The Enforcer by Nikki Worrell Page B

later.”
    Lacey laughed good-naturedly and left to take her shower. Zoe was one of the happiest, most upbeat people alive, but she was not safe to be around until she had her first cup of coffee in the morning.
     

     
    As Lacey was standing in front of the skate selection trying to decide if she wanted to forgo toe picks and get real hockey skates, she noticed a little boy who all by himself. When she walked over to him, he looked up at her and said, “Are you gonna buy hockey skates? I love hockey. I can skate real good, too.”
    “I’ll bet you can. My name’s Lacey, what’s yours?”
    “Ben,” he answered, putting his little hand out to her.
    Taking his hand Lacey asked him, “Are you lost hun? Can I help you find your parents?”
    “No, I’m not lost. My dad’s looking at hockey sticks. I’m five now, so I can go over two whole aisles alone, as long as I keep checking back in with him. I like looking at the skates. Dad says mine are almost too small, so I’ll need new ones soon.” That said, Ben ran his hands over all the skates, appreciating each one.
    A man peeked around the corner looking at Ben. “Ben, you’re not bothering the lady, are you?” Ben scampered away from Lacey, looking like he got caught doing something he shouldn’t have been doing.
    Lacey piped up immediately. “Oh no, not at all. I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t lost.”
    Ben’s father (who looked like he frequented the tanning salon and the steroid department) looked Lacey up and down with a lecherous grin. “Well sweets, we’re all good here then. How about I buy you dinner to thank you for looking out for my kid?”
    Not wanting to be rude, she replied, “Oh, no thank you.” Stretching the truth a bit, she added, “I’m seeing someone.”
    Eyes riveted to her chest he replied, “Sure you are. Come on, one dinner.”
    “No really. I’m seeing someone, but thanks anyway. Well, I’m going to go try these on. I start my skating lessons tomorrow. Bye.” Lacey didn’t much care for the creep and wanted him to leave. She picked up a pair of skates and walked away to try them on.
    He followed her, still talking. “Oh yeah? I’ll teach you to skate, Doll. I actually play hockey on a league.” When she told him that her ‘boyfriend’ was an NHL hockey player he said, “Oh, okay. And what’s his name?” He doubted that she even knew how the game was played. She was too cute and curvy to be into sports. If she knew anything about hockey, he’d be willing to bet she knew how to be a puck bunny, and that was about it. Why was it that girls always played hard to get with him?
    Why not tell him, she thought; maybe it’ll make him go away. “Jody LaGrange. He just came here from San Jose.”
    Still not believing her, he smiled at her with condescension. “The Goon? That’s the first name you came up with? Oh, come on, Honey. With looks like yours, you could at least go for the captain. The girls seem to go nuts for that Keith Lambert.”
    Right when Lacey was going to tell him to get lost, Ian walked into the store. What impeccable timing. She remembered briefly meeting him at the pub and waved him over, hoping he remembered her. “Hey Ian. How are you? Are the guys done practicing already?”
    Ian could tell immediately that the guy she was talking to was making her uncomfortable. He was standing pretty close to her, and she was trying to inch away from him. “Hi Lacey. Practice won’t start for another forty-five minutes. I just stopped by to pick something up for my son.”
    “Great. I’m here buying skates. Jody’s going to start teaching me how to skate tomorrow.” Turning to Ben’s father she said, “I guess you’ll be going now.” Just as she thought he might make one more advance towards her, Ian stepped closer to her, and he changed his mind. “Sure, nice talking to you.”
    When he was gone, Lacey turned to Ian to thank him. “That guy just wouldn’t take no for an answer. Sorry I called