Last week, you all were given the task of giving our character, Kate, a job. You guys got really creative (seriously, you can’t just keep it simple, can you?), making it a difficult choice. This week’s winning suggestion came from Marcy Kennedy:

Kate used to want to be a figure skater until she tore all the cartilage in her knee (hence her reluctance to take the stairs), and now she works at an arena sharpening skates while she tries to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. Because she realized that if she’s not skating, she’s not actually all that fond of having to go to work in a cold arena every day.

If you missed Part II, head back and give it a read. Keep the great feedback and suggestions coming!

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I could hear the clicking sounds of Meera’s keyboard through the phone as she spoke.

“Well, don’t feel like you have to jump on this. You have time. Plenty, actually.”

“Plenty? I thought you were gone by the end of the month.”

“Yeah, well, the buyers move in date isn’t for three months, and David is going to be away for most of February. So, I was thinking of sticking around a little longer.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Oh, of course. I just didn’t feel like spending all that time alone in the new place when I could stay here.”

I doodled on the folder containing the lease, kicking at the old carpet with my toe pick as I weighed the option of staying put for another month or two. My rent was super cheap at Meera’s, and it would mean more time together before she moved away. On the other hand, there was no way a find like this place was going to last, let alone pop up again.

“I’ll think about it, Meera. I have to decide by tomorrow, but I promise to give it some thought.”

“Good. I just don’t want you to feel rushed.” Meera stayed quiet for a moment, her nails still tapping away on the keyboard.  “So, where are you hiding that George isn’t hovering around ordering you off the phone?”

“Oh, I’m not hiding. He called me on my way in and said he didn’t see the point in coming in tonight.”

“The point? Aside from the part where it’s his job?”

“I know. I’ll be here a little later, but honestly, I’d rather be locking up alone than dealing with him all night.”

“I still don’t get why you didn’t quit after his dad passed.”

Neither did I.

“Let’s not go there right now.”

The sounds of the keyboard halted and I imagined Meera throwing her hands up.

“Fine, fine.”

I looked up to see the guys walking in, a sea of polos, khakis, and equipment bags.

“I have to run. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Okay. I’ll probably still be working on this brief when you get home, so I’ll see you then. Be careful by yourself tonight.”

“Always.”

I slid the phone in my pocket and leaned against the skate rental counter. Monday nights were easy at the rink. It was private skate, reserved for a regular pick-up game. No equipment rentals, no worrying about inexperienced skaters crashing into each other and trying to blame the facility, just a group of guys blowing off steam on the ice.

“Hey, Katerina.”

I rolled my eyes and smiled. “Kate, Anton, just Kate. You’re gonna behave yourself tonight, right?

He laughed, laying his already heavy accent on extra thick. “Not in my nature.”

“Of course. Prastite.”

Anton laughed harder and patted the top of my head. “Ahhh, kotik. Very nice.”

“Hey,” I interrupted, glancing past Anton’s shoulder, “who’s the new guy over there?”

I nodded in the direction of a man leaning against the wall. He was dressed to play, talking on the phone and glancing our way occasionally while the other guys began to gather on the ice.

Anton shrugged. “Don’t know. I think he came with one of the Christophers.”

“Send him over when you have a sec?”

“As you wish.”

I walked behind the counter, grabbing a clipboard, pen, and some paperwork. I came back around to see everyone now on the ice, including the new guy. I sighed, knowing that once they dropped the puck and began, it would be difficult to wrangle any of them off the ice. I tossed the clipboard down on a table and grabbed a book, settling in until the guys took a break.

A few chapters in, I was pulled out of my reading daze by the sounds of yelling. Looking out at the ice, I saw the guys gathered, one guy hunched over, the others arguing. I ran back to the counter, grabbed the First Aid kit and headed out on the ice, snatching up the clipboard on my way.

“What happened?”

Sitting on the ice was the new guy, his hand covering his face.

One of the Christophers spoke up. “This moron over here took a stick to his face.”

“I did not! He skated into me!”

Other voices joined in and bodies began moving in towards each other, while the new guy stayed silent on the ice. I slipped in the middle, grabbed the whistle around my neck, and blew into it.

“Everyone, shut up! Have a seat and cool off. Anton, give me a hand with…” I paused looking down at the new guy.

The new guy, whose injury I’d yet to see and liability forms were still unsigned.

“Eli,” he mumbled through his hand.

Anton grabbed an arm, helping Eli to his feet. Eli held on for a moment then waved Anton off. “Thanks, mate. I can get on myself.”

“No, you’ll let Anton help you. I don’t need you injuring yourself between here and the bench.”

Eli put a hand up, surrendering. “Fine.”

As Eli sat down, I squatted down and ran my hand down the side of the blade of his skate, balling up the ice that had gathered there.

“Take your hand off your face.”

He moved his hand, revealing a long red mark starting at his forehead and running down his cheek. I put the ice in some gauze and handed it to him, then struck a cold pack from the kit on the bench.

“This will melt quickly, but you need to get some ice on there. The cold pack takes a minute to get cold.”

He winced as the ice touched his face.

“For the record, I’m sure Bobby didn’t hit you intentionally. He’s the least aggressive player on the ice.”

“I know it was an accident. Just knocked the wind out of me there for a bit. No worries.”

I stood up and blew the whistle again. “Eli’s fine. Back out on the ice!”

Sitting down next to Eli, I set the clipboard on my lap.

“You should sit out for a bit. Just to be safe. And, I uh, need you to sign this.”

Eli looked down at the clipboard with one eye and I watched the corner of his mouth turn up slightly. “Probably should have had me sign these before, eh?”

I shrugged, hoping that he wasn’t the litigious type, then let out of sigh of relief when he grabbed the pen and signed.

“Thank you.” I held the cold pack, tossing it back and forth between my hands waiting for it to get cold. “So, how did you meet up with this crew? Do you work with some of the guys?”

“Not really. I’m a headhunter actually. I’ve been talking to Chris, well, one of them, about a position he’d be a good fit for. He’s got a great CV, so this is part of the courting process.”

“Ahh. Well, quite a few of the guys on the ice have impressive résumés. You may get more out of these games than a bruised face if you stick around long enough.”

“Any recommendations?”

“Hmmm, Jeremy, Harold, anyone named Chris, and Anton. They are all pretty brilliant at their respective jobs, so it just depends on what you are looking for.”

“You seem to know the guys well enough.”

“Yeah, well, a lot of these guys have been regulars for ages.”

“And you?”

I paused, wondering why the interest. I reminded myself that this was probably natural for him as a head hunter, getting people to talk about themselves.

“I’ve been here forever. I took lessons here from the owner as a kid. When I wasn’t in school I was here training.”

“Training?”

“Yeah, I had delusions of grandeur about being a professional figure skater. Then, I took a stick to the knee playing hockey with the boys one night. I didn’t want my coach to know about it, so I practiced on the injury and ended up with torn meniscus. That was that.”

Eli nodded quietly, looking sympathetic. I quickly added, “Anyhow, I felt like I owed the owner for everything he did for me, so here I am.” I reached for the melting ice wrapped in gauze and handed him the cold pack. “Keep this on a bit longer before you get back on the ice. It will minimize the bruising. And if you start to feel dizzy or anything, sit back down and send someone over.”

“I signed the liability form. You don’t have to worry.”

“No, but calling an ambulance out here is still a hassle. So, do as you’re told.”

“Does everyone around here do what you tell them to?”

I smiled. “Someone has to be in charge. Otherwise, we’d have chaos.”

“This is true. Speaking of which –“

The buzzing of a phone cut him off.  He reached in a duffle under the bench and grimaced. “I’m so sorry, but I need to take this.”

I nodded, heading back to my book.

The evening continued without incident. I found myself watching for Eli as the guys filed out, curious about the rest of our interrupted conversation.

Anton stayed behind as I locked up. Despite my insistence that it wasn’t necessary, I was happy to have him walk me out to the car. The lights in the lot had blown weeks ago and still hadn’t been fixed, making it a much creepier place than usual.

“Your friend from across the pond was asking after you.”

“Eli?”

“Yes.”

“What did he ask?”

“How well I knew you, how long we’ve been friends.”

“He was probably just making small talk.”

“I do not know.”

“Awww, Anton. Are you being protective of me?”

Anton threw an arm around my shoulder and squeezed. “Of course, kotik.”

I laughed. If any other man dared to call me “kitten” like Anton always did, I’d slap them.

“Well, thanks for looking out. See you Thursday night?”

“Of course.”

Anton kissed me on the forehead and headed towards his car. I got in my car and yelled out the window before putting it in gear.

“Do svidanija, Anton!”

“Poka, Katerina!”

As I started to roll out of my space, I spotted movement in a car a few lanes away. I squinted as I peered in my rearview. There was a man talking on the phone, looking in my direction. Was that Eli?

The car suddenly turned its headlights on, forcing me to look away from the mirror. When I looked up again, it was gone.

I tried to shrug off the sudden chill I felt and headed home.

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Ready for this week’s assignment? Good.  Kate and Eli will meet up again. Where?