Mac:She said yes. Coffee tomorrow. 2 PM.
Cole:Congrats, man! Told you being honest would work.
Jamie:WHAT. Details. Now. Did you ramble?
Luke:YES! I KNEW IT! You owe me twenty bucks, Jamie!
Sanchez:Well done. Now don't screw it up.
Mac looked back at the library. Through the window, he could see Rachel arranging the flowers in a vase at her desk, adjusting them carefully.
She was smiling.
Mac got in his truck and immediately called Cole, because texting wasn't enough for this.
Cole answered on the firstring. "How'd it go?"
"I rambled. I tripped over a chair and knocked down half the mystery section. I probably said 'I'm nice' four times. And she said yes."
Cole's laugh was deep. "That's my boy. See? Being yourself works."
"I was a disaster."
"You were real. There's a difference." Mac could hear the smile in Cole's voice. "Now, you ready for the actual date?"
"Absolutely not."
"Good. That'll keep you humble." There was a pause, then Cole's voice turned serious. "Be yourself tomorrow too. That's who she wants to see again."
Mac took a breath, letting Cole's words settle. "Okay. I can do that."
"I know you can. Now come over tonight, we’re watching the game remember?"
"Yeah, yeah. I’ll be there. Love you, man."
"Love you too. Now get over here."
Mac drove through Evergreen Cove, past the familiar streets lined with bare trees starting to bud, past the small shops closing up for lunch, past the ice arena where he'd spent most of his life. This town had been home his whole life, the only home he'd ever known.
He'd grown up in the small house by the water with his father, a fisherman and hunter who'd raised him alone after Mac's mother passed away during childbirth. His old man was proud of him, Mac knew that, even if he didn't say it much. There'd probably been some quiet hope that Mac would follow in his footsteps, take to the water and the woods the way generations of MacKenzies’ had. But Mac had only ever wanted the ice. He'd gone on those fishing trips and hunting expeditions to spend time with his father, not because he was into it.
His heart had always been at the rink.
Besides, having Cole here had changed everything. An ex-NHL player coaching alongside Coach Davies? Mac was learningthings he never would have figured out on his own. They made a hell of a team, the three of them. Lately, his game had been getting better, a lot better. Good enough that he'd gotten offers from other teams, cities with bigger leagues and better money. He'd turned them down. The contracts weren't big enough to justify leaving, not yet. Maybe someday, but not now.
Mac smiled to himself as he turned onto Main Street. His life was good here. The team, the town, his dad just a few minutes away. And now, maybe, if he didn't completely screw this up, there could be something else good too.
He'd been thinking about asking her out for a month. Longer, if he was honest. And now it was happening. Mac's pulse kicked into overdrive. He wiped his palms on his jeans, when was the last time his hands had been this clammy? This was almost worse than a playoff game. At least in hockey, he knew what he was doing.
Tomorrow. 2 PM. Sophie's Café.
He was going to make sure Rachel Morrison never regretted saying yes.
4
Rachel
Rachel stared at the library door Mac had just stumbled through, her pulse doing things it had no business doing.
