Hoo, boy. She reached out to grip the brick wall.
“You okay?”
“I’m perfectly fine.” She paused. “No, make that confused. Why do you want to go out with me? And why do you still want to help me with Zachary?”
It took him a moment to shrug. “Why not? I like you, Amber. I like Zachary.”
“That’s too simple an explanation.” Amber raked her hand through her hair to tame it in the freshening wind.
“I’m not complicated.”
“I am.”
“It’s ice-skating, Amber. What could be simpler than ice-skating?”
“You’re trying to get your hands on our Pacific routes.”
“Only if you want to sell them.”
“I don’t.”
“Fair enough. Did you know you missed your train?”
It was pulling smoothly away on the tracks. He really was the most infuriatingly distracting man.
“My car is only a block away. What do you say?”
She wanted to say yes. She suddenly, desperately wanted to leave her troubles behind for a few hours and go ice-skating with Cole.
She gave in. “Okay.”
He grinned, and she couldn’t shake the feeling she’d been outmaneuvered.
Five
As they passed by the lit trees that lined the outdoor skating rink, Cole turned backward so that he was facing Amber. She wore a short white puffy jacket, blue jeans and bright yellow knit hat.
“Impressive,” she told him with a smile.
He was grateful that she seemed relaxed. “Hockey.”
Since it was barely below freezing, he’d gone with a windbreaker and a bare head. The fresh air felt good in his lungs.
“You’re a hockey player?”
“Snow and ice sports are big in Alaska. I also snowboard and ski cross-country.” He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the path was still clear as they rounded a corner.
“I swim,” she said.
“Competitively?”
“At resorts, usually in the leisure pool, sometimes on the lazy river.”
He brought up a mental image. “Impressive.”
“Yeah, I float with the best of them.”
“I was picturing you in a little yellow bikini. It was very impressive.”
“That’s just mean.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ll never live up to your imagination.”