Free Fresh Ice by Sarah J. Bradley

whore.”
    I threw a skate guard at him for that. “Collier Braden James! You take that back.”
    “Take it back? What do you think people are going to say when they hear about this? You’re sixteen. He’s thirty.”
    “Twenty-six.”
    “Whatever. You just gave yourself away. For what?”
    “To make myself a better skater! To win!”
    Collier grabbed her by the shoulders then, and shook her lightly. “It’s not all about skating! Some day skating is going to be gone, and you’ll be left with this one decision, this one stupid, bad decision, and it will be all you have.”
    How could he have known so much? He was only eighteen. But he knew exactly what would happen.
    Collier walked out then, walked out of the room and out of her life. He moved away to live with an aunt, so he could go to school in Memphis. Jason hustled her out of Nashville. Sipping her wine Izzy wondered for the millionth time how different her life might have been had she stayed in Nashville, had she not slept with Jason, had she loved Collier back.
    Had I been able to make different choices, would I still be sitting here right now?
    She turned on her stool and stared at the nicked up bar. I disappointed so many people and damaged so many lives because of what I did. She drained her wine glass and set it on the bar. I’m not ready to face any of it until I have the right words.
    She slipped off the bar stool, catching the heel of her sandal on a rung of the stool. The end result was her lying on the floor, and Collier looking down at her with a mix of amusement and concern.
    “Miss, are you…” Collier squinted for a beat, looking confused. “Izzy? Izzy Landry?” He helped her up. “What on earth are you doing here?”
    “I-I was having a glass of wine. Waiting for some friends.” That’s it. Be as lame as you possibly can. “They are late.”
    “Well look at you,” he took a step back and studied her. “The years have been kind to you Izzy, that’s for certain. Won’t you join me until your friends arrive?” He pointed to his booth.
    “I…sure.” Smooth, Izzy. Good job.
    He sat across from Izzy and studied her for a moment. “So where’s Jason?”
    “Dead.” Izzy hoped Collier heard more emotion that she put into the single word. She doubted it, however. “He-there was an accident this spring.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that.” His voice was soft, comforting, like she remembered. But there was something in his eyes, something less than sympathetic. “I mean, I am sorry for your loss.”
    “Thanks.”
    “He was-,” Collier tapped his fingers on the stack of spiral notebooks in front of him. He seemed to be unable to find the right words. “It’s been a long time.”
    This could not be more awkward. “It has. So, how’s Coach?”
    “Also dead. Had a stroke a couple years ago.”
    In spite of herself, Izzy laughed out loud. She shook her head, but was unable to stop laughing. “I’m so sorry, Collier.” She took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry, that was so wrong of me to laugh.”
    Collier’s smile was warm. “Take heart. We haven’t seen each other in forever, and we open with a dead husband and father. We can only go up from here.”
    “One would seriously hope anyway.”
    Collier picked up a pen and toyed with it. “So what brings you to Nashville?”
    Despite her misgivings, Izzy answered truthfully. “My daughter, Jenna. She’s moving in to Vanderbilt this weekend. She got a volleyball scholarship.” Izzy watched Collier count in his head. “Yes, the rumors were true. You were right…about pretty much everything back then.”
    As if she’d spoken some magic words, Collier’s interest in his pen vaporized and he fixed his eyes on her. “Don’t say that. Don’t tell me that.”
    Izzy took a deep breath. “Well, you were. I don’t regret Jenna. She’s wonderful. But,” she took a drink of her wine. Change the subject. “But everything else was a long time ago.”
    “It was.” Collier’s