Page 38 of Must Love Dogs… and Hockey

“We should take them to the dog run.” She gestures toward the nearby enclosed space. “We could let them off the leash.”

I eye Otis doubtfully. “Do you think he’d behave?”

“No better way to find out. You’re right there to step in if he doesn’t.”

“True.”

She faces me. She’s wearing the same jacket, hat, and scarf she wore on Sunday, the same sheepskin-lined boots on her feet. It’s a chilly day, overcast, and a pink flush tints her cheeks.

We set off together toward the enclosure.

“How was practice this morning?” she asks.

“Brutal.” I grimace. “Coach wasn’t very happy about the loss last night.”

She rolls her lips inward briefly. “So he punishes you for losing?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“I don’t think that’s a good way to motivate people,” she says matter-of-factly.

“He’s kind of old-school.”

“He needs to get with the times.”

“I agree.”

“Well, tell him that.”

“Sure. I’ll tell him that. Then my ass will be riding the pine for the next month.”

She flicks a glance sideways at me. “Riding the pine?”

“Benched. As in, not playing.”

“Ah.” She wrinkles her nose. “Yeah, that would suck.”

“It’s happened.”

“That’s stupid, though. You’re a good player. Doesn’t it just hurt the team if you’re not playing?”

I grin. “Hell, yeah.”

We arrive at the gate and I open it for Lilly and Lola. Otis and I follow them in and I cautiously unclip Otis’s leash. Lola zooms off and he chases her. There are only a couple of other dogs here right now, which is good for Otis’s first time. I don’t want him to get kicked out of the dog run and banned for life.

“What kind of coach would hurt the team to punish one player?” Lilly asks.

I squeeze my eyes shut briefly. “That wouldn’t be my coaching style. But I’m not the one who hired him. I just have to play for him.”

She eyes me, her lips soft and pouty. “That’s not easy.”

“Sometimes, yeah.” I shrug. “It is what it is.”

She nods thoughtfully. I turn to look at Otis, chasing Lola and another dog. He looks happy. I feel the heaviness weighing on my shoulders lighten. Watching the dogs without a care in the world just running and playing definitely puts a smile on my face.

And Lilly’s. I watch her watch the dogs, the breeze teasing strands of hair around her face, her lips curved into a sweet smile.

“How’s business?” I ask. “Dog walking.”

---