“I’m good. Things are good.”

“Classes?”

“Going well. Straight As.” Not like I had a choice if I wanted to keep my scholarships.

He studied me, brow furrowed. “Carter’s good?”

“He’s great.” I felt a goofy smile emerge across my face. Couldn’t help it; always happened when I talked about him.

“I’m glad,” Derek said. “I mean, I still don’t get it. But if he’s good to you, I’ll try.”

It wasn’t exactly a glowing endorsement, but it was progress. If they could start off by co-existing peacefully, I’d consider it a win.

“That’s all I ask. If you guys kept an open mind and put all that other stuff aside, I’m sure you’d get along. At least off the ice.”

He shot me a look that said he didn’t believe me even a little, but he said nothing.

“What about…you?” I asked.

I was afraid to know the answer.

“I ended things with Jill.”

“Oh, thank god.” At least there was some good news coming from this. And Jill had been extra bitchy lately. Maybe that was why. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” He drained his coffee and set down the empty cup. “Honestly, I don’t know how I got sucked into something that messed up. It was like this weird slippery slope.”

In a way, I got it. Not the whole affair part. But the slippery slope thing, for sure. It was like I woke up one day in a really terrible, controlling relationship with Luke, and I couldn’t believe I’d let it get to that point. And I didn’t fully grasp how bad it was until I was out of it.

“Good. You deserve better than that.”

Now if Mendez would dump her, the karmic retribution would be complete.

“I’m going out with a chick from my finance class this weekend, so we’ll see where that leads.”

“Even being alone is better than being with someone toxic,” I said. “I wish I had known that a long time ago.”

He shifted his weight, looking uncomfortable. “Is Luke still contacting you?”

“Sometimes.” I shrugged. It was hit or miss.

Chase wanted me to block him, but that kind of thing only made Luke escalate more. If Luke thought he was getting to me—he wasn’t—it kept him on more of a leash.

Derek shook his head, his face clouding over. “I told him to stop.”

Good to know he had tried for once, I guess. I wasn’t sure if he knew about the untrue things Luke had texted to the team, but I wouldn’t get into that right now.

“So did Chase. Repeatedly.”

“That’s what the hit was about, huh?”

“Little bit. Luke is a cheap shit anyway,” I said. “He probably deserved it either way.”

Derek laughed. “Probably.”