Offside (The Barker Triplets 1)

“And your news is?” he prodded.

“I’m going to open my own hockey school.” The words came out in a rush, tumbling one after the other until she was nearly out of breath.

Billie explained how she had run the session with Kendall’s team and how much she enjoyed it. She told him how the coaches and the trainer had expressed interest in hiring her to work with the team and word had spread. By Wednesday night she had interest from an entire roster of girls and boys, ranging in age from five and up.

“I looked into ice time and there isn’t much available for the coming season at the new twin pad, but then Mr. Talbot called in a favor with the Mayor and as long as I’m willing to pay to have ice installed in the old arena, then I can use it for now until I decide what to do.”

“But that must cost a fortune.”

She nodded. “It’s not cheap but here’s the thing. You don’t even want to know how much parents are willing to pay to have someone with my experience teach their kids everything I know about hockey, plus, I have money set aside that I can use if I need it. A good friend who’s runs his own school out in Colorado is willing to fly out and help me get things organized and Bobbi has already volunteered to help out on the business end of things.”

Billie twisted until she sat up, too full of excitement and nervous energy to lie still. Logan’s opinion mattered.

“What do you think?”

“I think you’re amazing.”

Logan sat up as well, his broad shoulders set against the headboard as he studied her for the longest time without saying anything. The nightlight plugged into the wall beside the bed threw shadows across his square jaw, and half of his face was hidden. With a day’s worth of stubble and the serious glint in his eyes, he looked sexy and dangerous and…pensive.

Alarm hit Billie, square in the gut. Something was wrong. But what?

“Logan?” Her mouth went dry. “What’s going on?”

“We need to talk,” he said carefully.

Billie’s mouth went dry. Her stomach rolled and a cold sweat beaded across her flesh. She grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to just underneath her chin.

How could she have gone from ecstasy to this cold, awful, feeling in so little time?

She pushed a tangle of hair behind her shoulder and stared at Logan, not really sure how to proceed.

“Okay, what’s up?”

She retreated a few inches from him and waited, not able to read the look in his eyes or judge his body language.

Logan ran a hand over his chin and blew out a long hot breath.

“Billie, these past few weeks have been…”

[i]Oh my God, he’s breaking up with me[i].

“Incredible.”

[i]But can we break up if we’re not really a couple?[i]

“You are the most interesting…”

[i]Interesting? That’s bad?[i]

“Sexy, kooky, pain-in-the-butt lady I’ve ever met.”

[i]I miss him already[i].

“You know, when we first got together I didn’t know what to think. I mean, here was this woman, someone I’d always thought of as a kid, and you weren’t—”

The dread inside Billie tightened and she found it hard to breathe.

“A kid at all. You were a passionate, funny, pain-in-the—”