On the Fly Read online

  “What the hell is going on?” Gail yelled as she and the rest of the team raced over.

  Hilton bounced right up again and charged Court, grabbing her around the waist and taking them both down, Court on her back and Hilton on top of her.

  “Why didn’t you just tell me you were jealous, sweetheart?” Court said, keeping her voice low enough so only Hilton could hear her. Before Hilton could spew whatever hate-filled rant she was planning, she was pulled off Court by their teammates.

  “You’re both out.” Gail looked back and forth between them as Savannah and Kelly helped Court to her feet. “You’re not playing tonight. In fact, I don’t even want to see either one of you in this building at all. Is that understood?”

  “Coach,” Court said, trying to explain, but Gail cut her off.

  “I don’t want to hear it. Keep talking, and I might just bench you for the rest of the year.” Court had never seen Gail so pissed. She was actually red in the face. Court half expected to see steam coming from her ears. Gail focused her attention on Hilton then. “You get dressed and get the hell out of here. Now!”

  The team backed away from Hilton and watched her skate off the ice. Court never took her eyes from Gail, but she knew exactly the moment when everyone turned their sights back to her.

  “Coach,” Court said, trying again to reason with her. Gail yelled at everyone to get to work, and Court waited for everyone to skate away before talking again. “Gail, she’s been asking for it for weeks. You know that.”

  “I do, and I also thought I knew you were better than this. What the hell’s been going on with you? You look ready to fight every time you step on the ice anymore.” Gail waited for an answer, and Court shuffled her feet as she stared down at the ice.

  Ever since Christmas Eve, Court had done her best to not be alone with Gail. She knew she’d have to tell her about how Lana ended things with her, and she really didn’t want to get into it. If she hadn’t had to be at Lori’s the night it happened, she probably wouldn’t have told her either.

  “Nothing’s going on,” Court lied. “She just pushed me too far.”

  “Bullshit,” Gail said, shaking her head. “Until you want to tell me what’s happening, you’re suspended. No practices, no games, no nothing. Understood?”

  Court just stared at her for a moment, but finally nodded. Gail turned her back and skated away, and Court let out a breath. It was no use arguing with Gail in the heat of the moment, so she made the decision to call her later. She looked into the stands and was relieved to see Eric was gone.

  * * *

  Court walked into Caruso’s that evening at a little after six. Luckily, Lana was in the kitchen and hadn’t seen her, so she walked to a table in the back and sat down. She watched Lana delivering food and drinks to the table next to hers, but Lana still hadn’t seen her. Her heart skipped a beat when Lana headed her way and their eyes finally met. Court noticed the falter in her step, but to Lana’s credit, she put on a smile and held up her order pad.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, sounding equal parts mad and surprised.

  “It’s a restaurant.” Court shrugged. “It’s dinnertime. I was hungry.”

  “You have a game in an hour.”

  “I’m not playing tonight.”

  “Why?”

  “Can you sit down for a second?” Court asked, glancing around the dining area. It was busy, but it looked like everyone was eating at the moment. “We need to talk.”

  “Are you hurt?” Lana seemed concerned, and Court allowed herself to feel a little bit of hope. Lana slid into the booth across from her and set her order pad on the table. “Eric told me you got into a fight with Jen Hilton this morning.”

  “I’m fine. Gail benched us both for tonight.”

  “Eric told me what she said to you.”

  “That’s why I’m here, actually,” Court said. She rested her forearms on the table and leaned forward. She wanted nothing more than to take Lana’s hand, but she resisted. “I don’t need him to defend me.”

  “He cares about you, Court,” Lana said, a flash of defiance in her eyes causing Court to flinch. “I’ve taught him to stand up for people who are being attacked. I won’t tell him what he did was wrong.”

  “I’m sorry. You’re absolutely right,” she said, feeling like a bit of a heel. “My father raised me to stand up for myself. I’ve had teammates come to my aid during games, but I’ve never had someone defend me like that, outside of the confines of game play.”

  “From what he said, she was disparaging him as well. Is he not allowed to defend himself?” Lana grabbed her order pad and got to her feet, but pointed at her with her pen before walking away. “He did what any decent young man would do, and telling him otherwise would be taking a step backward.”

  Court sat there, her head in her hands for what felt like forever. It was obvious Lana wasn’t going to take her order, so she decided to leave, but she intended to be waiting outside for her when she got off later. She’d hoped maybe they could start over, and this conversation hadn’t gone at all as she’d expected.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  “Oh my God, she can be infuriating,” Lana said when she returned to the kitchen. Joey stopped what he was doing and stared at her.

  “Who are we talking about?” he asked.

  “Who else? Courtney Abbott.” Lana threw her pad at him and took off her apron. “I need a break.”

  “Greg, take over here,” Joey said to his assistant. He took Lana by the elbow and led her into the office. Once they were seated, he tried to get her to tell him what was going on.

  He knew Lana had ended things with Court, but he also knew she was regretting the decision. He also knew Eric was going through a tough time because of it. Lana really didn’t want to talk about this with him, but he’d obviously been holding his tongue as long as he could.

  “Did you ever think maybe in the process of protecting your own heart, you might have broken hers?” he asked after she’d relayed the events of the day.

  “Whose side are you on?” she asked, feeling attacked.

  “Seriously?” He looked hurt, but Lana didn’t feel like placating him at the moment. “I’m not on anyone’s side. I just want my sister to be happy. And whether you want to believe it or not, you were happy when you were with her. The past couple of weeks…not so much.”

  “She was fine with the arrangement we had,” Lana said, not wanting to think too much about it. If she thought about it, she might feel the need to do something about it, and she felt what she’d done was the best thing for both of them. Nothing Joey said could change her mind.

  “You really think she only came here tonight to ask you to stop Eric from standing up for her? Don’t you think she can fight her own battles?”

  “Of course she can, which is why she wants Eric to back off.” Lana sighed. It wasn’t going to be easy to not see Court for the next four months, but it was what she had to do. Not only to protect her heart, but to keep from wanting to devour her every time she saw her. “This really isn’t any of your business, Joey.”

  “The hell it isn’t,” he said. “You haven’t been yourself lately, Lana. You’re abrupt with the customers, and you screw up orders on a regular basis. I need someone who can keep their head in the game.”

  “Are you firing me?” Not that he really could, since he wasn’t even paying her to work, but the thought of it still pissed her off. “Seriously?”

  “I’m not firing you,” he said, his exasperation obvious by the way he pushed back from his desk. He marched to the door but stopped, his hand resting on the knob. “I just want my sister back. And I’m pretty sure Eric would like his mother back.”

  Lana stared at the door after he left, and for a moment, her resolve wavered. Would it really hurt anything to continue seeing Court for the next few months? She had to admit she’d been happier before she ended it. She shook her head. No, it would be better to keep things as they were now. By
the time they went back to Chicago, maybe the pain in her chest would be gone.

  * * *

  Lana walked out the back door of the restaurant when her shift was over and took a deep breath. She took her phone out and scrolled to Court’s name. It wasn’t the first time she’d done it this evening, and as before, she turned it off and shoved it back into her pocket.

  “There’s no reason to call her,” she murmured as she dug her keys out. She wouldn’t even know what to say. It was obvious Court was okay with ending things because she hadn’t said anything about it when she was there earlier. She fought the urge to pull the phone back out. “It’s better this way.”

  Her phone rang then, and she jumped a little, placing her hand on her chest. Court’s name was displayed and she couldn’t stop the feeling of happiness surging through her. Really? Just because of a name on her phone? She was pathetic.

  “Hello,” she said as she walked toward her car. She tried to sound less excited than she felt at the prospect of hearing Court’s voice.

  “Hey,” Court said.

  Lana stopped in her tracks, surprised Court’s voice wasn’t only in her ear. She turned and saw her standing a few feet away, just around the corner of the building where Lana hadn’t been able to see her when she’d first walked out.

  “I miss you, Lana,” she said into the phone as she took a tentative step toward her. “Can we talk?”

  Lana found herself nodding as she shut off her phone. She didn’t move while Court closed the remaining distance between them. She looked so unsure of herself standing there before her, Lana wanted to pull her closer. Instead, she placed a hand on the center of Court’s chest, just below her collarbone.

  “I miss you too,” she said, all resolve flying out the window while Court was right there where she could touch her.

  “Can we start over?” Court asked, covering her hand with her own. “Please?”

  It was in that moment Lana realized she was powerless to deny Court anything. How stupid of her to think she could have refused to accept the feelings she was having for Court.

  “Yes,” Lana said. She moved her hand so it was behind her neck and pulled Court in for a kiss. Just a quick one, but it didn’t prevent the sparks between them.

  “Come home with me.”

  “I can’t,” Lana said. She placed a hand on Court’s cheek and shook her head. “Eric’s at home tonight.”

  The disappointment from Court was palpable, and Lana scrambled to reassure her this wasn’t a rejection.

  “Why don’t you come home with me?” she asked before she could really think about what she was asking.

  “What about Eric?” Court asked.

  Lana smiled and patted her cheek. “I didn’t say you were going to spend the night.”

  “You didn’t say I wouldn’t be spending the night either,” Court said with a wink.

  “No, I didn’t.” Lana shook her head. “But if we’re starting over, I wouldn’t be counting on it, if I were you.”

  Court agreed to meet her at her house, and Lana took the time alone during the drive to wonder if she was doing the right thing. She had to admit Joey had been right about one thing. She was much happier with Court in her life. She simply needed to remind herself every so often this was only a temporary situation.

  Only it wasn’t so simple, was it? She was falling for Court, and she felt helpless to stop it. She didn’t want to admit she had no desire to stop it. The path she was going down would only lead to disappointment in the end, but she had a feeling the trip getting there was something she wouldn’t want to miss. As far as she was concerned, Court was worth it.

  She didn’t want to think too much about the future. For the first time in her life, she wanted to live in the moment. It was a scary concept, but she was determined to do it.

  Court wasn’t there yet when she arrived, so she went into the house, intending to give Eric a heads-up about their impending visitor. She was surprised when she walked in and found him in the living room. On the couch with a girl. A girl she’d never met before. She was grateful they were sitting on opposite ends of the couch, and their attention was focused on the television.

  “Eric?’ she said as she hung up her coat. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?”

  “Mom, you’re home early,” he said, jumping to his feet as if he were feeling guilty about something. He looked at the girl and then back to her. “This is Angie. We were just watching a movie.”

  “Hello, Angie,” she said with a smile.

  “Hi, Mrs. Caruso,” Angie replied. Lana didn’t feel the need to correct the girl’s assumption she was married. She’d always left it up to Eric to tell his friends if he chose to. “I should probably go, Eric.”

  They said good-bye, and Eric walked her out to her car, which was apparently parked on the street since Lana hadn’t noticed it when she pulled in. She wasn’t sure she was happy if Eric had a girlfriend with a car. And not only because it meant she was older than him.

  “My little boy is definitely growing up.”

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Court stopped outside the front door, realizing she was more nervous now than she had been when she’d shown up for the dinner Eric had arranged for her and Lana. Her heart felt as if it were going to beat right out of her chest. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly before knocking on the door.

  “I’ll get it!” she heard Eric call from inside.

  “We aren’t finished with this conversation,” Lana said as he opened the door. Court found herself standing face-to-face with Eric, and he didn’t appear to be happy to see her.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, not budging from where he stood.

  “Eric, let her in,” Lana said, pulling him out of the way so Court could walk in. Lana shut the door and Court looked at him again.

  “I owe you an apology,” Court said to him. His expression seemed to soften a bit, but she could tell he wasn’t completely convinced. She glanced at Lana. “I owe you both an apology. Eric, I’m not used to anyone standing up for me. Your mother pointed out that Hilton was pushing both of us, but I couldn’t see it in the moment. She’s been trying to goad me into a fight since the first day she stepped on the ice with me, and today she finally pushed me too far. I’m sorry I snapped at you. And I want to thank you for trying to come to my defense.”

  Eric held her gaze as she spoke, but when she finished, he looked down at his feet. After a moment, he glanced at Lana and then stood up straight and looked at Court once again, his hand out for her to shake.

  “You’re welcome, and I accept your apology,” he said. Court looked at his hand and laughed as she pushed it away before pulling him into a hug. He stiffened for the briefest of moments, but then he hugged her back. He spoke into her ear low enough so Lana couldn’t hear. “But if you ever hurt my mother, you’ll have to answer to me.”

  She stepped back and nodded her silent acceptance of his warning. She had no intention of ever hurting her, but she knew if she did, she’d be in serious trouble. But she also knew no matter what happened between the two of them, Lana would always have someone watching her back. She smiled at Lana, who took her hand and laced their fingers together. Something in her world shifted, and Court felt like everything was right again.

  “Why don’t you go to your room, Eric,” Lana said. She led Court into the living room, but Eric was right behind them.

  “I will, but I want to hear her apology to you too.” He took a seat in the chair across from the couch and watched them as they sat next to each other.

  “I don’t think—”

  “It’s okay,” Court said, cutting her off. “He has the right to hear this too.”

  “Okay,” Lana said, but she looked skeptical. “But you don’t really owe me an apology. I owe you one. The only reason I ended things with you was because I thought we were spending too much time together. I didn’t want anyone to start feeling more than they should.”


  “And I accused you of exactly that, so I am sorry.” Court looked away, not wanting Lana to see in her eyes how much she was feeling. If she knew Court was falling for her, there’d be no way she’d want to start things over with her. Lana squeezed her hand, causing Court to look at her again.

  “I’m sorry too.” Lana gave a small smile and tilted her head. “I need to remember we’re both adults, and neither one of us needs to look out for the other one. We both know where things stand, right?”

  “Absolutely,” Court answered, hoping she didn’t answer too quickly.

  “Okay, well, you guys are boring,” Eric said with a grin as he stood. “I’m going to bed.”

  When he was gone, Court finally allowed herself to relax some. Lana went to the kitchen to get them each a beer, and Court glanced around the room. She felt a pang of disappointment because she’d missed out on Christmas with Lana and Eric. The last time she’d been here the decorations were still up. The tree was gone now, and the furniture was put back the way it had been before Christmas.

  “Here you go,” Lana said, handing her a bottle.

  “I really have missed you, Lana,” she said. Sitting so close to her didn’t make it easy to keep her hands to herself, but she was determined to not push things. If they were going to go back to the way they were before, it would be up to Lana.

  “I missed you too,” Lana said, touching Court’s cheek with her fingertips. “I just didn’t realize how much until you showed up at Caruso’s tonight.”

  “Eric said you were miserable,” Court said with a grin.

  “Eric exaggerates.”

  “Really? Because I don’t mind admitting I was pretty miserable myself.” Court shifted slightly so she was facing her, and she reached out to run her fingers through Lana’s hair. Lana closed her eyes and leaned into her touch. “I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed spending time with you until you weren’t there anymore. And I didn’t have a clue how I was going to avoid running into you for the next four months.”