or if I’d find out if she was willing to come by going to her office. I was hoping that wasn’t the case since facing rejection in front of people I knew didn’t sound all that enticing, but it was the only way to know. Dani would tell Jake who would tell the team, and if Chloe or anyone else was there working on the holiday party, word would spread before I had the chance to leave.

But I didn’t have to worry about any of that.

She said yes. She loved the flowers and was looking forward to our lunch date.

The risk was worth the reward.

I showered and changed and almost made it to the elevator without being stopped, but at the last moment, Erik caught me. “Where are you going?”

The button to call the elevator was just out of reach. I couldn’t move toward it without making my escape obvious. That would only raise more questions.

“I have plans,” I replied as vaguely as possible.

“Some of us are going to get lunch, do you want to come?”

I appreciated the offer, and on any other day I would have agreed, but not today. “I can’t, but I’ll try to make it next time.”

He eyed me up and down. “You’re hiding something.”

“I’m not.” I sidestepped and pressed the button.

He moved, blocking the closed doors. “What is it?”

“What’s going on?” Wyatt, our captain, asked from the other side of the hall. He looked between us with concern.

“Lance has a secret,” Erik shouted before I had the chance to open my mouth.

Wyatt narrowed his eyes. “Really?”

“No.” It was too late. Reese, Jason, and Nikolai joined our group.