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I take my helmet off and hold it against my side. “She’s here tonight. Noel is finally at one of our games, but she’s on her date with that guy.”

“Dr. Dickhead?” Remy asks from the back of the line, since the team captain is last to be announced, being the most anticipated player.

“The one and only,” I say.

West’s mouth pulls up in a slow, mischievous grin. “You know, you could have some fun with the jumbotron. Do you know where they’re sitting?”

“Not a clue.”

“We’ll all be on the lookout,” Bruce says right before we hear his name announced. He turns and skates onto the ice, waving to fans as they cheer him on.

“We need a code for when we spot her, then we can alert you,” West says, looking too excited about the whole thing.

Mitch grunts. “How about, hey Colby, there’s Noel.” We hear Mitch’s name announced from the speakers and he skates out next. He gives one subtle wave to the crowd, and they go wild for it.

“That’s too boring,” West says, looking down as he thinks. “Oh, I know! We’ll wave our arms like an eagle’s wings and caw.”

Remy shakes his head. “Speak for yourself, assistant captain. There’s no way in hell I’m caw-ing like an eagle.”

West tsks. “Terrible sport for a team captain.”

My name is called before I can respond to his insane eagle idea. But I’m looking forward to him making an ass of himself, and hope he spots Noel first so I can see it in action. When I move onto the ice, I make a full circle, waving at fans and winking at the camera. I used to love that most of the cheering during my grand entrance sounded female. Lots of whistling and waving of big signs. And tonight is no different, but it doesn’t give me the same thrill it used to. I look around the full arena, hoping to spot Noel, but it’s impossible with all the signs. One of them says, Colby, you can be my daddy toKnight!

Points for creativity. But if it’s not Noel holding the sign, I don’t care. I skate toward center ice with the rest of my teammates as West and then Remy get their moment in the spotlight.

Once everyone is on the ice, a vocalist comes out and sings the national anthems, USA and Canada, then we get into place for puck drop. Meaning, there’s no more time to search for Noel and her date. And that’s the last thing I should be focused on right now. The first game of the season is a big deal. It can set a mood for the rest of the season. And we want to start off strong, especially with the new defensemen the Eagles signed after training camp. He’s a rookie, but we all have high hopes. And there’s the guy from the minor leagues too, but he’s still out of commission from pulling a muscle.

The captain of the Pittsburgh Phantom’s snatches the puck during the faceoff, but Remy is fast, faster than the other guy is expecting. He snags the puck back, taking it into the offensive zone. The Phantom’s players are waiting for him though, blocking him from getting too close to their net. He zooms forward but sends the puck backward through his legs in a move we’ve practiced many times. I catch it and skate around his right side where they’re not expecting me, aim and then shoot it straight above the goaltender’s head. The crowd is screaming and going wild. Man, I’ve missed this. The roar of the crowd, the thrill of playing. I think it’s even more exciting knowing Noel is here somewhere.

Unfortunately, the Phantom’s goalie snatches the puck, just barely, in his glove.

Damn. Scoring in the first minute would’ve been a great way to get the game started, and it might’ve impressed Noel. Actually, knowing Noel, she’s probably reading a book right now and not even paying attention. The thought makes me smile to myself.

I remember she’s here with another man and that wipes the smile off my face real fast. Is he holding her hand? Will he kiss her at the end of the date? And what if she kisses him back?

We get into position for the faceoff. Remy is staring down the Phantom’s captain across from him. Remy steals the puck, determined to try to score a goal while we’re still on the offensive end of the ice. The Phantom’s captain lunges forward with his stick, trying to sweep it out from Remy, but Remy shoots it to West. West skates behind the net with the puck, a Phantom defenseman on his trail. When he arrives back in front of the net, he acts like he’s going to shoot the puck, but sweeps it back over to Remy instead. Remy nails the puck with the perfect slapshot, and it flies into the top corner of the net before the goalie can stop it. The buzzer goes off and the fans filling the arena go so wild, you can barely hear the buzzer. We all skate over and embrace our captain, celebrating the first goal of the game, and of the season.

I’m on my way back to the bench to switch out for a water break, when I hear a loud, “Caw! Caw!” I peer over my shoulder, and West is, idiotically, flapping his arms like an eagle, then using his stick to point into the stands. My eyes immediately swing to Noel and the professor. A grin takes over my whole face, I can’t help it. She’s lovely, wearing a simple white sweater in a sea of red jerseys. She always sticks out in a crowd, my angel.

I’m surprised I didn’t notice her sooner. She and Dr. Hawthorne are seated about four rows back from the glass, right behind our net. I stare at her for a full minute, hoping she’ll look at me. But she and her date are having a conversation. His attention flits between her face and the game. I’m not sure I could split my attention with this girl and anything else. If she was seated beside me, and we were on a real date. Noel would have all of my focus.

Two women in front of Noel notice my stare and think it’s them I’m looking at. They stand and point to their red t-shirts that they’ve painted and decorated. One has dark hair, and her shirt says, Future Mrs. Knight. The redhead beside her has a similar shirt, but hers says, right wing is my favorite position. That makes zero sense, but whatever.

Noel glares at the backs of their heads and then rolls her eyes. I feel my lips tugging upward again, and Noel finally glances over at me. I wink at her dramatically, and she shakes her head slowly from side to side. But she’s smirking.

The women in front of her think my wink was for them, and they’re jumping up and down screaming. Noel ignores them, focusing solely on me.

CHAPTER 23

NOEL

One minute left in the third period, and the Eagles are tied with the Phantom 3-3. I have to admit, I’ve enjoyed the game more than I expected. Probably due to a certain blue-eyed, dark-haired man who has the attention of every girl in this arena. But I’m still hoping they don’t go into overtime. Because that will only prolong this date.

If I have to listen to one more comparison between hockey and pickleball, I will literally throw this Coca-Cola in Dexter’s face. Okay, not really. But I might fall asleep.

Dexter’s commentary isn’t the only thing bugging me, but also the fan girls in front of us. I’ve heard Mel and Andie talk about puck bunnies, and I vaguely remembered the obsessive female fans from attending Travis’s college games. But wow, female NHL fans are a whole different breed. The sheer number of signs and t-shirts shouting out Colby Knight is ridiculous. All the guys have signs made for them, but I can’t help but notice that all of Colby’s fans appear to be women. This shouldn’t bother me, and I don’t want it to. Not only do I have no right to feel possessive and jealous over Colby, but I don’t want to judge him for his past.

“So,” Dexter’s voice interrupts my thoughts. “Do you think you could introduce me to the team sometime? That would be incredible.”