Losing the Ice (Ice Series #2)

  Losing the Ice

  Copyright 2015 Jennifer Comeaux

  Cover Designed by Sarah Schneider

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used.

  To Christy Bloom for being an awesome plotting buddy and freeing me from my writer’s block!

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  More Books by Jennifer Comeaux

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter One

  November, 2010

  I loved my boyfriend.

  I loved Josh’s sweetness, his sensitivity, his passion, and his creativity. I loved how respectfully he treated me both as his girlfriend and his skating partner, and I loved how his clear blue eyes could melt me all over with just one look.

  But his family…

  They made me want to run screaming into the hills.

  Or the Cascade Mountains as was appropriate at the moment.

  We were in Portland, Oregon for Skate America, our first competition of the season, and I had mere minutes to prepare for the arrival of Josh’s mom and sister from Los Angeles. To thicken my skin for the criticisms and cold stares I knew would come.

  “Courtney, can I get a smile?”

  I snapped back to reality and realized the photographer was talking to me. I loosened my tense face into a semblance of a smile as the event volunteer snapped the photo for my credential badge.

  I moved to the adjacent booth to wait for my badge while Josh stepped in front of the camera. We’d been dating a year, and I still found myself completely mesmerized by him. His dark hair and blue eyes were a killer combination, but it was his shy smile that stood out the most. It always added an extra beat to my heart.

  The volunteer manning the booth handed me my credential, and I snorted at the photo. The drizzly Portland weather had wreaked havoc on my long, curly hair, so my photo was nothing but a small pale face surrounded by a large poof of blond frizz.

  “I look like the Cowardly Lion.” I showed Josh the picture as he joined me.

  He laughed and squeezed his arm around me. “You look adorable.”

  “I think you’re a little biased.”

  He accepted his badge and placed it next to mine. “Our first credentials as a team. We’ll have to frame these.”

  A different kind of tension crept into my shoulders — the nervous kind. Josh and I had been scheduled to compete in Japan in October, but Josh’s injured knee had forced our withdrawal. We’d both endured injuries over the summer that had stolen training time and prevented us from doing any early-season competitions.

  Josh and I had competed the past ten years with different partners and had just teamed up eight months ago after our partners retired. There was a lot of buzz surrounding our partnership, but with all the ice time we’d lost, I was feeling less than confident about our debut.

  “Earth to Court.” Josh waved his hand in front of my dazed eyes.

  “Sorry.” I rattled my head. “Lots on the brain.”

  “My family?”

  “That’s one big thing.” I looped the credential lanyard around my neck. “I’m still not sure why they’re coming when they’ve never been supportive of our partnership or our relationship. They’ve barely spoken to you since February.”

  “Maybe they’re ready to make peace.”

  “Or they could be coming here hoping we’ll fail so they can gloat,” I said as we exited the hotel ballroom.

  “Let’s not think the worst.”

  It was hard not to when all I’d ever received from Josh’s family was coldness. His parents had expected him to go to law school and work at his dad’s firm in Beverly Hills, but Josh had scrapped those plans when he’d asked me to skate with him. Mama and Papa Tucker saw me as the evil temptress who’d caused Josh to “throw away his future.” Never mind that he’d had no desire to be a lawyer in the first place.

  We entered the lobby and were greeted with hugs from fellow members of Team USA who’d just arrived. A loud crash made me jump, and I looked to the other end of the room. Something made of glass had shattered all over the tile floor, and the three women sitting next to the crash site were a mixture of amused and horrified. Appearing at that moment in the doorway and looking anything but amused were Josh’s mom and sister, Stephanie. My stomach tightened as I hoped the smashed glass wasn’t an omen of a disastrous weekend ahead with Josh’s family.

  Stephanie and Mrs. Tucker detoured around the mess in their heeled boots, and they marched to the front desk, not noticing Josh and me. My first instinct was to run away before we could be seen, but I’d only be delaying the uncomfortableness. And if I truly wanted us to all get along, I couldn’t hide from them.

  Josh laced his fingers through mine and warmly pressed our palms together. I gave him a nod, and we started forward.

  Stephanie saw us first, and she swooped her arms around Josh before he could say anything. He gave me a wide-eyed look over her shoulder. The only time I’d seen her show him that much affection was when they’d made the Olympic team.

  “Hey, Steph,” Josh said.

  She remained quiet, and when she stepped back and turned to me, all her affection was gone. I received the same pursed lips and I-think-I’m-better-than-you look she’d always given me.

  “How was your flight?” I attempted small talk.

  She removed her white cashmere hat and fluffed her long brown hair. “It was a flight.”

  Mrs. Tucker finished at the desk and pecked Josh’s cheek, kissing more of the air than his face. “It’s good to see you, Darling.”

  She hadn’t seen her son in almost a year and that was the most she could muster? I would never understand that woman at all.

  “I’m glad you could come,” Josh said. “Is Dad going to make it?”

  “No, he had some meetings he couldn’t reschedule.”

  She still hadn’t acknowledged me, not even with a cursory glance. Josh reunited our hands and slid closer to my side, reminding me again why I loved him so much. I squeezed his fingers tightly and looked directly at Mrs. Tucker. She couldn’t ignore me now.

  “Thank you for coming to support us,” I said. “It really means a lot to us.”

  Mrs. Tucker’s narrowed blue eyes shifted in my direction but then quickly refocused on Josh. “I hope you haven’t eaten dinner yet. I’d like you to join us.”

  “We haven’t. What time should we meet you?”

  Mrs. Tucker flashed another quick look at me. “I’d prefer just family tonight.”

  Josh’s whole body clenched. “I’m not going without Court.”

  “It’s just dinner,” Stephanie said.

  “It’s more than that.” Josh’s voice grew harder. “It’s the fact that you need to accept Courtney because she’s going to be part of this family one day.”

/>   Whenever he mentioned our future I got all gooey inside, but the idea of Bethany Tucker as my children’s grandmother ruined some of my warm fuzzies.

  “Fine,” Mrs. Tucker relented. “We’ll meet you here in an hour.”

  An hour? I groaned to myself. I was hoping to get the torture over with as soon as possible. Josh’s mom and sister rolled their designer luggage past us, and he and I moved away from the bustle at the front desk.

  “What were you saying about not thinking the worst?” I asked.

  He let out a long breath. “Maybe dinner will be a good chance for us all to talk and come to an understanding.”

  “I don’t think one dinner is going to change her mind about me. Especially with Stephanie egging her on with rude comments.”

  “I warned Steph to lay off last time I talked to her. I don’t expect her to be Miss Sunshine, but she can be civil.”

  I rubbed my neck. “I can literally feel the tension taking over my muscles.”

  “Thank you for putting up with all this.” Josh kissed the top of my head.

  I looked up at him and touched his cheek. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

  He gazed at me a few moments before he wrapped me in an embrace and spoke low in my ear, “I know how I can relieve your tension.”

  My spine tingled, and I pulled back to see Josh’s eyes shining at me.

  “When does your roommate get in?” I asked.

  “Tomorrow.” His gaze flickered down to my mouth, sending another electric current through me.

  An hour until dinner sounded sensational now.

  I grabbed both Josh’s hands, and we didn’t waste a minute getting to the elevator.

  ****

  I was still floating from my Josh-induced high when he and I returned to the lobby an hour later, but Mrs. Tucker’s steely glare quickly grounded me. She slipped her phone into her humungous purse and tightened the belt on her black trench coat.

  “I made a reservation at Ruth’s Chris,” she said. “The concierge said it’s on the next block.”

  “That’s a steakhouse,” Stephanie complained.

  “They serve salads,” Mrs. Tucker said as she pushed open the glass door.

  I shook my head. She obviously gave no consideration to her daughter’s vegan diet.

  The spitting rain had stopped, but the evening air still held a wet chill. Josh hugged me to his side as we walked the short distance to the restaurant. My phone buzzed in my purse while the hostess sat us at a table (after Mrs. Tucker refused a booth), and I typed a quick response to Mom’s text.

  “Important message?” Mrs. Tucker sniped.

  A sharp reply shot onto my tongue, but I clamped my lips shut. Don’t be sassy. Be the better person.

  “It was from my mom. She and my dad are arriving tomorrow, and she wanted to double check our practice time.”

  Mrs. Tucker lifted one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “I didn’t think they’d be able to make the trip.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well, it’s a long way from Boston. Flights must be expensive.”

  Ah, her usual dig about my family’s financial status.

  “They can afford a lot more now that they don’t have my skating expenses.”

  “That’s right. You and Josh have your own private benefactor.” Her mouth pressed into a thin line. “What was her name? Mrs. Connor?”

  “Mrs. Cassar,” Josh said.

  “She’s actually flying in with my parents,” I said.

  I couldn’t wait for Mrs. Cassar to meet Josh’s mom because she wasn’t one to hold her tongue. The elderly widow was a regular at the Cape Cod restaurant where Josh and I worked, and she’d been our cheerleader since before we’d even teamed up. It was only because of her generosity in covering our skating expenses that we were able to compete together.

  After we finished ordering drinks and food, my phone dinged again, but I left it alone. Mrs. Tucker was watching me closely over the rim of her martini glass. I thought she might make another comment about my parents, but she turned to Josh instead.

  “Are you still playing piano at that restaurant?”

  The way she said that restaurant made it sound like a truck stop.

  Josh nodded as he sipped his water. “I play Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights now. And I’m teaching piano in the afternoons.”

  “I thought you were going to do choreography,” Stephanie said. “You’re so good at that.”

  “I’m doing that, too. I worked with a couple of skaters at our rink and also up in Boston.”

  “Takes a lot to pay the bills, doesn’t it?” Mrs. Tucker said pointedly.

  When Josh’s parents had cut him off financially after we’d paired up, they’d seemed to think he wouldn’t survive on his own. But I’d never doubted he’d do just fine.

  “I’m busy, but I’m loving everything I’m doing,” he said.

  Mrs. Tucker hummed quietly in response. “What about you, Courtney? You’re still bartending?”

  “Yes… I am.”

  “And you’ve continued to live with your coaches.” The snide tone of her comment couldn’t be missed.

  I sat up straighter and cleared my throat. “I’ve never taken advantage of Emily and Sergei’s generosity. I’ve offered to pay them rent, but they won’t let me, so I help out with the twins and any other way I can.”

  “I’m surprised you haven’t shacked up with Josh yet,” Stephanie said.

  Josh sent her a warning glare while I took a long gulp of water. This was exactly how I’d expected the dinner to go, but it didn’t make it any easier to sit through.

  “He lives in that woman Mrs. Cassar’s pool house,” Mrs. Tucker said. “I’m sure Courtney would rather stay at Emily and Sergei’s spacious home.”

  I set my glass down with a hard thump. “If Josh and I wanted to live together, I’d be happy in a cardboard box with him.”

  So much for not being sassy.

  “Only because you know he has a trust fund to fall back on,” Mrs. Tucker sassed in return.

  I gritted my teeth and held in my comeback. She was baiting me into an outburst. She wanted nothing more than for me to act like the classless girl she thought I was.

  Everyone stayed silent, deeply breathing in the tension, until Josh said quietly, “Why did you come?”

  Mrs. Tucker tilted her head slightly. “Why did I come?”

  “You obviously haven’t accepted the choices I’ve made or changed your attitude toward Court.”

  “I came to see what you gave up your guaranteed successful future for.”

  A decent mother would’ve said, I came to spend time with my son who I haven’t seen in months. But no. That wasn’t her motivation.

  “So, you’re not here to support us,” Josh said. “Do you even want us to skate well?”

  “What I want is for you to be successful in life, and doing odd jobs and skating with your girlfriend isn’t going to get you there.”

  I let out a loud, frustrated breath. “It’s not like he’s flipping burgers… not that there would be anything wrong with that… but you heard him before. He loves the work he’s doing, and he gets to use his amazing talent every day.”

  Josh folded his napkin and calmly placed it on the table. “We’re not staying for dinner. I’m not putting Court through another hour of this.”

  He stood, and I glanced at Mrs. Tucker’s and Stephanie’s stunned faces before getting to my feet.

  “You already ordered your meal,” Mrs. Tucker said.

  “Tell the waiter he can take it home,” Josh said as he helped me with my jacket.

  “You don’t have to leave. We can talk about something else.” Stephanie shot a sideways dagger at her mother.

  Josh shrugged on his own jacket. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see any hope for this conversation.”

  He put his hand on my lower back, and I took his cue. Neither of us looked back, and we didn’t speak until we reached the stoplight at
the crosswalk.

  “I don’t know why I thought that would go any differently,” Josh said.

  “Because you have an optimistic heart.” I caressed the back of his neck.

  We crossed the slick street and kept going past the hotel. I had the feeling Josh needed to walk out his frustration.

  “I want us to kill it this weekend to show her how wrong she is.” He picked up his pace, and I quickened my step. “Not that she’d ever admit it.”

  “I think she’d rather wear discount clothes for a week than do that.”

  He didn’t appear to catch my attempt at humor as his forehead creased with intense thought. “If we skate great, she might not admit she’s wrong, but she’ll know it.”

  What if we don’t skate great? I wanted to ask but couldn’t bring myself to say out loud. I hadn’t told Josh how nervous I was because I didn’t know if that would make him more anxious. Since we hadn’t experienced a competition together yet, I hadn’t learned how he dealt with the pressure.

  Nothing like figuring out those important things at a major international event. With our biggest critic in the front row.

  Chapter Two

  I patted my stockinged thighs and rubbed them hard to stay warm. The backstage area of the Rose Garden Arena felt colder than the walk-in freezer at work. I couldn’t wait to get moving in our short program so I could defrost.

  Josh sat beside me, staring down at his folded hands. He wasn’t a loud person by any means, but this was quiet even for him. He hadn’t said much of anything during our six-minute warm-up on the ice or the entire time we’d been backstage. I’d been holding in a nervous bundle of chatter all evening. If he needed silence to stay in his competitive zone, then I would give it to him. First lesson I was learning about my new partner.

  Em picked up our water bottles and offered them to Josh and me. “Need a drink?”

  “I’m good, thanks,” I said, while Josh looked up and silently shook his head.