Grinning, I shake my head. “Nothing a sundae can’t fix.” I use my chin to draw attention to the table of promotional pucks set up in the corner of the room. It reminds me of last week when we signed all that gear under Blair’s watchful eyes. I push the thought away and stop myself from looking for her. “You guys want me to sign one for you?”
“Yeah!” The first boy elbows the second. “I’ll get us both one.” And then he scurries off, leaving me standing alone with the quiet teenage boy who can’t seem to make eye contact.
“So, do you play hockey?” Lots of the kids here do. It gets in your blood.
The boy shakes his head, his curls bouncing again. “No, I play football. Never even tried on a pair of skates.”
That surprises me, but I play it cool. Something tells me if I make this kid feel like some kind of alien creature for not knowing how to skate, he’ll shut down. “Football, huh? You any good?”
His ears turn pink. Rubbing the back of his neck, he shrugs. “I’m all right.”
“What position do you play?”
“Tight end.”
That’s a difficult position. It takes skill and strength, not to mention confidence on the field. “You play on a team?”
The first boy rejoins us, and I set my ice cream down. I feel eyes on us, but I don’t pull my attention away from the kids in front of me. There’s nothing worse than an adult making you feel like you’re not worth their attention at this age.
“I just switched schools and missed the initial tryouts. The coach agreed to let me go out for a spot, though, so hopefully I will next week.”
I take the pucks from the first kid and grab the gold Sharpie he hands me. “That’s awesome. I’m sure you’ll get a spot. Something tells me you’re good.”
The boy shuffles his feet. “Thanks.”
“So, what are your names?”
“Eddie,” the shorter boy says. He hooks a thumb at his friend. “This is Reed.”
Signing their pucks, I ask the boys a few more questions and do my best to draw Reed out of his shell, but he lets Eddie do most of the talking, answering me with as few words as possible. Still, I don’t miss the way he stands taller the longer we speak. My mind wanders to my connections. I know a couple of footballplayers here in the Twin Cities. I wonder if I could connect them with Reed. Because something tells me the kid has talent. And that he could use some more people in his corner.
Soon, a crowd has formed around us, and a pretty, curvy woman with black hair almost down to her waist calls the boys’ names. I tell them to have a good night, making a mental note to ask who she is so I can figure out who Eddie and Reed belong to. Then I’m hardly able to eat two bites of my sundae before it melts as employees and their kids ask for autographs or start conversations about the game.
By the time Sebastian tugs on my elbow and extracts me from the crowd, I’m more than ready to escape and head to the bar. My eyes make a sweep of the space. Not because I’m looking forher, but because I’m looking for the other guys. Still, I’m relieved not to see Blair. I know the guys think I’m being an asshole, but there’s no way the woman doesn’t have some sinister plan.
“She left,” Bash says with a soft chuckle.
“She who?”
“That really how you want to play it?”
I shrug. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“That’s fine. I’ll play along this time. Let’s head to Chasers.”
The bar is even louderand more crowded than the event room at the arena, but this place is a haven for us. People cheer when we walk in, but for the most part, they leave us alone. It’s what keeps us coming back after home games.
“There they are,” Mira calls out, raising her hands, as if she’s responsible for summoning us or something. There’s a goofy smile on her face, and it’s clear they’ve already had a couple of drinks.
I chuckle as Bash and I slide into the booth. “Here we are.”
“We got you beers,” Griffin says, sliding two pints our way with one hand while the other remains wrapped around his wife’s waist.
“Thanks.” I waste no time lifting the cold glass to my lips, taking a deep pull before saying hi to Isla and Lexi. They wave back, but it’s clear they were in the middle of a conversation and jump right back into it.
“I think we should come up with a list of fun places too. It’s got to be so hard moving somewhere you don’t know anyone,” Lexi says to Isla.
Maddox’s wife hums in agreement. “Totally. I have some ideas that would be perfect and age appropriate. And then we’ll figure out when we can do a girls’ night out. She seems really cool. I can’t wait.”
