We’re doing simple drills today at Stick Taps Community Iceplex, and I’m thankful as fuck to be away from the cidery for a few hours. I don’t need the memories of the way Summer looked at me on that kitchen counter at every turn.
And it wasn’t just the almost kiss either. It was more than that. It was how she looked at me when she was talking about owning a restaurant one day. It was obvious watching her work that she loves cooking and that it’s her passion. It saddens me she’s not following it.
It did get me thinking ... she was right that the Stick Taps kitchen is lacking. We don’t sell a lot of food, and I’ve always told myself that was okay because it wasn’t what drew people to the cidery anyway. They came for the drinks, the entertainment, and that beautiful fucking view. If they could grab a bite to eat, that would be great. And yeah, we’ve had some caterers bitch about the lack of kitchen space, but we’ve always handled that.
But what if wedidhave a real kitchen? And a better menu? My gut tells me that more patrons, better profit, less space going to waste, and stronger relationships with the catering companies are all possible. It would be a win-win all around.
And even better, wehavea wedding coming up—Noah’s. It’s only ten weeks away, so we’d have to get started now if we were going to overhaul things, but if I play my cards right, we could complete therenovation before then and use it as a test run. It would be perfect, especially if Summer ran the kitchen for us.
I know it’s a stretch, and asking her to take that on when she’s already being forced to work at the cidery is a lot. Still, if she was able to create something like that mac and cheese I had the other night on a whim, I can only imagine what else she can do with the proper equipment and ingredients. I could bring her on as a consultant for the renovation too. It would make sense. She has more experience in that area than I do. Hell, she could even make the menu. It might not be her own restaurant, but it would be damn close.
The thought gets my heart racing in a way it hasn’t since ... since I almost kissed her two nights ago.
I scratch at the scruff lining my face—something I desperately need to shave off—then run a hand through my hair.
Shit. This could never work. She’s never going to help me. Not after that. What the hell was I thinking? I wasn’t, that much is obvious. Thank fuck I caught myself at the last moment, or that could have been an even bigger disaster.
“Coach Rawlings! Did you see that goal?”
I snap out of my thoughts and give Jensen a thumbs-up. “Looked good, buddy. Nice technique.”
I was only half-ass paying attention, but the kid doesn’t need to know that.
“I’m going to do it again!”
He does, and this time I watch every second of it, which is why I notice the goalie is out of position.
Though my strides are choppy compared to how they used to be when I was playing, I skate over to Marshall, who has his head hung low with disappointment from getting scored on twice in a row from the same move.
“Hey, man,” I say to him. “You good?”
“No. I suck. I don’t ... I don’t know if I want to play anymore, Coach.”
His voice is so dejected, and I hate hearing him talk about himself like that and giving up on the game so quickly.
“You think if I had given up every time something didn’t go my way, that I would have been in the NHL?”
He sniffles a little. “No.”
“And that’s what you want, isn’t it? You want to play in the NHL?”
“Yeah, I want to be the next Arthur Fox. That guy is amazing.”
I grin. “Yeah, the Seattle Serpents goalie is pretty dang good, isn’t he? Do you thinkhewas ready to give up after a few missed saves?”
“No, Coach.”
“Exactly, so you shouldn’t be either. Especially not when we can fix this really easily.”
He looks up at me, his eyes filling with hope. “We can?”
“Yep. Here, let me show you.”
I drop down next to him, my hip stretching uncomfortably. I disregard the twinge of pain and show him how he should hold himself if he wants a better chance of stopping the puck.
“Makes sense?” I ask.
“A lot. Thanks, Coach Rawlings. You’re the best.”
