Twisted Collide: The new sports romance in the Redville Saints series
Twisted Collide: Chapter 52

I smooth my skirt before I step into the room. It’s probably not the smartest wardrobe choice, seeing as I’m near the ice, but I wanted to look cute today.

Drive him crazy.

“Hey, Josie.” I turn to see Molly. I really like her. Whenever she’s around me, she’s super nice and always seems to be smiling. Well, that is, if Hudson isn’t around.

She really seems not to like him for some reason.

“Molly.” I smile back. “What’s going on?”

Even though I know she’s nice, I always feel a little awkward when she’s around.

A part of me wonders if she can see through my act and knows I want her brother desperately.

Either way, if she does, she doesn’t act on it, and I continue to play the part of indifference when he’s around.

“What are you doing today?” she asks, and I lift my brow.

Besides trying to “bump” into your brother and seduce him, I have no clue.

“So much. I don’t even know where to start.” I laugh. “I have to come up with a content schedule for the week. Then I’m making graphics and scheduling the posts.”

“I was thinking we should grab lunch, my treat. But you seem busy.” She grimaces.

I hesitate for a second, wondering if I can juggle my day. Everyone gets a lunch break. Just because I don’t always take one doesn’t mean I don’t get one. It could be fun. Plus, I really like Molly.

“Sure, sounds great.” I flatten my skirt with my hand.

“Great. Let’s say noon at the bistro. We can either walk together or meet there.”

“Let’s plan on going together. That is, if I’m done making my cute Canva montages of the players skating for the day.”

Molly laughs. “I can’t imagine Dane is happy about being in these videos. Hudson? Yeah. Dane? Not so much.”

“He really doesn’t have a choice. Plus, he doesn’t even know I’m taking them half the time. I’m stealthy with my camera.” I wink.

“Nice. Okay, well, I should go replace that man. I have a list of one million things he needs to do, all of which he will protest. Bet you don’t miss working with him.”

Oh, but I do. Every single minute of the day. “Nope. Have fun with that list,” I respond, biting back the real answer to her question.

Once Molly leaves the room, I head off in search of Laurie.

A few hours later, I meet Molly at the exit of the practice arena. Together, we walk to a bistro a few blocks away. Molly chatters animatedly about her trip. How it was the best summer of her life.

The question on my tongue that I don’t let out is, why did you come back early?

It only takes us a few minutes to walk to the restaurant, and when we get there, we replace an empty table right away.

This area of Redville is much less crowded than the downtown area where the team plays their games. Plus, the ambience is adorable. It reminds me of a bistro you would see in the movies, like it belongs in France.

“I love this place.” Molly beams as we approach the small, checkered table. The scent of freshly baked bread wafts in the area.

“It reminds me so much of France.”

My assessment was right. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never left the Midwest. Well, not counting since I’ve started working for the team.”

Molly stops walking and looks over her shoulder at me, brow lifted.

“Really?”

“Yep.”

I can tell by her narrowed eyes that she has a ton of questions.

Get in line. So do I.

Like why on earth did my mother never tell me about him? Or better yet, why on earth did she obviously never tell him about me?

While I haven’t confirmed that, it’s pretty apparent from the paternity test.

Oh well. One day, I’ll get up the nerve to ask him.

Just not now.

Or anytime soon.

It’s bad enough that my mom rejected me. I don’t think I can handle another rejection.

“I haven’t actually ever left Redville. To live, I mean. Obviously, I’ve left to go on trips and vacations. But I grew up here.”

I slide into the chair, and she takes the one across from me.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I mean you might already know this from working with Dane while I was away, but our parents died, and well, he raised me.”

I knew he raised her, but I never asked what that entailed.

“He mentioned it.”

“Yeah. He became my legal guardian when I was eleven years old.”

I close my mouth and nibble at my bottom lip. “He was so young. Dane was what—like eighteen?”

“He was.”

“I can’t imagine that was easy for either of you.”

“It wasn’t. Especially for him, but he doesn’t like to talk about that. Or anything, for that matter.” She laughs.

I incline my head and take her in. She’s a beautiful girl with similar features to her brother. When she was eleven, I imagine she was most likely adorable, had a great personality, and was easy to deal with because of her sweet disposition. But still, that had to be hard at eighteen.

“Was he in college?”

“No. Actually, he was a senior in high school. It’s why he stayed local, playing one year of college hockey, before Coach took him pro when he took over as head coach for the Saints.”

I knew my father coached Dane in college, but I didn’t realize my father was the reason he went pro so young.

It’s bad enough that I know nothing of my father, but now it’s even more heartbreaking.

I can tell right away there is a long story there, and of course, my father treats him like a son and vice versa; from what it sounds like, Dane was forced to grow up way before his time, and my father was the one who helped him.

Interesting.

Maybe I’m wrong about my father after all.