Heat it Up: Off the Ice - Book One (28 page)

While Joni gets ready, I call Kyle. Because we’re being honest with each other, I tell him about the mistake with the room. The last thing I need is for him to accidentally find out from someone else, mostly notably Joni. Then he’ll never trust me, even if it really doesn’t matter in the end. He’s leaving Minneapolis and I’m probably staying in Finland.

“I trust you,” Kyle says after I tell him nothing will happen. “It’s him I’m not too sure about.”

“He’s not going to try anything. I’m sure he’d prefer his own room than share one with me.”

Kyle mutters something that sounds like, “That’s what you think.”

“Everything’s gonna be fine, I promise.”

“Just be careful. And kick his ass, hard, if he tries anything, okay?”

I laugh, and any previous trace of nervousness about how Kyle will respond to the news slips away.

We talk until Joni is ready to leave. I almost tell Kyle that I love him, but catch myself at the last second. I can’t do that. He’s leaving soon and this summer will amount to nothing more than a summer fling.

The evening with Joni’s relatives is entertaining, the view of the lake breathtaking, with the forest of pine and birch skirting the water and providing privacy from the neighboring houses. His aunt set up a long table containing various foods and drinks, and as the evening wears on, the laughter grows louder, as does the music and singing. The gathering consists of at least twenty people. The older adults chat around the fire not far from the water’s edge. The aroma of grilled Finnish sausage links fills the air.

Joni and I hang out near the red barn-style house, with a few of his relatives who are close to our age. All speak various levels of English and are happy to practice it…and teach me inappropriate words in Finnish. Luckily for me, Joni warned me that’s what they were doing. It would’ve been a little embarrassing if I had said the words to Muumu. Oh, who am I kidding? Saying “pussy” to her would be mortifying.

I glare at the male cousin who can’t stop laughing after I said the word perfectly, thinking he told me something else. Joni slings his arm over my shoulder and tells his cousin off. Or at least I think that’s what he’s saying. He says it in Finnish while frowning, and his other cousins burst out laughing.

I sip the fruity punch Joni fetched for me while I was increasing my list of vocabulary words. Whatever alcohol is in it gives it a nice little kick. I take another sip. Correction. It gives it a nice big kick.

One girl, who’s about seventeen years old, smiles shyly at me before speaking to Joni. She’s the opposite to the rest of them. She’s quiet and doesn’t speak English. She nods at me. He shakes his head but she doesn’t see it.

“What did she say?” I ask.

“It wasn’t important. Let’s dance.” Without giving me a chance to respond, he grabs my hand and pulls me to the makeshift dance floor between several small trees that look like Tinkerbell sneezed pixie dust on them. The miniature lights twinkle in the dimming sunlight.

The fast-paced song ends as we reach the small space, and a slower song takes its place. His grandmother is practically glowing. If Muumu was into texting, I wouldn’t be surprised if she and Aino would be gossiping to each other about this. I silently groan.

Joni puts his arms around my waist and mine automatically go around his neck. I sway in his arms, my gaze focused on the lake.

“It’s pretty here,” I say, needing a distraction.

“Yes, it is,” Joni says. But he’s not looking where I’m looking. Even in my tipsy state, I feel his gaze burning into me.

I continue to watch the lake, you know, in case a mythological beast crawls out of it. Which might not be a bad thing. It would give everyone something else to talk about, other than talking about me and Joni.

The song ends. “How about we go for a walk?” he says. “I could use a break from everyone.”

“What are they talking about?”

“My ex-girlfriend. They like you better. Let’s just say they’re not much different to my grandmother. They think it’s time I settle down.”

“They know I’m seeing someone, right?”

“I did mention it a few times.”

I glance over his shoulder. Everyone’s still watching us.

We walk along a narrow path skirting the lake, until we can no longer see anyone. The laughter and music fades into the background, accompanied by the chirping of frogs. With the sun low in the sky and shimmering off the water, this is easily one of the most romantic locations around.

Joni clears his throat.

I turn to him and his lips are suddenly on mine.

Joni’s lips are only on mine for a second, but the moment they pull away, I turn and run. Deep down a voice tells me I’m overreacting. I ignore it.

I need to run. It’s the only way I know how to deal with the battle of emotions over Kyle’s news, Joni’s kiss, my need to make a decision whether I’m staying in Finland or not, and my fear of trusting a guy only to be hurt again. Joni calls out my name but doesn’t come after me.

Running in sandals…never a good idea. I stop long enough at the fork in the trail to slip them off while deciding which way to go, then I bolt along the sandy path parallel to the lake. I keep going, no doubt trespassing on private property belonging to the neighbors, but that doesn’t stop me.

No, what stops me is a sharp pain slicing into the bottom of my foot. An equally pained cry stumbles from my lips. Crap. I lift my foot. Blood drips onto the sand and the evil chunk of broken glass sticking up.

I half walk, half tip-toe a few feet and drop onto a large flat rock half in the water. I lower my injured foot into the lake, and wash off the blood and sand while inwardly cursing myself for being such an idiot. The cold temperature bites into my skin and soothes the stinging.

Once I’m satisfied it’s numb enough, I lift my foot out of the water and rest my ankle on my knee. The cut is deep, but I can’t tell if I need stitches, or if it just looks worse than it is. Blood oozes from the wound and mixes with the water. The way my luck is going, I wouldn’t be surprised if a blood-loving, mystical creature jumps from the water and latches onto my foot. It’s been that kind of day.

“Sofia!” Joni calls from farther up the path.

“Watch out for the glass!” A warm breeze ruffles strands of hair into my face and mouth. I push it behind my ear and consider my options.

Joni says a word that I’ve long since guessed to be a swear word. I glance over my shoulder to find him staring at my bleeding foot. He bends to inspect it then unbuttons his shirt.

And now it’s my turn to stare. At his body. I knew he was in good shape, but I never realized he’s in this good of shape. Not that this changes anything between us.

I look at my foot, again, worried he’ll get the wrong idea if I check out his body for too long. Behind me the ripping of fabric tears through the air. Before I have a chance to see what’s going on, Joni kneels and starts wrapping the fabric around my foot.

“You need stitches,” he says, his attention focused on what he’s doing. He ties the ends so the knot is on top of my foot. “The hospital isn’t far from here.”

“But you’ve got your family thingy going on. You can’t leave.” And honestly? I’ve had enough of hospitals to last me a while.

His lips attempt a smile but only sadness reaches his eyes. “Considering it’s my fault you ran and cut your foot…” His smile fades. “I’m really sorry. I mean, I’m not sorry for kissing you. I’m sorry for upsetting you.”

Now it’s my turn to look away. “I shouldn’t have reacted that way.”

He chuckles. “So you’re saying slapping me would have been a better option?”

I look back at him. “I’m just confused about everything and you kissing me didn’t help.”

His mouth slides up to one side. Amusement gleams in his warm brown eyes. “Does that mean you like me more than you’re letting on?”

My gaze drops to my bandaged foot and the blood beginning to seep through the white fabric. “It means I’m falling in love with Kyle but it doesn’t matter.”

“Why?”

“Why doesn’t it matter or why am I falling in love with Kyle?”

Joni laughs shortly. “Maybe a little of both, although I’d prefer you skip the part about falling in love. Especially since he’s all wrong for you.”

I decide to ignore the last part. I’ll never convince Joni otherwise. “Kyle was offered a job, but it means he has to move away to another state. And I’ve got to think about Muumu. She needs me.” Joni knows I’ve been thinking of staying here for the year to help out. He doesn’t know about the experience with the Bears that I’ll lose out on. “So like I said, it doesn’t matter that I’m falling in love with him. It will never work out.”

He’s silent for a moment then asks, “If you stay here once the summer is over, will you be allowed to still work at the sports center?”

I shrug. “I have no idea. I have a feeling I won’t be. It was only a temporary position.” And my work visa will no longer be good if I lose that job. Which means I’ll need to find a new job and apply for a new visa. Neither will be easy to do.

“You know if you need help, just let me know and I can see what I can do.” He brushes a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering on my skin.

“Thanks.” I stand, not wanting to talk about this anymore, not wanting to think about what he’s really offering. “My foot should be fine now.”

Joni gently grabs hold of my arm. “I’m driving you to the hospital and they can decide if your foot is fine or not. And whether you want to hear my opinion or not, you don’t have a choice. He’s wrong for you. You’re a sweet and amazing woman, Sofia. Kyle’s the kind of guy who could end up bulldozing over you, especially if he starts drinking again.”

The sad thing is I know he’s right about the last part. But Kyle deserves a chance to prove himself. I’m just not sure if I should give it to him—or if doing so will only lead to more heartache.

I wake up to find Kyle’s arms wrapped securely around me. I blink my eyes clear and take in the bedroom bathed in the early morning sunlight. The bedroom that doesn’t belong to Kyle. The bedroom that doesn’t belong to me. The bedroom that looks familiar but I can’t figure out why.

And then everything about last night comes back to me. The kiss. The broken glass. The several hours spent in the ER. The stitches in my foot.

I groan and don’t bother to turn around. Even without looking, I know it’s Joni’s arm pinning me from behind. I glance down and exhale a relieved breath at the sight of my sleep shorts and t-shirt, which I now remember changing into once we returned from the hospital.

Wiggling myself free, I slide off the bed. Joni doesn’t stir. It’s still early in Finland, but it’s the perfect time to phone home. I grab the crutches, which I’m supposed to use until my foot is healed, and collect my phone from my purse. Then I quietly leave the room, shutting the door behind me, and crutch my way down the hallway and the stairs.

Outside, I sit on a bench overlooking a small pond shaped like a wonky heart. Several orange fish dart around the lily pads. On the other side, a statue of a young girl pours water in the pond from a jug. At least she doesn’t have men problems. The worst she has to worry about is birds pooping on her head. Lucky girl.

I call mom first and go straight to voicemail. I end the call without bothering to leave a message. Next, I call Claire since it’s too early to call Kyle. Besides, it’s my best friend I need to talk to more than anyone. She’ll know what to do about Kyle, about Joni, about Muumu.

“Hey you,” she says after the second ring. “Aren’t you at the wedding?”

“No, it’s not for a few more hours.”

“So? How’s it going?”

“It’s going great.” I toss the words at her with a side order of sarcasm. “Joni kissed me last night and I ran off and cut my foot. So we then spent several hours in the ER while I waited to get stitches.”

“You ran off? A hot guy kisses you and you ran off?” She’s not sure if she should laugh at a predicament that only I could get into, or be worried for me. The laugh wins. “I’m sorry,” she says through her giggles. “I’m having the most boring summer of my life with you gone, and you’ve got some sort of lopsided love triangle going on and I’m not there to witness it. So is it official yet? Are you and Kyle dating when you return here?”

I let out a long breath. It does nothing to extinguish the emotions battling inside me. “I haven’t decided if I’m returning yet.”

“But what about Kyle?”

“He accepted a great coaching job in Seattle. So there is no more Kyle and me. Not after the end of the summer.” We were nothing more than a summer fling in the end.

And even if he wasn’t moving away and we were willing to make our relationship work, I need to know Kyle won’t slip back to being the guy he was before he came here. I need him to be more honest. I have a feeling he’s holding something back from me. Until his walls are completely down, our relationship will never last.

“Have you not heard of long-distance relationships?” Claire asks. “I mean, we’re not talking about you having a long-distance relationship with Joni. A long-distance relationship with Kyle is still doable.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right.” Her words are barely heard over the loud chopping that just started. I glance around. A man is standing in a wide-legged stance at the end of the garden, next to a pile of firewood. He lifts the ax above his head and whacks the log with such force, I jump at the thunderous crack of splitting wood.

Unable to talk to Claire any longer because of the noise, we end the call, with her telling me she can’t wait to hear about the next exciting episode of my love life.

Joni is already awake, freshly showered, his hair damp, when I return to the room. I don’t mention how he was spooned up next to me this morning, and he avoids the topic, too. Or maybe it was just an innocent action and he didn’t know he had done that.

We arrive at the pavilion by the lake where the wedding is taking place and sit in the back row. Joni’s grandmother is ahead of us, but she turns around and waves. I wave back. The wedding ceremony takes place without any problems. Or I assume it does. Since I don’t understand a single word spoken, I spend the entire time trying to look thrilled for the bride and groom instead of bored. The end can’t come soon enough for me, and when it does my smile is genuine, even if the reasons for it aren’t what everyone thinks.