Trading Ice

She elbowed him in the ribs and he dropped his arm with an exaggerated groan. She felt the loss of warmth and looked away, telling herself she was imagining it. "It's not on you yet."

"Come on, let me treat you. You've been great today, helping me find seat covers and all."

She rolled her eyes at him but couldn't stop the smile from crossing her face.

"You must know some great places to eat," he said. "What's your favorite restaurant?"

"Open Sesame."

"That's a restaurant here?"

"Yeah. It's great. All different kinds of Asian dishes and they do this thing called a 'Garden Market,' where you pick out exactly what you want and they cook it all for you."

"Sounds great." Max grabbed her hand.

They left the mall and drove the few short blocks to the restaurant. Soon they were seated at a table near the center fireplace in the dim and smoky restaurant that Mary loved. She'd forgotten how romantic the interior of the restaurant was but Max looked impressed, so she let it go.

I can get through this, she told herself as she sipped her drink.

"This place is cool." Max gazed around at the Asian decor. "Is it a chain?"

"No. It's local. There are actually three restaurants in this building."

"Really? Where do they all fit?"

Mary grinned. "We're in the basement now. Up on the main level is Smuggler's Inn and on the second floor is Bolero."

"We should try them all." Max winked at her as he sipped his beer.

"Not tonight, I hope," Mary replied and they laughed.

The waitress reappeared in a few minutes with their meals and they dug in. Mary was famished and completely engrossed in eating her meal. She'd never felt so unselfconscious with a guy before and Max was so relaxing to be around.

Max sighed as they finished dessert. "I can't wait until my next day off."

Mary laughed at him. "After all you've just eaten, you shouldn't be allowed another day off for the rest of the season."

He gave her a mock wounded look and looked down at himself, pushing his stomach out. "I'm great, what are you talking about?"

Smirking, Mary gave him a look over the top of her glass. "Well, I don't know how many dates you'll get looking like that, Max."

"Ouch!"

She laughed and reached over to pat his hand. "Don't worry. Some women will just love the fact that you're on the team. That'll be enough to get you laid at least...oh, a dozen times."

Max blinked at her for a second before bursting into laughter. He laughed so hard and so long that people began to turn their heads and stare. Mary hid her face in her hands, trying to figure out what had possessed her to say such a thing.

"Wow, Mary," Max gasped out after a long while. "I never would have pegged you as the bluntly honest type."

She smiled. "I guess that you don't know everything about me."

"Yet," he corrected with a grin, his blue eyes sparkling in the firelight.

She flushed, grateful for the dim interior of the restaurant.

"Anyway, I don't want to date right now," Max said.

"Why not? You're such a catch." Mary blurted and clamped a hand over her mouth right away. "Oh shit."

He laughed and waved a hand at her, dismissing her words. "Thanks, Mary. I know I am."

Mary laughed with him, shaking her head at his confidence. What she'd said was true; he was single, employed, fit and good-looking. Now that she knew how much fun he was off the ice, he was even more appealing.

What the hell am I thinking? She shook her head to clear it. We're just friends. Less than that; we've only known each other for a few weeks.

"I just want to focus on the game right now," Max went on, still smiling at her.

She couldn't help but smile back. His good mood was infectious.

"Women have a way of complicating things," he added.

Mary lifted her eyebrows at that and he chuckled. "Well, I guess it's a good thing that you just want to be friends with me."

"Yeah, good thing." His eyes narrowed a bit as they looked at each other.

She blushed under his gaze and looked away. When she glanced back at him, he was still staring at her, his smile lopsided.

"So, uh...are you done?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess so. Are you ready to go?"

She nodded and they got up to leave the restaurant. They were both quiet on the ride home, except for the directions Mary gave to Max to get to her apartment building. He parked outside the main entrance and she turned to thank him for the great day.

"I should be thanking you, Mary." he said, the easy grin back on his face.

"Only if you can recover from that meal." She glanced at his stomach as she spoke, which was a mistake. She'd never seen such a firm set of abs, even covered by a shirt.

He patted his stomach. "You've got nothing to worry about."

"What are you doing next weekend?" he asked as she reached for the handle on her door.

"Work." She shrugged. "Why?"

"I want to hang out again." He gave her a sheepish smile. "I don't have many friends here and I had fun today."

Mary nodded. "You've got friends. All the guys on the team."

"Yeah, but they have their own friends and families. I don't like to impose on them."

"But you're OK with dominating my free time?"

He laughed and nodded. "Yeah. I get a night or two a week that's mine and that's only if we're in town."

"And you want to spend it with me?" Mary couldn't believe it.

"Sure. Why not?"

Mary didn't know what to say. She'd had a great day with Max but she felt like she might just be setting herself up for something awful if she spent any more time with him. Then she heard Rebecca's voice in her head telling her to just go out with the guy and have fun.

Drawing a deep breath, she agreed to see Max next week. He told her he'd see her at Beans & Steam the next day after the morning skate.

"All right, thanks for the ride!" Mary hopped out and raced inside before the cold could set in.

****

Over the next few weeks, Max and Mary spent a lot of time together. When he could, Max even started to shuttle her from work to school and back, in spite of her protests. He brushed off her arguments, saying that she could consider it payment for showing him around town.

They'd been to the movies, to shopping malls, clubs and to all the tourist sights around town. Max was enjoying spending time with her more than anything and the more time he spent in the city, the more he came to think of it as home. The playoffs loomed in the near future and he felt himself distracted a lot of the time.

One day when he and Mary were waiting for a movie to start, she commented on his silence.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I was just thinking about our next few games."

"What are you worried about? You guys have been meshing so well. You're two wins away from making the playoffs and you've got six games left. Piece of cake!"

Max smiled at her confidence, wishing he shared it. He knew that if he was still with his old team, he wouldn't be so worried. Here, being the new guy, he felt that he had something to prove. He wanted everyone in this city and on the team to know that he was worth the trade.

"I told you months ago that you should start dating just to take the edge off," Mary added in a low tone as the previews started.

Max laughed and threw an arm around her shoulders, drawing her close. She giggled and settled against him, her warmth seeping through his body.

If he was being honest with himself, he didn't feel the need to date. Mary was a great friend and he loved spending all of his free time with her. She was funny, smart and willing to try almost anything once.

So with her weight resting against his side and her hair tickling his chin, he wondered if he needed to bother with dating. Then the movie started and he pushed it from his mind.

A week later, he raced into Beans & Steam following a big win and darted behind the counter before Pete the manager could stop him. Mary was just coming around the corner from the office and Max swept her off her feet in a bear hug.

"We did it!" He swung her around as she yelped in surprise and held onto his shoulders. "We're in the playoffs!"

Mary laughed and hugged him back. "I know. I watched the whole game."

Max set her down with a broad grin. As he'd skated off the ice that night, all he'd wanted to do was go to the coffee shop to celebrate with his friend. Some of the guys on the team had teased him about his newfound love for coffee before telling him they'd meet him there. He'd barely been listening, racing out of the locker room ahead of all of them.

"Congratulations, Max," Rebecca said with a smile. "Great game."

Max laughed at her. "Yeah, right. Mary must have been giving you the play-by-play the entire time."

Mary smacked him on the arm and he laughed again. "What do you want to drink?" she asked.

"I don't know if he should have any caffeine, Mary." Rebecca winked at him. "He looks energized enough."

Grinning back at her, Max thought she was right. He felt like he could run laps for a few more hours before feeling any exhaustion. His cell phone rang and he moved from behind the counter to answer it.

"Dude, we're heading down to Flames Central," Dion said, referring to the night club in downtown Calgary that was half-owned by the hockey team.

"Oh? No one's coming for coffee?"

Dion laughed at him. "No one needs coffee, Max. Come on!"

Max smiled but shook his head. "It's OK. I think I'd rather just hang out here."

There was some shuffling and shouting on the other end and then someone else came on the line.

"You're coming out to celebrate, man," Craig ordered.

Max laughed. "I'm already celebrating with Mary and Rebecca."

"Bring them along," Craig suggested. "I'm sure Mary could use the night out."

Max glanced over to where Mary was describing a play from the game to Pete and Rebecca, who looked bored. He grinned and told Craig he'd see them soon.

"Hey, Pete." Max hurried back to the counter. "Can Mary have the rest of the night off?"

Mary's jaw dropped and her cheeks flushed pink. Pete shrugged, moving away from them and muttering something about the place being quiet anyway.

"What are we doing?" Mary untied her apron.

"Going to Flames Central," Max replied.

Mary gasped and gestured at her coffee shop attire. "I'm not dressed for a club!"

Max eyed her figure, tamping down his immediate physical response and ordering his body to remain calm. She was wearing jeans, black shoes and a soft pink button-up shirt. "You look fine."

"Gee thanks, Max," she replied with an eye roll that he was coming to adore. "Your enthusiasm is astounding."

"Oh, come on, Mary." Rebecca stepped up to them. "You look great. Just let me fix your hair."

Before Mary could dodge her, Rebecca had yanked her hair from her customary ponytail. A few pins appeared in the tall beauty's hands and in a minute, she had Mary's hair looking salon-styled.

"What the hell did you do?" Mary was astounded after checking herself in a mirror.

"I can't tell you," Rebecca replied with a wink.

Max waited impatiently as Mary ducked into the staff room to get her coat. Rebecca waved them off as they hurried out into the cold evening. Max drove them the few blocks to Flames Central, taking advantage of the valet parking, and they were inside in minutes.

"I can't believe we're here," Mary spoke up.

"Haven't you been here before?"

Mary shook her head as they walked up the stairs just inside the entrance. "I've never had time."

"Well, now you do." Max took hold of her hand, a move he knew comforted her when she felt nervous or awkward.

They walked into the big main room and several guys called out Max's name. Max looked over to see several of his teammates across the room. He weaved his way through the crowd, keeping a firm hold on Mary's hand as he high-fived a few fans and accepted their praise.

"Max, about time you got here!" Craig gave him with a wide grin. "Mary, good to see you out of that apron."

Mary blushed but laughed and congratulated Craig on their win.

"Yeah, we're pretty excited." Craig turned and ordered a round of drinks.

Max leaned close to Mary and asked what she wanted to drink.

"Nothing. I have to work in the morning."

"Oh, come on, Mary." Craig pulled her close to his side with one arm. "You've got to have at least one drink to celebrate with us."

Mary protested but Max could tell that his teammate was standing firm. She relented and asked for a Caesar. Max turned away after feeling a hand on his shoulder, and saw the grinning face of Dion.

"Glad to see you finally took the plunge, man," Dion said.

"What are you talking about?"

Dion rolled his eyes and jerked his chin in Mary's direction as she was being shuffled through the group, laughing and high-fiving the guys. Max followed Dion's gaze and couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face as he saw his petite friend lifted off her feet in a bear hug from the captain.

"We were thinking of taking bets on when you'd ask her out," Dion said.

"What? We're not dating." Max shook his head. "We're just friends."

His teammate scoffed and punched him on the shoulder. "Maybe you are, but if you don't step up, someone else will."

Max looked away from him. He watched in silence as Mary settled into a seat and began to chat with some of the guys and their other friends. He didn't even notice when Dion moved away from him and the rest of the crowd closed in.

He just stayed back and studied his friend as she talked and laughed with the team. She looked so animated sitting there, her smile wide and her eyes sparkling under the flashing lights. The waitress returned with a tray of drinks and Max accepted his before turning his attention back to Mary and the others.

"To the playoffs!" Craig lifted his glass in the air.

The others echoed the toast and downed their drinks but Max still had eyes only for Mary, who glanced up at him over the rim of her glass. She met his gaze and winked. Max felt like someone had just drop-kicked him in the stomach and he downed his entire drink in one gulp, feeling sweat break out on his brow.

Holy shit.

"Max!" someone shouted his name, making him tear his eyes away from Mary.

For the next little while, Max lost sight of Mary. It was close to an hour later when he caught up to her near the bar, where she was talking to Remy Bennett, another teammate. As Max approached from one side, Remy put a hand on her waist and bent low to speak into her ear. Max clenched his jaw and pushed through the crowd separating them.

"Mary!" he called as he drew near.

Remy snapped up straight and offered Max a crooked grin. Max just fixed him with a firm look and glanced at the hand Remy had on Mary's waist. Remy lifted it, holding it towards Max in an apologetic gesture as he backed away a step.

"I was just trying to help my odds," Remy said before grinning and moving away through the crowd.

"Max!" Mary turned to throw her arms around his neck and Max allowed his body to simply react.

He wasn't sure if it had happened before tonight but the when hardly mattered now. What worried him was that he'd played the friend for too long. He wondered now, after seeing her with Remy, if he had any chance at all.

"I missed you," Mary said, making Max stiffen in an instant.

"Did you?" He aimed for nonchalance even as he had to adjust his stance so she wouldn't notice his sudden hard-on. "I've been here the whole time."

She laughed at him and it was then that he noticed the color in her cheeks.

"How much have you had to drink?" He cupped her chin in his hand and studied her face.

"A couple. I just can't believe I'm here, partying with the Flames. It's unbelievable!"

Max laughed, realizing that she was high on excitement and not drunk. "You've served these guys coffee for a long time now."

"Yeah, but this is different." She held on to him with her little hands.

Max used the motion of the crowd to take another step closer, sliding his arm all the way around her. She grinned up at him, her hands resting on his biceps.

"I'm so glad you brought me," she said.

He swallowed hard, wondering if she wanted to stay all night.

Her smile drooped a bit as she studied his face. "Aren't you having fun?"

He shrugged. "I'm kind of beat," he lied. "You want to go?"

"What? You don't want to stay and celebrate?"

"I'd rather just wind down. You want to go home? Watch a movie or something?"

"At my place?" She looked surprised.

Max wondered if he'd pushed it too far. Then she smiled and nodded, and Max led her out of the club in another minute.

****

"Oh wow," Mary murmured as Max drove them to her apartment. "I still can't believe how much fun that was. Thank you so much for taking me out!"

Max smiled and shrugged like it was nothing. Mary shook her head at his casual attitude. Then again, he played with all these guys, had worked with them and others just like them all his life.

I really need to stop acting so starry-eyed all the time, she thought as she turned her head to watch the snowy landscape sliding by.

"I'm just glad you're willing to come out with me all the time," Max said after a minute and to Mary, he sounded amazed by that fact.

She looked over at him with a smile. "You're a lot of fun to hang out with. Why wouldn't I?"

Again he gave that shrug, glancing sideways at her. She noticed for the first time since leaving the club that he wasn't acting like himself.

Oh no. Maybe he's trying to think of a way to tell me we can't be friends anymore. She felt her throat constrict at the thought. She didn't want to think of not spending time with him. She'd become so accustomed to his calls and the sight of him at the coffee shop that she'd feel like she had an amputated limb if he just stopped coming around.

"I guess I'm just surprised that you're not busy with a boyfriend," Max said.

A strangled laughed escaped her and she lifted a hand to her cheek. "What boyfriend? Guys don't want to date me." She fought to keep the bitterness from her tone as memories of Braden washed over her.

Max gave her a sharp look. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh please, Max. Men date Rebeccas, not Marys." She gestured at herself as she said it.

Max scoffed. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"I don't think so." She swallowed the lump in her throat. Then her next words were out before she could stop them. "Why else did you ask me to be your 'friend'?"

As soon as she said it, she regretted it. Max looked like she'd slapped him.

"Max, I'm sorry." She stared down at her hands in her lap. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

He laughed and pulled his vehicle over to the side of the road. Mary noticed then that they were already at her apartment building.

"Sure you did," he said. "But it's OK."

"No, it isn't. You've been a good friend and I just...I'm just..." She couldn't seem to get the right words out. She shook her head. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"Mary, it's OK." Max reached across to take her hand in his. "It's my fault anyway."

"Why?"

Again he gave her that shrug. Mary felt her mouth pulling at the corners and then she was smiling as his blue eyes twinkled at her.

"You want to sit in here all night?" he asked instead of answering her. "Or can we go inside now?"

Laughing, Marry nodded and hopped out of his car, leading the way to her apartment. Once inside, she hung their jackets up and asked if he wanted a drink.

"You got any hot chocolate?"

She laughed. "Seriously? Yeah, I've got some here somewhere." As she searched her kitchen, she was relieved that her earlier comment hadn't offended him too much.

"I still want to know," Max said a few minutes later, still grinning that grin that she couldn't quite read.