Sure kid. We all are.
I was an asshole, but not cruel, so I didn’t say it out loud. The chances of making it to the NHL were against him, but I didn’t want to be the one to burst his bubble. And, hell, maybe he would be one of the lucky ones. I scrawled my name with the number nine attached to theLin Tinsel.
“Thanks, Nick.” He fanned the magazine before closing it and held it to his chest while he waited for me to return his marker. “We’re so excited for the Christmas Classic. We’re going to win this year. I know it. Everyone is going to celebrate. My mom is going to bake a cake and we’re going to have a party after the game to celebrate.”
“Sounds like fun,” I grumbled.
“There’s Logan.” George’s eyes widened as he looked past me.
I turned to see one of hockey’s legends step on the ice. Logan Brush was a former NHL star who had bought the Bobcats. Coach Coalman told me that he was involved with the team, but I hadn’t expected to see him on the ice.
My guts churned and I wondered if the Swamp Monster was going to make a reappearance. It wasn’t food poisoning, it was nerves. I thought that I was going to show up, play afew games in a league that no one cared about, get what I came for, and leave. I didn’t expect the team to have a fan base that could rival any NHL team.
George had run back to the stands, his eyes glued on Logan Brush. I squared my shoulders and skated to the team bench.
“Nick Tinsel?” Logan extended his hand. “I’m Logan Brush. Coach Coalman will be out shortly. I didn’t expect to see you out here on the ice. I was hoping to have a chat before practice.”
I shook his hand. “Coach said it was all right for me to come and get my legs warmed up.”
Logan nodded. “Makes sense. How are you doing with the altitude? That’s usually what kicks people’s asses, especially coming from the Eastern Seaboard.”
Pausing, I started to wonder if the dizzy, light-headed feeling I got around Evie wasn’t a surprise infatuation, but just a result of being too high—literally. “I haven’t really noticed it, but I just got in last night. I’m staying at the Snowy Peaks Inn until I find a place to live.”
“Oh, I know.” Logan had a perfect smile. He was the same height as me, six foot four, and even though he was a couple decades older, looked like he could give me a run for my money in speed drills. “GJ has her book club searching high and low for an apartment for the hunky new goalie.” He laughed. “Her words, not mine.”
“Dear Lord.” I shook my head, but this news didn’t surprise me. “She told me she was going to help out.”
“You’re lucky to have her.” Logan picked up a clipboard. “It can be tough to find rentals here, but in the winter it’s almost impossible. If you haven’t noticed, half of Australia is in town to make sure skiers don’t fall off the chairlifts.”
“The only people I’ve met are GJ’s crew, her granddaughter, and Muriel.”
Logan scribbled something on his notes. “Don’t worry. You will meet everyone soon enough. You’re going to be a celebrity here. I’d advise you not to get involved with any of the puck bunnies, it’s a small town, word gets around pretty quick.”
My thoughts immediately went to Evie and her sexy braids. She definitely wasn’t a puck bunny. “I’ll keep that in mind.” I crossed my arms. Logan Brush seemed cool, but I didn’t appreciate being told what to do. If I wanted to bang my way through every bunny in town, that was my decision—not the team owner’s. But defiance is what got me suspended from the Otters, so I bit my lip and nodded. “I’m sure that there are non-bunnies in town that I could take out on a date.”
He chuckled and pulled a pair of glasses out of his pocket. “Getting old, Tinsel. I knew it would happen, I just didn’t think it would happen to me.” The glasses had granny strings. Logan managed to shimmy the string over his Bobcats baseball cap and let the readers rest on his chest. “Just, be smart. That’s all I’m saying. People will talk. Especially GJ.” He pried open the arms of his glasses and put them on, glaring at me from over the top of the lenses.
I think it was his way of telling me not to mess around with Evie. Or, maybe not. Maybe he wasn’t inferring anything at all, and I just had her on my mind. All I wanted to do was get the job done and get the hell out of Chance Rapids, hopefully right after the Christmas Classic.
“Got it.”
Logan turned his head and raised his eyebrows. I felt like I needed to say that I wasn’t going to give his team a bad reputation, that I wasn’t going to sleep with the innkeeper’s granddaughter. “I’ll stay away from Evie.”
He smiled and nodded. Hewastalking about her.
“She’s not really my type anyway.” I felt like I needed to cement it with my new boss. “There was this hot brunettedressed in black at the G-Spot. I like my women a little bit older.” I winked.
The color drained from Logan’s face. He pointed to the dressing room. “Suit up before you’re late.” His voice had lowered to a growl. I thought that taking the attention away from Evie would help me. What had I done wrong?
“I should get ready for practice.”
“Isn’t that what I just said?” He slammed the clipboard on the bench. Number Eleven from the Bobcats walked by and raised his eyebrows.
“Right.” I grabbed my stick and made my way to the dressing room. So much for starting out on a good foot, but at least if the owner hated me, it would make fucking up his Christmas Classic and bailing on the team a hell of a lot easier. I had already decided I wasn’t going to make any friends. If I was going to let them all down, it would be easier if I didn’t like any of them.
Practice was easy.Coach had the team running plays that I could stop in my sleep. There was only one player who could get the puck past me, a guy named Chaser. I wasn’t sure if his name was Chase, or if it was a hockey nickname—but the guy was good. I wondered if he was the one that the scouts were interested in checking out. Coalman had told me there was one contender, it had to be him.
In the dressing room, I sat off to the side. Chaser and one of the defensemen, a kid named Mack, were sitting on either side of me when Coach came in.
