The Secret Between Them

“I don’t have love for ice rinks,” Jessica said flatly.

“What are the terms?” Sebastien asked Natalie.

“If Jessica agrees to participate, then in six months an assessment of the business will be completed. If it’s profitable, then half the business is Jessica’s.”

“Can she force the sale of the business at that point?” Sebastien asked, cutting to the chase.

“If she chooses to sell at that point, then Kyle will have first option of purchase,” Natalie said quietly.

“He gets to set the price?”

“No, an independent assessor sets the price based on the rink’s business value.”

“Will they take into consideration the value of the land?” Sebastien asked. “Because let’s not kid ourselves. The land attached to the rink is the valuable part. I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t developers chomping at the bit to purchase it, tear down the old rink, and build something a lot more profitable, like condos or a modern hotel.”

Silence filled the room, as Jessica stared at the half-torn envelope, her thumb still.

“I’ve always found that the bank assessors take all factors into consideration,” Natalie said calmly.

Jessica glanced up at her. She gave the lawyer credit for poise.

Natalie looked her square in the eye. “I won’t pretend this isn’t unorthodox. Believe me, I consulted with other specialists in estate law before agreeing to go forward with it. His will may be irregular, but it is legal.”

Sebastien put a hand on Jessica’s. But the strange thing was, instead of comforting her, it made her seize up inside. Warning bells were going off all over.

“What if the rink isn’t profitable?” Sebastien asked. “What then?”

“Then it’s sold to the highest bidder and Jessica gets half.”

“So...Jessica has to participate for six months to get the deal,” Sebastien said. “What exactly does participate mean?”

Jessica felt like throwing up. She’d made a conscious decision never to participate in anything related to that world again. The loss of control she’d suffered—the manipulation—had nearly destroyed her. She’d had to lie to get out of it, and that lie was the reason Joe blamed Kyle for her injury, which then led to Kyle leaving Wallis Point.

And the fact that Sebastien was even asking this stuff when he knew how upset she was... She clenched her hand into a fist and put it in her lap.

Natalie was answering him. “It means...” The lawyer glanced at her as she spoke. “It means that Jessica needs to put in a good faith effort, specified as attendance at the rink at least thirty hours per week.”

“I can’t do that,” she blurted. “I have a job, commitments.” I have dreams. She gritted her teeth and stared at Sebastien.

After their talk on Saturday morning, they’d had a great weekend at his place. They’d walked on the beach, watched movies in bed, cooked. She’d never felt happier with him.

But now...after what she’d told him about her mom and her, he could just do this? Sentence her back to those days?

Sebastien turned to Natalie. “Thirty hours per week is a lot. Will she be compensated for those hours?”

It was as if she was watching from outside her body. A feeling of betrayal came over her. Her heart felt as if it had stopped in her chest. She was sure her mouth had dropped open.

Natalie smiled sadly at Jessica, and Jessica felt her face heating. Natalie saw her embarrassment, but Sebastien apparently didn’t.

“The agreement doesn’t specify a payment,” Natalie said gently. “I’m sorry.” She stood. “I’ll leave a copy of the will here on the table. Perhaps you’d like to read it, along with Joe’s letter, and I’ll be back in twenty minutes to discuss it further.”

“Yeah,” Sebastien said, glancing at Jessica for the first time, and giving her a “buck up” smile. “I need to talk with Jess.”

Natalie set the document on the table, then shut the door on her way out.

Jessica’s hands were still clenched in fists in her lap. She stared down at Joe’s letter. Halfway opened. The jagged rip she’d made but couldn’t finish.

“Jess,” Sebastien said softly.

“Jessica,” she said woodenly. “I’m Jessica.”

“Jessica, I know you don’t want to do this. Honestly...do you think I like being on the road all the time? I don’t. But, Jess, I do it. I do it because it pays well.”

She swallowed. Gazed at her thumb, the cuticles ragged. “I know about not having money.” She’d supported herself, all that time. All those years, alone, away from her mother. “I did it...” To save my soul. “...because I was being destroyed, and destroying other people in turn. It needed to stop. I needed to keep myself safe.”

I’m not a machine, she added silently.

He took her hand, smoothing over the jagged cuticle with his thumb. “I care about you, Jessica... I really do want to marry you,” he said quietly. “But I don’t...I never wanted to get married without being in the right financial place to support a family. I’ve been saving, but it’s not happening the way I’d hoped. I won’t lie, it’s tough out there. The economy is lousy, and this inheritance of yours is easy money. If you did this, if you sacrificed for us the way I’ve been sacrificing for us, then we’ll be able to get married. Don’t you see?”

She stared at him. “You want to marry me? Still?”

“Of course. Isn’t that what we talked about?”

Not exactly. She wasn’t sure. All she knew was that her heart was pounding and her throat felt dry. She fumbled for the bottle of water on the table.

“All I’m saying, Jess, is that we can use the money from the sale of the rink to go through with it. We could afford to buy a home in Wallis Point, a real nice place together. We could afford to have kids.”

Her head was reeling. This was exactly what she wanted, too.

“Well, Jess? Jessica,” he corrected himself. “What do you think?”

Just then there was a knock and the door opened. Natalie again. She sat down and smiled at Jessica. “I’ve spoken with Kyle. He’d like to go ahead, if you would.”

“I...” Jessica was acutely aware of Sebastien, staring at her. He’d offered to give her all her dreams.

“Why don’t you let me know what your reservations are,” Natalie said to Jessica. “I’ll talk to Kyle and see if we can smooth anything out.”

“She’s worried about losing income,” Sebastien said to Natalie. “If she works thirty hours a week at the rink, then she won’t be able to work at her real job much more than a few hours a week.”

“Is that correct?” Natalie asked Jessica, politely. “Is the loss of income your only reservation?”

Jessica gazed over at Sebastien. She really, really wanted to marry him and have a family of her own. Children she could love and give a happy childhood to, the kind she hadn’t experienced. She could take care of them, nest in her own home with them. She wouldn’t have to move back and forth from her beach rental to her summer studio rental at the change of seasons. She’d have a home that was hers.

Then everything would be fine.

She wanted that life more than anything.

Hesitantly, she nodded to Natalie. “It’s true, I can’t afford to work for free or to lose my physical therapy job.”

“You’re not worried about Kyle working with you?” Natalie asked.

Jessica shook her head. It was sort of a lie. But more than the guilt of having to face Kyle again, and more than the worry that she’d been a source of estrangement between him and Joe, she didn’t want to have to explain that history to Sebastien.

Sebastien was her safe place—her hope for the future. She didn’t want to ruin that any more than she already had.

Natalie stood. “Very well. Let me talk with Kyle and see what can be done.”

* * *

KYLE PACED THE ROOM. He couldn’t sit still. He had no idea what was going on with Jessica, but he could guess.

The door opened, and a little girl toddled inside. She had sturdy legs and plump fists. She tilted her head up at Kyle, clearly unafraid of him. Her blond curls bobbed as she spoke. “Hi! Who are you?”

“Kyle,” he answered.

“Hi, Kyle.”

“Oops, sorry about that!” Natalie stepped inside, picked up the girl and kissed her forehead. “Mommy’s working. I told you to stay with Daddy,” she said gently. She and the girl disappeared from sight.

Finally, she came back into the room. “Again, I’m sorry for the wait. I’ve spoken with Jessica.” She sat at the table and placed her palms flat.

Kyle tried to read her expression. “What did she say? Is it good or bad?”

“Frankly, I believe she can be swayed,” Natalie said. “There’s one point she’s uncomfortable with, and if you’re willing, I recommend you negotiate.”

Wow. That was a shock. He sat, nodding. “Okay, I’m listening.”

“She’s concerned about losing salary. She’s a physical therapist and is worried about cutting her hours.”

“Money is her sticking point?” he asked, flabbergasted.

“It is.”

“She’s not mad about working with me? She didn’t say anything personal about me?”

“No, she did not.”

He shook his head. Maybe things with her weren’t as bad as he thought. Maybe she’d forgiven him for their history. Maybe she hadn’t noticed that he’d assumed she was pregnant when he’d seen her on Valentine’s Day.

“So...what do you suggest I do now?” he asked the lawyer.

Natalie was silent for a moment. “As the will document notes, you received a substantial cash inheritance from Joe, as part of the estate. Jessica didn’t receive any such thing. I’m guessing you’d intended that money for living expenses while you get the rink online, but if we can’t get Jessica to work with you to begin with, then it won’t do much good there.”

Kyle slowly nodded. “Right. I could give her part of that.”

Natalie looked relieved that he’d suggested it. “I believe an offer to her is the best course. On the other hand, you could offer nothing and take your chances. But honestly, Kyle, she might walk.”

He didn’t want that. “Make her an offer on my behalf. Go in strong.” A Marine on a mission, he was prepared to do whatever it took to make the rink his place.

Natalie nodded and stood. She left the room, leaving the door ajar this time.

While he waited, pacing again, he faintly heard Natalie’s soft voice speaking from a room down the hall. She must have forgotten to shut the door. The words were a low murmur rather than anything clear.

This was torture. He stuck his head into the hallway, and noticing no one, he headed toward Natalie’s voice. His leg wasn’t cooperating that well—phantom pains, maybe because he’d been sitting for so long. But he was in his old, familiar “walking leg” prosthetic. He didn’t make a sound with it as he passed two offices, a small kitchen and a watercooler.

He stopped outside the open door of a smaller conference room. Natalie was making his offer, just as they’d discussed.

Please, Jessica, Kyle thought. Take it.

“That’s not enough,” a male voice—Sebastien—answered. “She’ll need more money than that.”

What the hell? Was the boyfriend negotiating for her?

“How much more?” Natalie asked. “Because Kyle has offered you half of the cash he inherited from Joe. That’s an extremely generous offer on his part, and not what he was required to do.”

Damn straight. Kyle was debating walking in there and telling them so himself, when suddenly Natalie exited the door, nearly bumping into him.

“Oh!” Natalie said. “Were you listening?”

“Yeah,” he murmured. And then he didn’t think, he just marched into the open conference room, intending to face Jessica.

But Jessica and her boyfriend had their heads together, sharing what looked like a romantic moment. She was leaned in close to him, and he was murmuring something into her ear.

For a moment, Kyle lost his breath. Stupid of him. It shouldn’t hurt to see her like that. Kyle wasn’t meant to be with anyone romantically. He was fine with that state of affairs.

Jessica glanced up. She sucked in her breath when she saw Kyle. Her eyes widened.

Kyle focused only on her. The rest of the room seemed to melt away.

“I won’t take your career away from you, Jessica. Whenever you have time, all I ask is that you squeeze in your hours at the rink. You won’t have to do anything you don’t want to do there. I’ll take care of everything that needs doing. You can sit in Joe’s old office, away from everybody, doing whatever pleases you. I just want you in this partnership with me, however you need to do it to make it work for both of us—so that we both get what we want.”

Her mouth dropped open. For a moment, no one made a sound.

Kyle figured he’d screwed up. He probably should have gotten on his knees and begged her forgiveness.

Well, dammit, his knees were tired. It was best she made her decision soon, because his leg wasn’t going to allow him to stand here all day.

* * *

A PARTNERSHIP. THAT would make both of them happy.

Kyle understood her better than her own boyfriend did. Then again, Kyle had lived her history with her. He’d been in that rink with her for most of her time training. He’d seen what she’d gone through. And vice versa.

Maybe she was crazy, but something about Kyle drew her...enough to overlook her guilt. Enough to be curious about him.

He seemed fine. He’d come back from his tours of duty unscathed. He didn’t seem to blame her for the fact that his relationship with Joe had suffered.

“All right,” she said, her eyes lowered. Because Sebastien was present, she forced herself to stand and cross her arms, acting more businesslike than she felt. “You have a deal, Kyle. I’ll do this under the terms that you and Natalie specified.”

Kyle stared at her, directly into her eyes. Again, that silliness—her knees felt weak. He’d bulked up so much—it was apparent now with him standing there in a wool sweater. And his beard was so bushy and full. He looked nothing like the wiry, defiant teenager he’d once been. But he still seemed capable and honest.

He tilted his head and looked at her, almost as if he was reading her mind. As if he saw something in her that nobody else did. Maybe she should have been worried, but she wasn’t.

In a flash, the moment was over.

“Kyle, may I see you a moment, in private?” Natalie murmured to him.

He nodded, and with deliberate steps he left the room.

Jessica gazed back at Sebastien. He was fiddling with his phone, scrolling through his messages.

I’m alone in this, she thought. Six months. I have to do six months in that rink without him, on my own.

She tucked the half-opened envelope with Joe’s letter back into her purse, too dispirited to read it just now.

* * *

“KYLE, I HOPE you understand there’s more to making your business successful than just paying Jessica to show up and doing everything else yourself,” Natalie said, her soft voice filled with concern.

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered, and without breaking stride he swiped Joe’s envelope off the table and stuck it in his back pocket. He also pocketed the key to Joe’s house.

He wasn’t concerned about doing all the work, whatever needed to be done. Based on their past history, he fully assumed Jessica would be avoiding him most of the time. He was prepared for that.

“Where’s the key to the rink?” he asked Natalie.

She exhaled. “I can’t give it to you just yet. I’ll need to walk both you and Jessica through the facility on the first Monday in March. That will give you two weeks to give your notice on your job and to settle your affairs in Maryland. Is that acceptable to you?”

It made sense, actually. But his mind couldn’t help racing ahead, to the important stuff. “What’s going on with the rink? I drove over yesterday, but it was closed. It looked deserted.”

“It’s been closed for most of the winter, except for weekday afternoons when the high school hockey team holds their practices.”

“What about the kids’ leagues at night?” Kyle asked. “And the high school games on Saturday? And...public skating in the morning?”

Natalie shook her head. “Joe had to cut back. His poor health necessitated it.”

Wow. Kyle swiped a hand over his face. “Do I have any employees to work with?”

“I spoke with several of them, and there are three who want to come back.”

A skeleton crew. Shit. “Do I know any of them?” Kyle asked.

“Carol from the office, plus Patrick and Mike who do maintenance work and operate the Zambonis.”

Kyle had no idea who any of them were. His heart was sinking fast. What did he expect? That this would be a walk in the park with two good legs? Right.

“Let’s not worry about that for now,” Natalie said. “You and Jessica will figure it out together.”

He refrained from snorting. Natalie didn’t need to doubt his attitude. Instead, he nodded at her. “Thanks. Those three employees will be good for me to start with.”

“And Jessica,” Natalie repeated. “You’ll have Jessica.”

No, he would never have Jessica. If anyone had Jessica, it was her boyfriend. The two of them were close enough that he’d accompanied her to Natalie’s office and had done a lot of the negotiating for her, too, it seemed.

Kyle sighed. What he had from Jessica was strictly a business agreement to sign on with him for Joe’s crazy deal, just long enough to meet the insane six-month waiting period to make sure that the rink ended up in Kyle’s hands.

He had no doubt he’d be required to buy her out at the end of the summer. That was fine with him. Preferable, even. She was welcome to Kyle’s money until then—that wasn’t a problem in his mind, either.

The only thing he did care about was that the rink wasn’t being sold to a stranger. Torn down so some rich developer could get even richer putting up more condos. Taking away what had meant most to Kyle.

Kyle shook off the worries. He’d gotten Jessica to agree to Joe’s terms. That was all he needed to start his new life.

Well, he hoped that was all he needed, because in no way did he deceive himself that Jessica Hughes would ever really be his partner.

CHAPTER FOUR

KYLE HAD A long list of plans for his new life. Before the first week was out, he gave notice to his landlord and packed up what few clothes and personal items he’d accumulated.

He also announced his intention to close out his Maryland employment commitments. Nobody in his office was surprised, least of all his manager. He asked Kyle where he planned to go, and Kyle replied, “Home.”

The Wallis Point Twin Rinks had always been Kyle’s real home. And now he was so close to running it that he could taste the excitement in his mouth—he could barely wait.

By the time he drove back to New Hampshire—seven-plus hours of motoring northeast up turnpikes surrounded by darkness—he still had another ten days before his Monday morning meeting with Natalie. Then he would finally have the keys to the rink pressed into his hands. He wasn’t ever letting them go.

Antsy, impatient, he aimed for the rinks, rather than 18 Linden Lane, his childhood home, to crash in his old bed. He wasn’t eager to check out how Joe had changed the digs. Even in the zero-dark-hundred hours, he was reminded that the terrain on this side of town looked different from when he’d lived here.

The road had been widened to accommodate more local traffic. They’d squeezed in a new convenience store between the old pizzeria and the landscape and gardening center. And, they’d put up a traffic light.

But the strangeness disappeared when Kyle turned into the twin rinks’ lot. Security beacons illuminated the familiar concrete building with the low, flat roof. The parking spaces were freshly plowed—a good first sign that things were being taken care of.

Eager to do some interior reconnoitering, Kyle scanned for the handicap spaces. He was grateful for the installed ramp that ran the length of the building leading to the glassed-in entranceway. It meant that Kyle could avoid the awkwardness of using the stairs. He’d spent much time practicing climbing stairs in rehab, but he hadn’t completely rid himself of the limp, and occasionally he still had a slip.

He didn’t want to slip—and definitely not fall—in front of Jessica. Just the thought made his heart stop in his chest.

Jessica would be present during the rink walk-through and key exchange with Natalie. No way could Kyle risk her seeing him having any difficulties getting around.

Long ago, he’d decided he’d let no civilian form prejudices against him based on his being weak. That went double for Jessica, or anyone else he worked with.

He parked in the closest unmarked spot beside the ten handicapped spaces, and then hoofed it as fast he dared along the barely lit, shoveled-and-sanded ramp that led to the front doors.

Once there, he blew on his bare hands in the cold, frosty, dark morning and cupped them between his face and the glass.

He couldn’t see anything inside. And the entrance doors were both locked and chained. Still, he was home. One step closer in a long and winding journey that was fast closing in a circle, bringing him back to the place he’d started.

Older and, hopefully, wiser.

* * *

JESSICA ROARED INTO the parking lot of the Wallis Point Twin Rinks with a well-thought-out action plan in mind: Tell Kyle the truth so we can survive these six months together without feeling guilty all the time.

She had to tell him—her conscience was bothering her. Her past mistake was tormenting her thoughts, keeping her up at night and driving a new, uncomfortable rift between her and Sebastien because of her refusal to discuss it with him.

And her guilt had only gotten worse since reading Joe’s letter.

Her neck muscles tightened as she faced the familiar building. Gripping the steering wheel, she aimed toward the only two cars in the lot, on the farthest edge beside the handicapped spaces. As a physical therapist, she appreciated these aids for people who needed them, like her clients. She slowed to a stop and parked beside what she assumed was Kyle’s big, black pickup truck with the Maryland plates.

Her little orange Volkswagen seemed so beat-up and old beside the hulking, gleaming monster. Her car was used. Ten years old, with over two hundred thousand miles on the odometer. It broke down all the time, and on cold days it didn’t always start. Like today.

Outside, she secured her tote bag across her shoulder and wrapped her scarf more tightly around her neck. She was freezing. Worse than that, dread swirled in the pit of her stomach.

She pulled open the double glass doors to the rink lobby. Kyle stood there, big and gruff, wearing a poker face. He didn’t meet her eyes—not good.

She swallowed, focusing on Natalie, all dressed up in a long wool coat and high-heeled boots, with a smart skirt-suit beneath it. Very lawyerly looking.

But it was the sleepy child in Natalie’s arms that made Jessica truly relax.

“Aren’t you a sweetie?” Jessica smiled at the toddler, bundled into a pink snowsuit and wearing cute boots with princess decals.

“Sorry I had to bring Hannah along to the walk-through.” Natalie shifted the child to her other hip. “I’m dropping her off at my mother’s house before I head into court this morning, but seven o’clock was a bit early, even for Mom to take her.”

Kyle glanced at his watch. Jessica knew she was twenty minutes late. Her cranky car had needed a jump start from her neighbor.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be here on time,” she said.

“That’s all right.” Natalie pulled out a huge key ring, with what seemed like dozens of keys on it, and handed it to Kyle. “How about if you do the honors, Kyle? We’ll head into the receptionist’s office and I’ll get you both started with the paperwork.”

Kyle froze for a moment, staring at the keys in his hands as if he couldn’t quite believe he was holding them. He was in awe, like a kid at Christmas.

Another reminder of how sad it was that she’d been responsible for unfairly poisoning Joe toward Kyle. Jessica dipped her chin inside her wool scarf, her heart sinking.