The game goes by in a quick blur.
I score my fifth goal before Hayes. It’s an easy game but sweat drips down my back. Rudy skates to a stop next to me, knocking his helmet against mine, and I can’t stop myself from grinning.
Fuck, it feels amazing.
I find Coach Avery smiling from the sidelines.
Watching. Observing. Approving.
“Looking strong out there, Harper,” he says.
I feel it.
I look around the ice as the guys start heading back to the locker rooms. When I don’t spot what I’m looking for, I turn back to face Coach Avery.
“Hey, Coach? Didn’t you say Marla was an only child?”
He grins, confirming there’s no nephew.
“How’d you know I’d get on the ice?” I ask.
“I didn’t.” He gestures behind me. “She did.”
I spot her in the back when I turn.
Erin.
Her eyes blaze with such intensity, they could light up the entire stadium, as she gives me a double thumbs-up.
“You got one hell of a friend there, kid. Keep hold of her. They’re super rare.”
I skate alongside the boards when Erin stands to walk down the steps. My blades bite into the rubber mat when I step out.
“Hey, I saw you out there,” she says, and for a split second, I think she’s about to say something serious.
Then she blurts, “You’re so hot!”
Her face turns crimson, and she immediately corrects herself. “I mean amazing! That was…amazing!
I can’t help but laugh. She’s adorable when she’s flustered.
“Erin, what is this? How do you know Coach Avery?” I ask as I stare down at her.
“I don’t really,” she says. “But, um… Well, you see, the thing is… I was just… I mean, I thought that you—crap.”
I grin, fighting the urge to kiss her. She’s just so damn cute when she’s worked up.
“For someone who reads a lot of books, you sure don’t know a lot of words right now. Wanna try that again?”
She pulls her sleeves down over her hands.
“Right. So… okay, here’s the thing.”
When I go to speak again, Erin puts one hand over my mouth and closes her eyes.
“I was here with Valerie two days ago when I got the call from Ink and Print letting me know the interview location had been moved to Great Lakes Stadium. Next thing I know, I’m asking Coach Avery if he can get a few of the guys together for you the day of my interview.”
Her words hit me as hard as a crate of bricks. I stare at the creases on her eyelids, created by how hard she’s wincing. When her eyes open, they’re full of worry.
