Melting Away The Ice (THE ICE SERIES)

Melting Away the Ice

By

Mary Smith

Published by Nevermore Press

Cincinnati, OH 45224. 2013

Text Copyright © 2013 Mary Smith

All Rights Reserved

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated,
hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it i
s
published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Copyright © 2013 Nevermore Press

All rights reserved

Published by

Nevermore Press.

Cincinnati, OH 45224

Edited by: Dawn White

For Nevermore Press

Cover by: Brandy Dull

Formatting by: Brandy Dull

Dedication

Bret, forever my Lucas Sharp

Bailey, Kelly, Kathryn and Candace, forever my friends, sisters and fellow lovers of Fictional Boyfriends

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter
2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter
5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter
12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter
15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter
20

Chapter
21

Chapter
22

Chapter
23

Chapter
24

Chapter
25

Chapter
26

Chapter
27

Chapter
28

Chapter
29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 3
2

Chapter 33

Epilogue

Acknowledge
ments

Chapter 1 - Sara

"No!"
I said yet again.

"Please
?" 

"No!"
I pushed my hand through my natural curly, brown hair in frustration. 

"When was the last time you were out?"

I
stared at my best friend right in the eyes. "I went to the grocery store last night.” 

My petite friend put her hand on her hips
. “That is not what I meant."

I slapped my hand to my forehead
. “Rachel, I do not like hockey. Why would you want to go with me?”

Rachel
looked at me once more and pointed her manicured finger at me. “Look, I got a great deal on these tickets and you’re going. I will pick you up at six pm. No excuses.” She turned and walked out of my office. I really don’t know why I even try to argue with her.

Rachel ha
d been my best friend for as long as I can remember. Every good and bad memory I have, she’s right there with me. I know that she is just doing this because I haven’t been out in almost a year.

Wow, has it been
that long!
It seemed like yesterday that I remember waking up, only seeing the ceiling above me in the hospital. I could still feel every pin, needle, and stitch that was in my body. I could still hear Rachel crying in the corner waiting for me to wake up. The smell of disinfectant and sadness still haunted me.

I closed my eyes so the tears
wouldn’t show themselves. I knew that I could not cry about it, anymore.

Push it out of your mind. Don’t think about it.

However, with everything that happened, I did care for him. He was in my life every single day for two years and even though a long time had passed, my thoughts still wandered back to him, despite knowing that they shouldn’t.

No!
Let's focus on work.

Being an attorney is what I
’m good at and being here is where I felt more complete. I turned my attention back to the brief that I was drafting when my legal assistant, Charity, came in.

"Do you need anything before I leave?”
Charity was the kindest person that I knew and the greatest assistant anyone could ask for.

"
No, thank you. I’m going to try to finish this up before I am forced to be with Rachel tonight.” Though, I really didn’t want to go.

"I heard Rachel talked you into going to the game
."

"Like I had a choice with her
," I scoffed. Charity laughed.

"I think it’s great
. See you tomorrow." Charity always had a positive attitude. I smiled at her as she walked out the door.

             
Looking at the clock, I realized it was five pm.
Ugh!
 If I was going to make it home to change and go with Rachel, I had to leave now.
Good thing this brief was not due tomorrow
. I shut down the computer, grabbed my jacket and purse, and shut my office door. I turned and headed toward the stairs. I was still scared of small spaces so I never took an elevator. It’s a fear that I have not overcome since the accident.

"Sara,
are you leaving already?" Charles, the security guard, looked over at me. He was an older man, with a very kind heart. He was retired military and in better shape than I could even think of. Rachel had hired him and he was always looking out for me and the girls.

"
I know it is almost unheard of, but Rachel is forcing me to go to a hockey game with her tonight."

“That
little girl is something else. You have fun tonight.”I smiled my best fake smile and headed down the eight flights of stairs.

Mother Nature brought cold winds from the lakefront
in Chicago.
I should be used to this
, I thought as I headed down the street to my apartment. I have lived in the city all my life and had no use for a car. Instead, I clenched my jacket tighter and pulled my scarf higher.

I walked home in the
brisk wind. The air was filled with the sounds of the streets. Memories of us walking hand-in-hand came flooding back to me. We would talk about our future, our lives together, but that all is changed now. Closing my eyes I can see his smile, hear his laugh, feel all the love I felt for him. His words that he loved me would make my heart beat until I felt it would burst. We were perfect together in every way, until that day.

As I reached my apartment the tears were close to spill
ing over.
I can’t keep thinking about the old days, I need to move on.

Rachel found this place for me and moved everything in for me.
Although, I have been here for a month, it still does not feel like home. I have not put anything on the walls. Packed boxes lined the corner. Looking around I realized I could not keep this up.

I need to decorate soon
.

             
I realized that I would need to hurry. If there is one thing that Rachel was never late for, it was hockey. She lived and breathed the Chicago Eagles.
Why does she like the dumb sport anyway? All they do is fight
. I rushed to get ready and with ten minutes to spare I had on a pair of jeans, red polo shirt, gray jacket, and my hair was in a low side ponytail to hide some of the scars. My contacts were killing me, so I put on my glasses. The thick purple frames brought out the green in my eyes but Rachel still called them "nerd" glasses. I looked in the mirror and decided I looked okay. I was average height with long curly hair. I have a good build, a little thick here and there but still pretty. When I was with him, I cared about what I ate and worked out all the time. Mainly, because that was what he liked. Even though I never had a serious complex about my size, like other girls had, I did it for him. Now, I worked out when I had the time and ate when and what I wanted.

             
A loud knock brought me out of my thoughts. I knew she would be early
.
"Let's go! I don’t want to be late." Rachel hollered through the door.

"I thought the game started at
seven." I said as I opened the door and looked at my petite-with-supermodel-good-looks friend. If she was taller she would be on every magazine cover in every country. However, she was short and had the brains of a genius.

 
              "It does, but they warm up first." She flipped her blonde hair and headed toward the stairs. I rolled my eyes and sighed, then grabbed my purse and followed.

As we pulled up to the Chicago Center, Rachel was on the verge of losing her patience. Traffic was crazy around the Center and it seemed to take forever to get there. We had to walk a short distance to get to the check-in line and Rachel was bouncing around like a giddy school girl.

When we made it
through the large crowd to our seats I stated to her, "This is not your first hockey game."

 
              "No, but it’s my first in the glass section." She firmly clarified.

 
              "True. How did you get these tickets again?" I knew these seats had to be expensive since we were right against the glass.

 
              "I got them from the greatest site ever, the NHL Exchange.” Just then she squealed and was on her feet, cheering. The Eagles were taking the ice for warm ups. The people around us looked just as happy as Rachel, yelling for their favorite player, and talking trash to the other team. All I could do was shake my head as I noticed that she was wearing Eagles gear from head to toe. She beamed with pride as the team skated around. S
he does love this team.

 
              I looked all around me. I was used to the Chicago Center since I came for NBA games, but the interior looked much smaller with the huge hockey rink in the middle. I had been to a few hockey games in my lifetime, but never liked the sport, considering it’s just a bunch of toothless, barbarians, skating around and fighting all the time. I sighed hoping that this game would go fast because I just wanted to go home.

 
              "Are you paying any attention?” Rachel stared at me.

"Did the game start?" I snapped back.

               "No, they are warming up and you look like your puppy just died,"

C
lose,
 
I have a broken spirit.

 
              "Why should I care about this warm up?"

 
              Rachel crossed her arms and gave the "stare down" that was quite frightening. "You will have fun tonight or so help me I will toss you in the lake." With that being said, there was no point in arguing.

"Fine
," I sighed. Just like that Rachel was a giddy school girl again. She began rambling about the players and the game. I stared at the ice as Rachel kept talking.

There were r
ed jerseys everywhere. They all looked graceful on the ice, as I watched them skate. Some looked so serious like number nineteen. Others were smiling, laughing and joking around like number eighty-eight and number ten. Except there was one, number eighty, just standing there, and not really moving.

Strange
, I thought.
Why isn’t he skating?
He was off to the side just watching the team. There was something about him, through. I couldn’t quite read his face.

 
              "Rachel, who’s that, number eighty?"

“Who is that?"
She looked at me like I was an alien. "That is only the greatest hockey player ever! That, my friend, is Lucas Sharp." She beamed with pride for the player.

"Oh, I was just wondering."
I looked over at him again.
Lucas Sharp. Well, the name fits him
. All I could see was his profile, but he had dark hair peeking out of his helmet, a strong jaw, and he was good looking.
I bet all his teeth are fake.

"Why is he just standing there and not warming up?"
I asked.

 
              "He’s the captain and he’s watching over his team,” she informed me. I watched as he looked over his team intently and was shouting commands at them.

"Oh
okay." I watched them for a few more minutes before the team skated off the ice. Rachel waved down an attendant to purchase hot dogs and beers before the game started.

"So, what do you think so far?" Rachel
shined with glee as she finished her hot dog.
Where does she put all that food?
Rachel could eat a hundred times a day and never gain an ounce. She would always say that it was because she has a high metabolism. Though, I know the truth, she worked out all the time.

"Nothing has happened
." I stated, taking a sip of my beer.

"Come on, where is fun
Sara? I miss her." She gave me her sad face and I knew that I had to answer the question.

"I haven’t seen her in a year
and a half," I said quietly thinking of the good times Rachel and I had before my life changed.

"
She needs to come back." Rachel laid her hand on mine. "I know that you are still hurting, but you need to start taking small steps towards coming back to being you. It will be okay. I promise." She gave my hand a squeeze. I looked over at my dearest friend. Her big blue eyes looked sad for me and I knew it wasn't fair to bring her down with my own emotional issues.