Chapter17
Keelie
Isettled back in my seat, flushed with excitement, chest heaving from yelling. I took a long gulp of the beer Marian had brought back, wincing at its yeastiness but thankful for the cooling sensation as it slid down my burning throat. I hadn’t yelled this much in ages—maybe ever.
“Hockey’s exciting,” I said.
Marian shot me a rueful look. “More so when you’re emotionally invested in one player.”
“I’m not sure where this is going.” I knew where I wanted my relationship with Cormac to go—if I could learn to trust him.
She shrugged. “You don’t have to be sure. You just have to enjoy.”
Tonight, she’d smiled when she arrived and seemed happy to see me. Maybe she was just having a rough time lately. I understood people taking out their negativity on others; my mother did that, often, and I refused to talk to her when she treated me like her punching bag.
I mulled over Marian’s words as I watched the opposing team make a run toward the Wildcatters’ goalie. I gasped as the player hauled back and slapped a shot. Adam sprawled out in the split, the puck slamming into his padded thigh before he grabbed it in his mitted hands. I pressed my palm to my racing heart. This game might betooexciting.
The period ended with the Wildcatters up one-nil, and the crowd heaved as one to stand and march back up the aisles to the restrooms or to purchase more concessions from the wide array of overpriced options. The Zamboni slid out of its gate and began a leisurely re-glazing of the ice.
I tugged my cardigan tighter around my torso as I leaned forward and touched Andy’s shoulder. “Having fun?”
He nodded as he beamed, his gap-toothed smile wider than I’d ever seen it.
“Ms. Hayes?” I turned, surprised to find a young woman in khakis and a Wildcatter polo standing nearby. “Cormac wanted to make sure you brought Andy back to the locker room after the game.” She glanced at Andy’s father. “As long as you’re okay with that, sir.”
I waited for Andy’s father to communicate with his son. He gave me a nod, his smile matching Andy’s, before I agreed.
“Great! I’ll come back to collect you all afterward,” the woman said. “Enjoy the rest of the game.”
Marian smiled, seeming gleeful at the prospect. People around us pulled out their phones, snapping pictures…ofme. One older gentleman sitting a row behind and to the left reached forward and tapped my shoulder.
I glanced back, unsure about the sudden attention and whispering. “Yes?”
“You know Cormac Bouchard?”
I cleared my dry throat. “I do.” My palms sweat. What if this guy asked about my relationship with him? What if he… I frowned. Why was I worried about what others thought of me? Didn’t I teach my kids to be strong and confident in their choices?
“Tell him he’s a second too slow. We won’t get to the championships if he doesn’t pick up his game.”
“I’ll tell him,” I said, my tone as dry as my mouth.
Chapter18
Cormac
“Great game,” I said, clapping Nik, then Cruz on the shoulder. Maxim was too far ahead to congratulate. “I invited Keelie down here. I’m not sure if she can come to the restaurant. She has to teach school tomorrow.”
“You’re dating a teacher?” Adam cracked up and slid off the bench.
I scowled, but before I could say anything, Maxim nudged Adam with the edge of his skate. “She’s awesome, dude. Now shut up and sign this sweater. We’re giving it to one of her students. Kid’s cute but has some kind of motor issue, and I think he’s bullied.”
That shut Adam up—his younger sister had been bullied in school to the point she’d hurt herself. He grabbed the marker and signed. “What else are we doing for this kid?” he asked, all business.
“Keelie looks out for him, and we invited him here. The sweater’s another level of security—”
“I’ll visit him at lunch,” Adam said. “Sit with him. Make sure the other students know he’s my bud.”
Maxim scratched his beard. “That’s a good idea. Why didn’t I think of that?”
