“Don’t worry. We’ll be in their shoes on Friday when we go to Windswan.” He laughed and skated off.
As I dropped into my pregame stretches, I wondered if Evie was in the stands. For the first time since I’d arrived in Chance Rapids, I was nervous. This wasn’t some rinky dink little tournament. This was a big fucking deal. Not only to the players but to everyone in the stands.
Any doubts that I had about being able to fulfill my obligations to Coach dissipated the second the puck was dropped. I went into game mode. The Windswan Eagles were good, but I was better. At the end of the second period, we were up three–nil. Chaser had scored all three goals and the ice was littered with hats.
During the second period intermission Coach pulled me aside. “You need to let one in. It can’t be this obvious.” His eyes darted behind me. He looked paranoid, but I guess that’s what happens when you have a gambling problem and you owe the wrong people a bunch of money.
“I thought you said I could do my thing.” I crossed my arms, not an easy thing to do in my goalie pads.
“I forgot how good you are.” He patted my shoulder. Coalman and I had a few good years together back east before he turned into this man I didn’t recognize. He used to love the game, and someone who cared about the sport as much as he did, would never do…what he was doing.
I didn’t spot GJ until the third period. She was seated next to the timekeepers, but she wasn’t sitting. She was standingon her chair, initiating the wave. As arms flew up around the arena, I banged my stick on the goalposts and poured my water through my goalie mask. When the wave returned to GJ, I saw her—Evie was at the game.
My heart thudded and I blinked hard, trying to forget that I’d seen her.
The puck dropped and the captain of the Eagles, a player with the last name Costello, broke away. I stared him down as he headed toward me like a freight train. Mack was hot on his heels, but I knew that he wasn’t going to catch him.
I don’t know why I did it. I never look at the audience, but I couldn’t stop myself. Evie’s eyes were glued to the ice. I shook my head, but when I returned my focus to the puck, it was too late. Costello surprised me with a dangle and then went five-hole when I was ready to catch it over my shoulder.
The hush that fell over the arena was bone chilling. The red light flashed above my head. To my right, Coach gave me an approving nod. He thought that I’d followed his instructions, but that was an honest goal. I didn’t think that any of those players would be able to get anything past me.
My cocky confidence was shaken. Never once had I questioned whether or not I could control every shot that came at me.
SIXTEEN
EVIE
The Saint Claire was a hit.GJ had already approved Friday’s breakfast special, a duck egg omelet. She insisted that it be called the Fallen Eagle—after the neighboring town’s hockey team. There was no sign of Nick, although I assumed that he was probably hungover. Everyone in town partied hard all night to celebrate the Bobcats’ win over the Eagles in game one. I’d had to put in earplugs to block out the noise from the street.
After my morning tasks were done, I rushed to the farm supply store to pick up a pair of coveralls. It had been a long time since I’d worked with horses, and GJ’s slippery purple suit would likely traumatize the horses.
Eddie let me borrow his car again. “Are you sure?” I asked. “I’m going to a farm.”
He swatted his hand at me. “It’s just a car.”
His car was a fancy Cadillac SUV that probably cost more than a lot of the houses in town. Great-uncle Eddie had worked at a couple of car dealerships in the Midwest and always drove nice cars. I assumed that he had a lifetime staff discount or something.
Dressed in the coveralls, I headed out of town. Sunbeamsblasted me through the windshield and I pulled down the visor, hoping Eddie had a spare pair of sunglasses.
“Of course,” I muttered as I unfolded the arms of the blue blockers. “They’re better than nothing.” I slid the cataract surgery glasses on my face. They were hideous, but they sure did the job. I followed Henri’s directions. The farm was actually farther out than I anticipated and I was glad that Eddie’s car had four wheel drive. The laneway was long and rutted. By the time I reached the Lumber Ranch, clouds had started forming on the horizon behind the white farmhouse that sat high on a hill.
I parked the Cadillac in front of the barn, next to a truck with a plow on the front, and took a deep breath.
Henri jogged down the laneway looking chic and I wondered if she had any clothes that weren’t black. “Hi,” she shouted and waved.
I put on my gloves and waved back. “Hi.”
“Sick glasses.”
My hands went to Eddie’s blue blockers. I took them off and shoved them into the pocket of my canvas jacket. “It looks like I won’t need them anymore.” Minuscule, almost imperceptible flakes of snow had started to fall.
“They’re calling for a storm.” Henri bit her lip and looked to the sky. “Jack is already in the barn. Come on, I’ll take you.”
Some people might hate the smell of a barn, but I loved it. Manure and straw brought me back to a time in my life when everything was right. A time when my family was still…a family. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed the smell of shit.
“Jack.” Henri waved to a man at the far barn door. “This is Evie.”
The man’s back was to us, but he seemed familiar. I wondered if I had met him somewhere around town. Then he turned around. It wasn’t Jack, it was Nick.
