Darkroom: A Moo U Hockey Romance Kate Willoughby (read full novel .TXT) 📖

We’d gotten a couple inches of snow the night before and cold weather always brought out the purple in it. I resisted the urge to wrap my scarf so that the PWS was mostly covered up.

Not today, I thought. Today was about being fearless, being proud and making a new friend. I’d already walked through the dorm and down to my car without anything bad happening. I could do this last few yards.

The moment I got out of the car, I heard a high-pitched shriek.

“INDI, INDI, INDI, INDI!”

As Denise shouted, “Be careful!” Leah sped down the shoveled walk toward me at high speed. I knelt and laughed as she threw herself in my arms.

“Hey, pipsqueak! How are you?” I asked.

“I’m so happy you’re here. And I can see your birthmark!” She clapped her hands in excitement. “Mommy! See? See Indi’s birthmark?”

“I see it, sweetie. Come inside where it’s warm.”

After hanging up my coat and scarf, I followed them to the family room which adjoined the kitchen. A Hallmark Christmas movie was playing at a low volume on a TV. Festive garland adorned the windows and the table had a plaid runner on it, along with lightly golden sugar cookies of various shapes, awaiting decoration.

“What’s that amazing smell?” I asked, putting the grocery bag I had brought on the table.

“Hot apple cider,” Leah exclaimed. “We put whipped cream and caramel sauce on it so it’s extra sweet.”

“That sounds delicious. It’s clear I’m going to need to see the dentist after today. Now, I hope I brought the right sprinkles. They looked at me funny when I asked for purple but I got a little container of every purple sprinkle they had.”

Denise brought us pastry bags of icing and bowls of frosting and after she showed me how to use it, Leah said, “Show her how to do a Leah cookie.”

“What’s a Leah cookie?” I asked.

“Leah cookies are cookies that have purple icing in the shape of her birthmark,” Denise explained. “We made them on a lark last year for her preschool class and I posted a picture of them on social media. They got a lot of attention. Everyone loved the story behind them.”

“It’s a wonderful idea,” I agreed.

“Someone in the Facebook group suggested I sell them to raise money for the VBF—that's the Vascular Birthmark Foundation, but I don’t really know how I’d do that.” She glanced at me. “I was actually hoping your boyfriend might be able to help me out. That day at the park, he told me about his major—community business or something like that.”

“Community entrepreneurship,” I said.

“Oh, that’s right.” Denise smiled. “I didn’t know what that was and he explained how it’s for people who want to go into businesses that benefit the community in some way. Do you think he’d be able to give me some pointers?”

Not wanting to talk or even think about Hudson right now, I “accidentally” knocked over a jar of sprinkles. “Oh no!” Leah exclaimed.

“No harm done,” Denise said. “I’ll get the Shop-Vac.”

Luckily, no more mention was made about consulting Hudson, but I did end up overdosing on sugar. They gave me an early Christmas present which I adored—a plum colored T-shirt that said, “Port wine is my favorite color.”

After I left their house, I stopped by the drug store to pick up some highlighters and shampoo and it wasn’t until I was back at the dorm that I realized I'd forgotten I wasn’t wearing makeup. I’d forgotten that from the moment I left the Snows until now, people could see my PWS. I’d gone about my business like I didn’t have a big splotch of color on my face and nothing happened. I felt like I’d just aced a final. Pride and joy and an exhilarating feeling of freedom suffused me and I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

But almost immediately afterward, my balloon of happiness deflated as I came to the bleak realization that the person I wanted to share this accomplishment with most was Hudson.

37

Hudson

On the plane ride back, I got what I thought was a great idea—a symbolic gesture that might go a long way toward softening Indi’s heart and convincing her that I really loved her. It was a long shot and it was going to be a week of sheer hell, but that was kind of the point.

Unfortunately, after we landed, it took me a while to find what I needed, then I had to go home to apply it—no easy feat—and make a phone call.

By the time I drove up to Carter Hall at around nine thirty, doubt began to hammer me. I glanced in the rearview mirror and grimaced at what I saw. This was either going to work out beautifully or she was going to laugh in my face.

I was so nervous, I performed my entire pregame routine in the Jeep—the breathing, relaxation, visualization of happiness, banishment of negativity and the pep talk. When I was done, feeling calmer and more focused, it was gratifying to know the system worked for non-hockey situations too.

“Who is it?” Ruby said, when I knocked on the door.

“It’s Hudson. I need to talk to Indi.”

“I don’t know if she’s home. Hold on.”

This was total bullshit because their place was too small for her not to know if Indi was there or not, but I respected Ruby’s desire to protect her friend.

After hushed conversation, Indi opened the door. Her jaw dropped open at the sight of me and she gasped.

My heart did a hard thump-thump in my chest at the sight of her in a Burlington U hockey T-shirt and sweats. If she was wearing that shirt, she hadn’t completely written me off. That gave me hope.

38

Indi

“Oh my God, Hudson, what did you do?” I asked.

A bright purple blotch in a rough approximation of my birthmark covered the upper left quadrant of his face. It looked completely ridiculous. He looked as if he’d just been to a carnival and asked