Page 52 of Love on the Ice
Fuck this.
She doesn’t want to call me back. She doesn’t want to at least text me? I am fucking done. Not even one night away, and she’s already doing whatever the fuck she’s doing. I’ve been trying to take my time with her, trying to take shit slowly. I’ve never done this before, but I do know that it’s not supposed to feel like this.
“Fuck,” Otto hisses.
Turning my head, I look over my shoulder at him. The glow from his phone is lighting his face. “What?” I ask when he doesn’t say anything else.
“Brooklynn just slid into my DMs, and I think I know why your girl won’t talk to you.”
Pushing up to sitting, I look over at him and wait for him to speak. He clears his throat, and I can tell he’s stalling. Pressing my lips together, I release them and continue to wait, although I’m ready to beat the shit out of him at this point in an effort to get the answer faster.
“She saw some Instagram reels where you and that girl were in the background together, looking cozy. Too fucking cozy.”
“Rylee?” I ask.
He dips his chin in a single nod. “Rylee,” he confirms.
“Fuck,” I hiss.
I have to fix this. But I can’t do it from here. Instantly, an anxious sensation fills me about the whole thing. I know I didn’t do anything wrong, but as I think about how close we were sitting, I wonder how it would look to Lorelai.
These games need to be over real fucking fast so I can go home and explain myself. And then spank her ass for jumping to goddamn conclusions that way.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
LORELAI
Ignoring his calls and texts is hard. I want to answer him immediately, but at the same time, I don’t want to think about how badly he hurt me. I feel so stupid. I should have never allowed myself to fall for him. I also don’t want to act like nothing is wrong. Or act like anything is wrong.
Basically, I need a little time.
Because I don’t really know what I want or how I want it.
So, I decide to live in the land of denial. Gathering my things after another sleepless night, I head to work. I’ve signed up for a double shift. I’ll be cleaning rooms and then also doing laundry. I don’t usually take on this much work, but between Reid, my professor, and my joblessness, I need something to keep me busy.
And if I don’t work, I’m going to watch the hockey game, and that will just make me think about Reid more. So, work is all I can do without completely losing my mind. My crabby partner is here today, but I don’t mind. I do my job and stay out of her way.
Thankfully, she doesn’t have much to say. I clean one room, she cleans another, then inspects my room, and we go on like that until every empty room has been handled and is ready for the next guest.
When all the rooms are finished, I wave goodbye to my partner and slip into the laundry room. It’s so loud in here that when I turn on my playlist, I can’t even hear the music. Taking my earbuds out of their case, I slip them in and start rocking out to music as I wash, dry, iron, and fold.
I don’t know why I always shied away from laundry duty. I am actually liking it tonight. Sure, I’m alone, but it’s nice to just listen to music and work at my own pace, with tranquility and peace.
Until I feel someone watching me.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention, my entire body pauses, it freezes, and I suck in a breath, holding it for just a moment before I let it out slowly.
I turn my head to look over my shoulder. I expect to find nothing and nobody there, but that’s not what happens. Because there is someone there. It’s Professor MacDonald. He’s standing just inside of the doorway.
Flicking my gaze to the door behind him, I notice that it’s closed. My breath hitches, and my entire body goes on high alert. What I’m alerting myself to do, I have no idea. I am still very much frozen in my spot.
“Now that I know where you work, I can visit you at home and work,” he purrs.
A shiver slides down my spine, and that’s when I finally move, but not much. Gradually, I drop the sheets in my hands and turn to face him completely.
“What do you want?” I demand.