Sleet Sugar by S.J. Tilly
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
IZZY
“Y
ou two gonna have the usual?”
“Sure will, Darcy,” Dad replies.
We’ve been coming to this diner, Closed, ever since Dad started coaching the Sleet. We get their hot fudge miracles a couple times during the season, and regularly in the off-season. It’s a dive diner, open 24 hours, and it has the best ice cream sundaes. I’m sure they have other good things, but we stick to the same order every time.
When Darcy leaves, Dad sighs and leans back against the booth seat.
“Sorry about the loss,” I say. “It was a tough game, but the guys played hard.”
“That it was. That they did. More than the record, it’s a mind fuck for the boys to start on a loss. It’s a hard way to kick off the season. But we’ll make it through.”
“You always do.” I nod.
“Did you girls have fun sitting together?”
“You know them, they’re always entertaining.”
“That they are.”
“The women in front of us, though - they were distracting,” I complain.
“Oh?”
“They were all drunk, I’m pretty sure it was a bachelorette party, and they had these really vulgar signs. Aren’t there rules about that?”
“Yeah, we don’t allow swear words on signs. I’m surprised they weren’t taken away.”
“Well, they didn’t have swear words per se. They were just… inappropriate.”
“What did they say?” Dad looks like he’s trying to hold back a smile.
I roll my eyes. “They were sexually suggestive. I’m not going to repeat them for you.”
His brows shoot up. “Huh. They were aimed at my boys, I’m assuming.”
“All at one player. It’s like they were all obsessed with him.”
“Who?” That stupid non-smile is back on his face.
I aim for nonchalance as I reply. “Zachary Hunt.”
“Ha! Mr. Hunt does have a fan club. And that annoys you?”
“The who, is not the point, Daddy. It’s the fact that those women had signs that were not family friendly. Hockey is a family sport. It was inappropriate.”
I hope I sound convincing, even though I can feel a blush working its way up into my cheeks.
“You do remember seeing Zach drop his gloves and clock that Utah idiot in the face tonight, right? It’s one of the best parts of the game, but not exactly family-friendly.”
“You know what I mean.” I huff.
“Yeah, I think I’m figuring it out.”
Darcy returns to the table and the conversation is interrupted with chocolatey goodness. The delicious concoction is served in a soup bowl. There’s a large, warm, pecan brownie on the bottom, topped with a gigantic scoop of rich vanilla ice cream. Closed makes their own caramel sauce that pools around the brownie and the entire pile is smothered in a thick hot fudge sauce. Not stopping there, the pièce de résistance is a poofy glob of homemade whipped cream and a whole candied cherry. I’m sure Zach would have plenty to say about the sugar and sweetness I’m about to indulge in.
Thankfully, another part of our tradition is to savor our treat in silence for the first couple of minutes. Usually I’m able to close my eyes and imagine I’m in a real life CandyLand while I devour this mess, but today the sugary dessert just reminds me of Zach.
If I wasn’t already scheduled to go on that date with Bill, I’d give in now. I’d leave here and go straight to Zach’s house, asking him to take me in whatever way he’ll have me.
The idea thrills and disgusts me. The thrilling part is obvious, but I’m disgusted with myself for even considering settling for less than I want. I know that I want a real long-term relationship, not something fleeting.
However, the more I see Zach, the more determination I see in his gaze, the more I wonder if he wants that too. The mature thing would be to have a conversation with him. And I’ll do it. Sometime. After my date with Bill.
