Page 22 of Home of the Brave

I wasn’t the type to rage after a bad game. I shut down instead, turning silent. I turned reflective and ran through every single second, trying to pinpoint exactly where I went wrong and how I could prevent the same mistakes from happening in the future.

“Henson, switch out,” Coach Abrams called, and I looked to the bench to find Jason Dexter coming to replace me.

He bumped his glove against mine as we passed, and I dropped ungracefully onto the chair next to the bench and took the towel Amelia offered me.

“Looking good,” she said with a small smile. “First practice done. How are you feeling?”

“Fine, good.” I dried my face, then wiped my neck.

“Keep it that way.” She looked down the row. “Colt, let’s look at that shoulder.”

He shuffled down the line and followed her back to the training rooms while I watched Dexter in the net.

“Feel better now?” Coach Abrams stood behind my shoulder.

I shot him a look before tossing the damp towel into the hamper. “What do you mean?”

He handed me a water bottle, and I took a sip as he watched the play on the ice. “Hartman mentioned you were feeling a little off.”

I sighed and pushed down the urge to throw the bottle at the back of Hartman’s head. He was too far away for me to risk not hitting someone else.

“I’m good.”

Abrams crossed his arms, not looking at me but also not speaking. I knew him well enough to know he’d just keep waiting.

“Getting knocked out of the playoffs was hard. I felt responsible.”

“It takes a team to win or lose, you know that. They shouldn’t have been in our zone so much. That’s not something you have control over.”

“Logically, I might know that, but my mind wants to take all the blame.” I took another sip, and he waited. How much more did he want from me? “I wanted to find somewhere to hide out and sulk for a while. I wasn’t in the mood for another huge tournament, yet when Hartman saw me…”

He gave a small nod. As a player for over ten years, he understood. “But you’re okay now?”

“It always helps to get the first practice out of the way. Everyone can shake off their nerves and find their flow.” I twisted a bit to look at him. “I’m good now.”

He didn’t meet my eyes, watching Dexter instead. “Glad to hear it.”

I faced forward and let my smile slip out.

“Henson?” Tyson, our captain, leaned back from the bench.

“Yeah?”

“Team dinner tonight, okay?”

I agreed, as if it were truly optional. We’d been given an agenda with all the mandatory events, from meals, meetings, practices, and even a parade, but team activities decided by us were just as important.

We had to build up camaraderie in record time, and spending time together, off the ice and away from the weight room, was necessary.

“He got us a back room somewhere nice,” Schultz wagged his brows. He just come in and sat on the end of the bench, facing me.

“Okay,” I eyed him; he was acting suspicious.

“It’s going to be fancy.” He leaned in. “A bit romantic, even.”

“What are you doing?”

“Just letting you know that tonight is going to change your life.” He winked, and I leaned as far away from him as possible.