Ink and Ice, Erin McRae [primary phonics .txt] 📗

the steering wheel, his mouth moving as he counted. “Seventeen and a half hours. We’re going to be fine.”

“Fine like, we’ll have a couple of hours so I can do whatever Katie thinks I can do or fine like we’ll roll in just as his skate starts?”

“The first one. What are you going to do when you get there?”

“Call Katie. Beyond that. I have no damn idea. She says she has a plan; I’m letting her have a plan.”

“Do you think she knows how much boys like doing what she says?” Matt mused.

“I’m going with yes.”

ZACK ASSUMED THAT THEY would not have any problem finding a hotel room somewhere along I-80 in the middle of the night on a random weekend in January. He had, however, not counted on a business tech convention taking place in Cheyenne.

“I’ve just got the one room,” the clerk told them at the first hotel they pulled into.

“That’s fine,” Zack said. Anywhere with a mattress and a pillow—and a shower—sounded great at this point.

“It’s, uh, the honeymoon suite,” the clerk said.

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Zack strongly considered putting his head down on the check-in counter.

“That’s fine,” Matt said, stepping up.

“SHOULD I CARRY YOU over the threshold?” Matt asked as they reached the door.

“I think that’s just for when you get to your own house? Also no. No marriedness.”

Matt cackled and keyed them into the room. “Aww!” he exclaimed, dropping his suitcase in the middle of the floor. “The towels are all folded up like swans! And hearts!”

“How is this happening?” Zack muttered, mostly to himself. This trip was just becoming too absurd.

“Because we are two very lucky men in pursuit of true love, in your case, and a deeply excellent story I can tell forever, in mine.”

“I suppose I should thank you for being cool about this,” Zack said, eyeing the one bed. Which at least was a king. Hopefully Matt didn’t hog blankets.

“Fuck cool, this is hilarious! Now help me take pictures.” Matt dug out his phone. “I wanna make people on social media scared I got married!”

Zack shook his head and laughed. Matt was ridiculous and also a good, kind, and fair friend.

THEY WERE ON THE ROAD by seven the next morning, multiple cups of hotel breakfast coffee in the cupholder between them.

“You know,” Zack said as he got up to speed on the highway. “This is everything I used to love about war reporting, without the getting shot at.” There was a thrill in this, on the road before dawn, a deadline to beat and the rush of adrenaline and uncertainty.

Matt looked over at him from the passenger seat. “You’ve got a therapist, right?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Good, good. ‘Cause you’re a fucking mess. Got any more of a plan than yesterday?”

“Nope. Not a clue.”

THEY ROLLED INTO SALT Lake at three in the afternoon. For all the travel he’d done, both internationally and domestically, Zack had never been there before. It was beautiful. The sky was a dazzlingly blue dome above them, curving down to touch the mountains that ringed the city. He wondered if he’d have a chance to get out and take any photos.

Probably not.

As soon as they found a parking spot, Zack pulled out his phone and called Katie. Next to him, Matt drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He was enjoying this entirely far too much.

The call connected, and she answered immediately.

“I swear to God, if you are still in Saint Paul...” Katie began.

“I’m in a parking garage two miles away from the venue because this is the closest we could get,” Zack said.

“We?”

“You wanted me to get to Utah in thirty hours,” Zack said. “That was not a one-person drive. One of the guys from hockey volunteered.”

“Sure, but planes are a thing?” Katie sounded baffled.

“Yeah, I hate planes,” Zack said. Then he paused. “Aaron’s mentioned that, hasn’t he?”

“Maybe,” Katie said. “At any rate, so glad you’re here. I got you tickets, and I guess we can get your friend tickets. Anyway. Whatever. Just get to the venue. Brendan will meet you with credentials and we’ll sneak you back before the comp starts.”

“Does Aaron have any idea this is happening?” Zack asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“No. But he’s a jittery, unfocused mess,” Katie said. “And his sister keeps texting him. Even if he wants to murder me for this and hates you, it’ll at least give him some focus.”

“Uh. Great. At least you’re clear about how this is probably going to go.”

“I am a mean, anxious, unpleasant person, Zack Kelly. But my instincts are fantastic. Get out of your damn car and start walking.”

Zack hung up the phone and looked at Matt. “So, er, you wanna go watch some figure skating?”

“Does that come with you getting your ass handed to you?”

“I think so.”

Matt was definitely enjoying this way too much. Zack tried to focus on being annoyed at him for that, instead of wildly apprehensive about what he was about to do.

“Cool. Sounds great,” Matt said and held up his phone to snap a picture of Zack for his latest social media update.

“SO HERE WE GO,” MATT said, as they stood on the sidewalk looking up at the concrete and glass structure that was the Salt Lake City Ice Center. It was growing dark outside, and bright lights gleamed from inside the building, illuminating the staircases that zig-zagged between floors.

“Yeah.” Zack took a deep breath. Here we go. “You ready?”

“More than you.”

The venue was packed. Zack thought he had seen the peak of competitive figure skating crowds—the Olympics, at least—at Nationals, but that paled in comparison to this. There were throngs of people, speaking multiple languages, all jostled together and buzzing with excitement. A lot of them were holding stuffed animals, flowers, or both. Zack narrowed his eyes at someone—was that a seal plushie under their arm?

He was just wondering how Katie thought he’d be able to meet up with her when there was a sharp whistle