“Sore head?”
“Something like that.”
“There’s a hangover tonic in the cupboard above the fridge. I keep a good supply. You wouldn’t believe how awful teaching ballet to a bunch of screaming girls can be when you’re hungover.” She gives me a wicked grin. “Help yourself to the food too since you haven’t had time to go shopping yet.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” I get to my feet and head into the kitchen area. Finding the tonic, I knock it back and almost immediately my head begins to clear. My phone buzzes with a text from Zoe telling me to meet her at Jewels Café.
Heading back into my bedroom, I get ready to go out. When I’m finished, I actually don’t look half bad which I think is kind of impressive given how much beer I drank last night. I make a grab for my car keys, shoving them in my purse and rush back through the apartment, saying goodbye to Kit as I leave.
The café is packed when I enter it less than thirty minutes later. Zoe is already waiting for me, talking to a barista at the counter. This is my first time visiting Jewels Café but I’ve heard all about it from Lupine. She says that although the café is known for their Pumpkin Spiced Latte, you haven’t lived until you drink a Jewels Café Cappuccino.
It doesn’t make sense to me that a regular cappuccino could possibly taste that good, but I’m willing to give it a try.
“Ember meet Amber, Amber Ember.” Zoe chuckles to herself. “Amber with an A and Ember with an E.”
“Nice to meet you, Amber,” I say, taking a seat at the small table.
“Ember, can I get you something to drink?”
Picking up the café’s menu, I give it a quick look over. There are so many tasty options, it seems a waste to just order a cappuccino.
“What do you recommend?”
"Everything?" Amber laughs and shifts into a Yeti.
This is the first time I’ve ever seen a Yeti. I didn’t even think Yeti’s were real. Yeti Crabs, now those are definitely real. I’ve even seen one on a skating trip to Antarctica. My mouth open, I stare at the Yeti in front of me, completely bewildered.
"Amber always shifts when you order." Zoe winks. "It's part of the Jewels Café charm."
"No, I don't." Amber's cheeks flush. "So Ember, do you like your drinks sweet?"
“A little, but not like crazy pink with tons of additives. My coach would murder me.”
"How about caffeine?"
“I live on caffeine.”
"How about a gingerbread latte? And tell you what, if you don't like it, I'll make you something else, on the house."
Amber makes our drinks, as we talk away at the counter. When she gives us our drinks, we pay and then make our way to a table where Zoe turns her attention to me. “So how are you feeling?”
“Not too bad,” I say honestly. “If you’d have asked me an hour ago, my answer would’ve been different. Turns out my new roommate is a bit of a ninja with hangover tonics.”
My phone vibrates on the table, but I ignore it.
“Don’t you need to get that?”
“Probably,” I say with a sigh. “Garrick’s been on my back. I give him maybe twenty minutes before he barges in here and drags me back to the rink.”
“Don’t you want to skate?” Zoe looks bewildered. It’s not like me to avoid ice time. Usually I can’t get enough of skating.
“My skate broke.”
“Can’t you just rent a pair?”
She doesn’t get it. “It’s not the same.” I tell myself not to dwell on it. There are other things to worry about. “Since I’m planning on staying in town for a while, I need to get a job.”
“A job? Do you have anything in mind?”
“Not really,” I tell her honestly. If Garrick knew I was even thinking about getting a job, he’d be furious. He doesn’t like me being distracted. As far as he’s concerned, I should spend all my time on the ice.
“Leith’s thinking about retiring next season, so he’s been talking about setting up a skating school like you suggested. But he’s worried that he won’t be able to teach all the swirly stuff you can do. He’s managed to convince Whittaker to give him the ice time for the lessons to give it a try, and there's been a lot of interest.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Far more than he expected. At least half of them are interested in figure skating, not hockey, so he’s at a complete loss what to do with them.”
“How old are they?” I ask, leaning forward in my seat.
“All ages.”
I hesitate for only a second. It sounds like exactly what I need. “You think he would appreciate the help?”
“Definitely. He doesn’t have much time until the end of the hockey season. He asked me to talk to you about it, so the timing’s perfect.”
Our conversation moves on, but I’m secretly picturing just how much fun I can have teaching skating. It’s only when I hear a knock at the window next to our table that I snap out of my thoughts, to find Garrick staring down at me with a look on his face that says my life is well and truly over.
I duck down under the table, trying to hide from him, even if it is futile.
Rental Skates
I’
m left with no choice but to return to the rink after my coffee with Zoe. Garrick will murder me if I stay away much longer. And as much as I enjoy watching his temper flare, I don’t particularly want to get on his wrong side.
Garrick believes in me or he wouldn’t be pushing me so much. One thing I’ve learned in this industry is that coaches who actually believe you will succeed, think you’ve got it in you to go all the way, are hard to come by. Especially when, like me, you have a tendency of causing havoc on the ice.
There’s only so many ice rinks you can melt before even the best coaches are ready to tell you that figure skating just isn’t your sport. I’ve had a couple of coaches say those exact words to me and it doesn’t matter how many times I’ve heard it, it doesn’t sting any less.
Fortunately, in the two years Garrick has been coaching me, he’s never once said I should just quit. He’s complained about my fire magic problems but never with any malice.
The rink is heaving with people when I arrive and Garrick is staring daggers at me from where he’s standing waiting for me, tapping his foot impatiently, his arms folded with a scary amount of tension pouring off him in waves. I rush past Bitchin’ Baubles and its dragon shifter owner. Usually I’d stop and talk to the slightly curvy girl. Her complete lack of filter always guarantees she’ll say something she probably ought not.
But since Garrick is clearly impatient, I just offer her a quick wave and a roll of my eyes as I nod in Garrick’s direction. She knows exactly what that little gesture means. She’s heard me complain about my coach enough times.
“Took you long enough,” Garrick grumbles when I finally reach his side. “Give you an inch and you take a mile.”
Rolling my eyes, I look about the rink. “It’s too busy.”
“Whose fault is that? If you’d been here earlier, like you were supposed to…”