“I love it.”
The camper still has a ways to go before it’s done, but my heart is full. I’m so thankful I have an amazing support system in my family and friends. Most of all in Cole. His belief in me bolsters my confidence in myself.
THIRTY
COLE
October
Before I know it,fall sets in again. The weeks fly by after training camp, then the start of the semester. I blinked and August has sped along to the end of October.
I get how it must be for Eve when she says she feels like time slips away from her too easily. Maybe it spills through my fingers so quickly because she makes me happy.
The regular hockey season is underway. Our first few games were good in my book, though David gave the team an earful in the locker room and on the bus home after Saturday night’s away game. We definitely have room to work out the kinks and get the guys connecting fluidly.
It’s getting late on a Tuesday. The athletic facility is shut down for the night. I’m still in my office reviewing game tape to search for anything else to address in this week’s practices.
Narrowing my eyes, I scrub back to watch a breakaway. I tap a pen over the notepad I’ve filled with my observations. It’s one of Eve’s that she designed for her shop. The motivationalmessages she hand-lettered while we watched TV make my lips twitch affectionately.
As I watch, I pick up the dog figurine she bought for me at the festival. It always makes me think of her when I spot it on my desk.
I rewind the video to study the play again, frowning at the moment it falls apart. Easton’s golden when he picks up the pass from Jake in our defensive zone, racing up the ice ahead of the Elmwood players. He’s wicked fast and his control is beautiful. Then in a split second, it’s over when a zippy forward poke checks the puck.
My mind whirs with the drills we can utilize to help Easton find a counterattack strategy. The kid’s got so much raw talent, yet it surprises me he wasn’t picked up by professional scouts in junior league. I know David personally recruited him to play here.
My phone lights up. I see Eve’s name and just like that, I feel lighter.
Eve:Mission sneak in after hours successful.
There’s a photo attached. She’s standing by the practice rink, the image edited on her phone to make her look like a spy with a drawn beanie, sunglasses, and coloring her Heston U hoodie black.
I snort, glad I asked her to meet me here after hours. I needed the excuse to drag myself away from the overtime I’ve been putting in.
Pocketing my phone, I slip out of the office to find her. The practice rink has half the lights turned off, creating a more intimate vibe when I track her down. She’s absorbed in typingsomething on her phone, probably a note to herself to get down whatever idea’s popped into her head.
Prowling silently, I sneak up on her, clapping a hand over her mouth to stifle her surprised shriek when I wrap my arm around her.
“Gotcha.”
She tugs my hand down and spins in my arms. “You’ll pay for that.”
“Oh yeah?” I grin, dipping my head to slide my nose along hers. “How?”
“No idea. But retribution will be sweet,” she assures me.
My shoulders shake with humor. “I’ll be waiting.”
She points to her eyes with two fingers, then swings them to me. I take her waist, boosting her onto the boards. Her knees spread and I step between them, hands settling on her hips. She winds her arms around my neck.
“Hi,” she chirps.
“Hi. Sorry I’m here so late. I got wrapped up analyzing the games we played over the weekend.”
Her head tilts with a cheerful smile. “That’s okay. What did you come up with?”
“We’re shaping up. I think it’s just early season jitters. When I have them on the ice this week, I want them working on their foundations for better chemistry.”
“They’ll find their groove,” she agrees. “I have tickets for the home game on Friday. I’ll be cheering real loud.”
