3. Sutton

3

SUTTON

Luca bounced up and down on the bench as the coach I recognized from the times I’d been here with Luca during free skates stepped in front of the bleachers.

“Welcome, everyone,” Coach Kenner called.

The kids all cheered in response.

Kenner grinned. “I’m glad to hear you’re all excited.” His gaze skimmed over the crowd, pausing on me. His smile turned warm. He was likely a decade or so older than my twenty-nine but was attractive and fit.

I searched for a flicker of something, anything, but there was nothing. He was exactly the kind of man I needed to feel a flutter for: kind, responsible, good with kids, and with a steady job. Still, nothing. It was like I was dead inside.

But then I remembered the flush I’d felt at the sound of parking lot man’s voice. The way my skin heated and prickled with awareness. Crud. That sort of charmer was not in the cards.

“All right, if you’re excited now, just wait,” Kenner went on. “I have a pretty epic surprise for you… I’d like to introduce our se cond coach for the entirety of camp. Please welcome Copeland Colson. Also known as?—”

“The Reaper!” countless kids yelled, including mine.

Luca was on his feet, shouting and cheering, but I could only stare as I looked up, up, up into dark-blue eyes. The pieces came together in jerky snaps. I’d known one of the Colson brothers played hockey but had thought he lived in Seattle and only came home for a week or so at a time. But here he was. And not only was he a hockey player, he was also my son’s obsession—and the man I’d called a creeper in the parking lot.

I wanted to crawl under the bleachers and die.

“Hey, everyone,” he greeted. “You can call me Coach Cope or Coach Reaper if you want. I’ve always wanted to be called Coach.”

Everyone laughed, and I was pretty sure the mom next to me let out a longing sigh.

“I can’t wait to hang out with you for the next month. We’re going to have a blast and play the heck out of some hockey!”

More cheers erupted.

“All right, kids,” Coach Kenner called. “Hit the ice for a light warmup.”

Everyone around me started moving, but I caught Luca’s arm. “Are you sure about this?”

He had that wild-eyed look he got when he’d had too much sugar. “Are you kidding, Mom? This is the dream !” He pulled his arm free and waddled to the rink in his gear that made him look like an Oompa Loompa. I just had to watch him go.

A throat cleared. My gaze snapped to the source, but I already knew what I’d find. Cope stood there, a smile playing on his lips—lips that looked made for kissing and… I shook myself out of my stupor.

Not going down that road.

I straightened, meeting his gaze dead-on. Well, as much as I could, being at least a foot shorter than him. “Coach,” I greeted.

That smile widened. “Like the sound of that.”

“Power hungry?” I muttered under my breath .

Cope just chuckled, and damn if my skin didn’t react the same way it had earlier. Every nerve ending stood at attention like they were crying out for Cope’s touch. I curved my arms around my waist, hugging myself as I tried to ignore the shiver running through me.

Cope frowned. “Cold?”

“I’m fine.”

“Might want to bring layers tomorrow. Can get pretty chilly rink-side.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Sutton,” Coach Kenner greeted. “Good to see you. I see you met Cope.”

I forced a warmer smile for Kenner. “Nice to see you, too. I need to get back to the bakery, but my cell is on the admission form if you run into any issues.”

Kenner’s expression gentled. “Luca will be fine. Don’t you worry. No one is going to play full contact.”

Relief swept through me. “You might not want to tell Luca that. He has his heart set on smashing someone into the boards.” I sent Cope a scathing look. “Apparently, he learned that from his favorite player, The Reaper.”

Cope winced, looking a little guilty. But I just headed for the parking lot and away from the man with the haunting blue eyes. Because if there was one rule I lived by, it was this.

No athletes. Never again.

It was one of those days. One of the no-good, very-bad ones. I tried to remind myself that none of it was catastrophic. Luca and I were safe and healthy. We had a roof over our heads and food on the table. But even after chanting that over and over in my head, I was still about to lose it .

“That bad?” Thea asked as I dropped my head to the fridge in the bakery’s kitchen.

I’d just finished meeting with my new supplier because my previous one retired. The new guy seemed on top of it, professional and polite, but his prices were nearly double.

“It’ll be fine,” I lied. I’d gotten good at lying. Because if I didn’t, Thea and Walter would try to help. And they didn’t need the weight of my problems.

Walter patted me on the shoulder in a grandfatherly gesture. “You’ve had a day.”

“And it’s not even noon,” I muttered, forcing myself to straighten. I turned and leaned my back against the fridge, letting the metal surface cool my skin. At least this time, it was overheated due to panic instead of hypnotic blue eyes and all the muscles. “Why didn’t you tell me Shep’s brother was coaching the hockey camp?” I asked Thea.

Her brow furrowed. “Trace or Kye? I didn’t even know they played hockey.”

I shook my head. “Cope.” Even saying his name made my skin heat. Damn him.

Thea’s green eyes widened. “Cope is coaching Luca’s camp?”

I bobbed my head in a nod.

“Shep said he was heading back to Seattle.”

“Apparently not. Because he was there in all his glory, and Luca nearly lost his little mind because Cope is also his favorite player.”

This time, Thea’s eyes nearly bugged out. “Cope is The Reaper?”

“Shouldn’t you know that?” I accused. “He is your boyfriend’s brother.”

Thea shrugged. “I’m not really a sports fan. Shep talks about Cope, but not really his career. And I don’t think he knows Cope is coaching.” She pulled out her phone and began tapping on the screen. “I’ll ask him what’s up.”

The bell rang, signaling a new customer. I forced a smile to my face and stepped out from behind the counter. I struggled to keep that smile in place as I took note of the newcomer. Rick Anderson looked completely out of place in my bakery, even though he owned the building. He looked out of place in the small town altogether.

He wore a dark suit that had to make him sweat buckets in the almost ninety-degree heat outside, his dark hair was slicked back with far too much gel, and his eyes were beady like a rat’s.

“Sutton, it is so wonderful to see you. How are you and little Luca doing?”

The muscle in my cheek began to twitch. “Good. We’re doing really good. You?”

“Oh, I can’t complain. Just purchased two more buildings, so business is good.”

“Congratulations. That’s wonderful. What can I get for you today?” I asked, hoping like hell I could move things along.

Rick sent a look of disappointment that read faker than his veneers. “I’m actually here on business. In all my expansion, I’m afraid I realized that I’ve cut my tenants too much of a deal. I need to raise your rent for the bakery and the apartment upstairs. All the details are here.” He tugged a folded paper from his pocket and set it on the counter. “This will take effect at the start of the month for the bakery, and next week for the apartment since that’s week to week.”

“But can’t you only raise my rent once a year?” Rick had increased my rent three months ago. That had hurt, but I’d managed. Renting the apartment upstairs week to week had helped, but nothing would save me from another increase.

Those beady eyes narrowed on me. “Our lease agreement doesn’t guarantee you that, Sutton. And prices are going up around Sparrow Falls. I have to keep up with the times. I’m sure you understand.”

I didn’t understand. But I also couldn’t speak. All I could think about was the fact that even if Rick was doing something shady, I didn’t have the funds to hire a lawyer to fight it. And it wasn’t like someone would magically show up and have my back.

Some part of my brain was aware of Rick’s too-fancy shoes clicking on the floor as he headed out after completely exploding my world. My hands trembled as I picked up the piece of paper. When I opened it, there was nothing I could do to keep the tears from springing to my eyes.

The figures on the sheet were insurmountable. I could keep the bakery or my apartment but not both. There was no way. And if I let go of either, I’d lose everything.