Tane had known Silas for a few years ever since Silas moved into the city from up in Canada. A shared loved of hockey and the fact that they were both guys who loved a few beers and late night fun and games had brought them together as friends and it was always a pleasure to make time to see Silas.
But of course the real attraction at Roast Days that day was Jacob.
“I liked what you did in practice today,” Tane said, picking up his rich, dark coffee milkshake and taking a sip through the metal straw. “Keep that up and Tremaine will be thinking of you as the captain in waiting.”
Tane smiled as Jacob blushed from the compliment.
For all of his cocky exterior and brattish outbursts, it was perfectly evidence to Tane that Jacob was in fact a sensitive young man who craved guidance and sometimes a firm hand too.
But Tane also believed in giving praise where it was due and saw nothing wrong with talking up Jacob’s potential to be thecaptain one day. Not that Tane was looking forward to giving up his role as the team’s leader. Far from it.
Being the Enforcers captain was by some distance the proudest moment of Tane’s career. It even eclipsed the personal and team accolades that had come his way over the years.
There was just an unbeatable feeling that came with leading his team out onto the ice. A group of men, bonded by their desire to fight for the pride of the jersey together. The roars of the crowd that came with each goal and victory were something that Tane knew he would never be able to replicate elsewhere in life once it was time to hang up his skates for one final time.
However in Jacob, Tane could see that there was hope for the franchise in a post-Tane Rivers world. Jacob had all the quality and skill on the ice, and suddenly it was looking like he might just have the leadership and spirit to back it up too.
“How’s your shake?” Tane said, noting the broad smile on Jacob’s face.
“I think I’ve got brain freeze!” Jacob grimaced. “It’s cold and I drank it way too fast. And the triple shot is kind of blowing my head off too.Damn.”
“Ah yes, the age old tale of the boy who wanted it all too soon,” Tane chuckled, playfully patting Jacob on his knee. “Maybe you need to learn more discipline when it comes to milkshakes. I could always give you another hot ass to help?”
For a moment, Jacob seemed taken aback.
Tane wasn’t sure if he’d read the signals wrong or stepped over the line. The last thing Tane wanted was to make Jacob feeluncomfortable. But Tane needn’t have worried. Moments later, an eager grin came over Jacob’s sweet face.
“Well the last spanking did help me quite a lot,” Jacob said, his cheeks rosy red and a sly smile breaking out on his face. “I’ve never been spanked that hard before. But…”
“Go on?” Tane said, arching his eyebrow.
“Even though it was hard, I felt like you were doing it to help me,” Jacob said. “It wasn’t just for your pleasure. I actually felt like you were giving me the spanking to teach me something I needed to know.”
Tane felt himself beam with pride.
This was what he wanted to hear, and Tane had to work hard to retain his composure and keep his cool.
“Glad to have been of service,” Tane said, still struggling to hide his delight. “It was a pleasure. And it’s not like I didn’t get anything out of it too…”
There was a pause as both Tane and Jacob sunk some more of their delicious shakes.
Before long though, the pair of them were talking as if they’d known one another for years. Everything from their top five all-time hockey players to favorite movies, and then their dream holiday destinations too.
As Jacob began to describe his dream trip to Asia, Tane could see the enthusiasm and wonder in Jacob’s sparkling eyes. The boy had so much life in him, and experiences that he wanted to take on board.
Tane knew that the life of a hockey player was seen by many as being a glamorous and fun existence. But the reality could at times be different. As enthusiastic as Jacob was about travelling, Tane knew that the realities of a career in hockey might make some of that pretty damn near impossible to organize.
Injuries, injury rehab, and a heavy playing schedule all made real vacations difficult to plan. But Tane couldn’t bring himself to put a downer on Jacob’s wonder and open hearted enthusiasm.
But what Tane didn’t realize was that Jacob was just as clued up as him, even taking into account his younger years…
“I think it’s why I party so much,” Jacob said, leaning back in his chair and with a reflective look on his face. “I know I probably won’t get to do all these long vacations until I retire. So in the meantime I just think screw it, I’ll have fun whenever and however I can.”
Tane nodded. It was difficult to argue with what Jacob was saying, but at the same time Tane knew that Jacob’s partyingwasgetting out of hand – and that was without factoring in the Cardini family factor too.
But right now wasn’t the time to be getting too deep, Tane wanted to keep the good times going and make it clear that Jacob’s improvement at Pine Rise was going to be rewarded…
“Silas! How about a double reload on these shakes?” Jacob hollered. “Single shot of coffee on the next round though.”
