“Ah,” Maxim said, nodding. “She didn’t drop to her knees and say you were a god and admit she’d been pining for you?”
“Who the fuck would do that?” Cormac wanted to know. “The garbage that comes out of your mouth.”
“What?” Maxim said. “That would be romantic.”
“That would bemortifying,” Stol said, eyes wide. “I love Millie’s fire.”
Maxim burst out laughing as he skated ahead.
“Dude likes to mess with us,” Cormac noted. “Don’t worry. I’ll think of something to get even with his stupidity.”
“On it,” Cruz said. “I already filched his apple butter. It’s atubof the stuff. We’ll eat it in front of him before the game. That’ll get him all riled up.”
Cormac rubbed his hands together, grinning broadly. “I love this plan.”
“San Jose won’t,” I said.
“That’s why it’s a good one,” Cruz noted.
We continued to skate, warming up our legs, but my mind drifted back to Hana. I didn’t think the skinny shit would hurt her, but I hadn’t liked the way he talked to her. I needed to make sure she was safe.
Cruz appeared next to me, matching my stride. “She’s fine,” he said. “The dude, Jeremy, the one you call skinny shit, is her boss.”
“How do you know that?”
Cruz smirked. “Insider knowledge.”
“You’re hiding something,” I decided. “Not just about Hana, but inyourlife. Come on, what is it?”
Cruz shrugged. “Not a thing to worry about.”
I snorted. Like I believed him.
We collected our hockey sticks and began drills, my mind eased by Cruz’s comments but still flooded with Hana’s expression. I sighed as I missed a pass from Stolly, who shouted at me, raising his gloves in frustration.
Coach had his arms crossed over his chest as he glared. “All right. You guys are done for now. Rest up, grab a bite—you know the drill.”
As I stepped off the ice to head to the locker room, Coach fell into step beside me. “You need to get your head in the game.”
“I know.”
“I gave you a lot of leeway, Naese. Don’t make me regret it.”
“You did. I’ll be ready for the game,” I assured him. And I was determined to make that true, so I went to eat with Cruz and tried my hardest to chill out.
By the time we returned to get ready for the game, I did feel clearer, more focused, though I couldn’t pinpoint why. When we’d arrived at the arena earlier today, I’d asked Sandy, the administrative staffer who had flown in with the team from Houston, to let me know if Hana picked up her ticket at will-call. Once we were seated in the locker room and Coach Whittaker had finished his debrief, Sandy gave me a thumbs-up.Hana was in her seat. Now I had butterflies dancing through my belly, making my hands a little shaky as I wrapped my stick. I needed to calm down all over again.
“You okay?” Cormac asked.
“Hana’s here.”
“Oh. Cool.” He smiled. “Where’s she sitting? I can have some of the CATS talk to her.”
“I don’t know if she’d handle that well?—”
“Already sorted,” Cruz said. “She’s with Ida Jane.”
“Wish Keelie could have come,” Cormac said, suddenly morose. “She would have liked to meet Hana.”
