“Fucking awesome!”
“Fire!”
“We weredying.”
“Just here to entertain you,” I chuckle, trying to get back onto my feet.
“Are you going to go pro?” my goalie wants to know. “That scout from Ottawa wants you more than me.”
This again?“I’m not going anywhere.” Not even to Barrie, apparently. It still stings that I didn’t get that job. And out of thecorner of my eye I can see Bill Braddock watching me from the top of the stands, where he’s sitting with the assistant coach and a couple of other guys.
The pressure is on, then. We have to win this one.
I clap my hands together. “Okay, guys. Party’s over. We’re going to beat Niagara in a few hours, but only if we can shut down their offense. Let’s do some D-drills before we watch film. Taylor—set up the cones for an odd man rush.”
“Okay, Coach.” He skates off.
Part of my job is to know which guys I can always count on to set the tone. Taylor is always open for business. “Trapatski! Stop wagging your jaw and set up for the rush. Let’s move.”
Bill and his crew stay in their seats, watching. It would be nice if the head coach or his assistant would get his butt down here and address his team, but I guess you can’t have everything.
I’m feeling feisty today. I really am.
“Line up, guys! Move!”
Everyone issweaty by the time I’m done an hour later. Including me. “Hit the locker room!” I call after my whistle. “Video in thirty.”
I’m the last one off the ice. AndnowBraddock is waiting at the bench? “Got a second?” he says.
Not really, I almost snap at him. I’m not a stupid man, so I hold it back. But I still feel frosty toward him. It’s not a great way to feel toward your boss, but I guess I need a few more days to get over my disappointment.
“Sure,” I mutter. “But we’re watching video soon.”
“I know. But I got a few things to discuss with you beforehand. First of all, I never had so much fun in my life as I did watching that San Jose game.”
In spite of my grumpiness, a smile breaks out on my face. “Itwasfun.”
“I know the Ottawa team is trying to lure you away from here to back up their back-up goalie. We’re lucky you aren’t that interested.”
“Youarelucky.” It just pops out as I sit down on the bench to unlace my skates.
Bill only grins. “I know, kid. I know. And I can see on your face that you’re not over the Barrie job. But that’s not the right fit for you. You’re overqualified to be that coach’s assistant. And like Ron and I told you, we thought you deserved a different position.”
My hands freeze on the laces. “Overqualified?” That makes no sense. Assistant Coach is the next job on the ladder. I lift my head quickly. “What the heck does that mean?”
“Jamie, I’m going to cover your video session, okay? There are some guys I want you to meet. They came up from Mississauga to get to know you better.” He jerks his thumb toward the stands.
I squint at the coaches sitting in the distant seats. “Mississauga?”
He thumps me on the back. “Go talk to them.”
I get home around six-thirty.When I push open our door, a shirtless Wes calls to me from the kitchen, where he’s staring into the refrigerator. “How’d the game go, babe? And what do you want to do about dinner?”
“Dinner,” I repeat slowly. My head is elsewhere.
“Yeah, dinner? That meal that you sometimes cook but we sometimes eat out?” He rubs his perfect abs. “I’m starved.”
“I completely forgot what I wanted to do about dinner.” I completely forgot everything I’d been thinking about until the guys from Mississauga blew my mind.
