Jace circled back, jaw working, eyes on the far boards.
On the second rep, he held the puck one beat longer. Pulled the defender wide. Made the lane happen instead of pretending it existed. He slid the pass across to Milo, who somehow finished by redirecting it off his shin pad.
Milo threw both arms up. “Exactly how I drew it up.”
“Your leg has better hands than you,” Benny said.
Jace coasted toward the boards, breathing hard. His gaze found mine before he could stop it.
I kept my expression even.
“Better,” I said. “You waited. That’s the difference.”
That was all.
One correction. One piece of praise.
His next breath left him slower than the last.
“Run it again,” I said, looking away before anyone with eyes and instincts put the wrong pieces together and made them right.
After practice, the players filtered off in damp, loud clusters. I stayed on the ice with Grant to talk through tomorrow’s schedule until the last group disappeared down the tunnel.
Tessa waited near the bench when I came off.
She wore a camel coat over black trousers and held her tablet against her chest like an elegant weapon. Her expression suggested I was about to be handed a problem she had already measured, labeled, and found irritating.
“Coach,” she said.
“Tessa.”
“Quick media note.”
I stepped onto the rubber. “How quick?”
“Depends how much patience you have for breakup discourse.”
“Less than required, probably.”
“That’s usually the case.” She tapped her tablet awake. “Vanessa posted her statement this morning. Clean. Mutual respect, difficult schedules, no bad blood. Very polished.”
I kept my face neutral. “Okay.”
“Jace reposted it with a heart. No comment.”
That sounded like Vanessa. Controlled even when hurt. Protecting herself without setting the room on fire. I respected it, which only made the whole thing sit heavier.
Tessa scrolled. “Most of the comments are standard. Sad fans. People projecting. A few claiming they knew it was coming because she wore beige last week or whatever nonsense they’ve decided is evidence.”
“Beige is incriminating now?”
“Apparently.” Her mouth twitched, then flattened. “There are also a couple mentions from people who saw him upset leaving the restaurant last night. And one person says they saw him at the team hotel earlier this week.”
My head turned.
Tessa met my eyes.
The team hotel. Not a surprise location. We had been there for the away game. Half the roster, staff, trainers, and assorted traveling personnel had been in and out of that place for two days. Jace being seen there wasn’t suspicious on its own.
