“Like you would actually fire us.”
Channing turned fully to face him, seeming to gain an inch or two in height as he glared and said, too quiet for the ump to hear, “Fuck around and find out, Darren. But you know there’s only one loser here.”
I thought maybe Cameron Darren’s face turned a bit green around the edges. He backed off and went to stand by himself, out of the way, since we had first rock.
I returned to Perry’s side and took his hand.
“What was that all about?” he whispered as Darby chose a stone and waited for the ump to start the game.
“Tell you after. You have to get down there.” I leaned in and kissed his cheek. “You got this,” I assured him.
He looked a little pale but nodded and slid off down the ice to the other end to give Darby something to aim at.
The first two ends of the game went smoothly, both ending in a blank, which was encouraging because this was an Olympic team we were playing after all. If we could play them to a blank end when they had the hammer, then that was something, right?
Of course, as soon as I thought that, they had a four point end.
Less encouraging, though we managed to fight back, was earning two points the next end, giving them the hammer, which got them another point, but then we stole two points in the sixth end. I wish I could say that was all us, but some of it was no doubt Cameron losing focus when the young team came to sit and watch the game.
The seventh end, we managed to steal another point, tying the game.
We forced them to take a point with their hammer in the eighth end, which favour they returned in the ninth, but that left them with the hammer and, again, a tied game. Not ideal.
“Nothing like the tenth end being like we never played at all,” Robbie grumbled, staring at the board and the equal score there.
“Well,” Perry pointed out, “thankfully, we’re up against the clock, so all we have to do is keep them off the board. Even a draw would be better than a loss, and there won’t be time to play any extra ends.”
I grinned at him. “We could actually beat the Olympic team,” I said.
“Let’s just play the end.” He looked tired, and I squinted at him.
“You okay?”
“Counting on you guys,” he said. “I’m not seeing things too clearly. Not like usual.”
“Too much pressure,” I thought out loud.
“Maybe. Too many people?” He glanced around the rink. Most of the other teams were finished their games and sat watching ours.
I didn’t blame them. I would be watching too. This was probably going to be the Olympic team, after all. Just watching was a masterclass in curling, never mind actually playing them.
“Come on.” I draped an arm over his shoulder. “We got this.”
“I appreciate that.” He motioned Darby over. “You know what to do.”
He nodded. “No worries, Skip. Just give me a target.”
I was so glad Darby had turned out to be so very different from his cousin, who was a neurotic, insecure mess. Darby, thankfully, was as unflappable as Shaw. As lead rock, he set the tone for the rest of the end and having a guy there who could reliably place his stone wherever the fuck he wanted was a boon to the whole team.
True to form, he left both his guards right on the centre line.
I did my part, dropping lures behind his guards. Either Channing’s team would try to knock my stones out of scoring position, or they’d try to freeze to them, pushing them to the back of the house and leaving themselves in scoring position.
Whichever they chose, Robbie would take advantage of their positioning in the same way or clear the house.
Turned out, clearing the house with his first stone was his only option.
Predictably, Channing had Renard deliver his stone to the wing of the eight foot ring. Surprisingly, he left it just enough forward that if Robbie made the right weight, he could roll Renard’s rock out and leave his inside the rings.
