Page 69 of Puck Sweat Love

Laughing and kissing her and then apologizing for making her dizzy as I set her down to high five Cruise and Stone…

Finally, Cruise holds his hands up in the air, quieting the celebration. “All right. Let’s talk next steps. So, I say Stone and I take this to Coach first thing tomorrow morning. There’s a staff meeting tomorrow at ten. We can get there at say…nine? And get to Lauder first? Just to be safe?”

“Lauder? Not management?” Steph asks.

“Lauder first,” Stone confirms. “He doesn’t have Hartley’s baggage or history with the whole addiction thing. He’ll be more likely to look at the footage with an open mind. And honestly, I say he’s been wanting a reason to pick you over Garcia anyway, Tank. He’s just been waiting until he had enough ammunition to push back on Hartley.”

“Yeah? What makes you say that?” I ask, thinking of Lauder’s cryptic comment after practice.

“Vibes, man,” Cruise says. “And Lauder’s a hard ass, not a dumbass. He knows talent when he sees it, and you’ve been outplaying that shit weasel all week.” He shrugs. “But politics are politics. Lucky for us this…” He holds up his now closed laptop like it’s the Holy Grail, “trumps politics.”

“What about Hartley?” Steph asks. “Won’t he be pissed when he finds out?”

“Let him be,” Stone says dismissively. “Once Lauder sees this, it won’t matter what Hartley wants. There’s no way any of them can justify making Garcia starter now.”

“I’d honestly be shocked if he still has a job at all,” Cruise says. “He just violated his morality clause in like…ten different ways. I’m guessing he’ll be gone by Monday, and they’ll be pulling a goaltender from the feeder league to play second string.”

The gravity of it hits me all at once.

This is it. It’s really over. Gracia is gone and my position is secure.

Looks like this comeback is going to happen, after all.

“Fuck,” I say, with a huff of laughter. “I can’t remember the last time I was this relieved.”

The tension breaks, and suddenly we’re all sagging back onto the couch as Stone flicks on the evening news, and Justin calls to check in with his wife. Eventually, Stone opens more beers, I finish my meal—suddenly starving—and the conversation shifts to lighter topics: Cruise’s baby’s new tooth, Stone’s ongoing quest to find the best brunch in Portland, next week’s preseason schedule.

Normal stuff. Friend stuff. Hockey player stuff.

The kind of relaxed, team-building night in that I wasn’t sure I’d get a chance to be a part of if Garcia had his way.

And I’m more grateful for it than ever.

CHAPTER 18

TANK

Later, as Steph and I head for her car and my bike—both parked in the lot across the street from Stone’s high rise—I feel lighter than I have in days.

Maybe weeks.

“So, what now?” I ask, reaching for her hand.

“Now, I swing back by the studio to grab Mr. Sniffles, and I meet you at home.” She sighs, before adding, “Unless you wanted to go out for ice cream or something? I’m tired, but I could rally.”

“No, I meant…” I pause, turning to face her. “You still up for me moving in? If so, I could start tomorrow while you’re teaching. My contract allowed me to keep coaching private clients until camp started, but now I belong to the Badgers. I’ll have a lot more free time on the weekends from here on out.”

Steph shakes her head as she moves into my arms. “Nope. You don’t belong to the Badgers. You belong to me, and in light of that very exciting fact, I’m going to cut down on work on the weekends, too.”

My brows lift. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she says, brushing my hair from my forehead with an affection I’m determined to keep deserving. “I’ll still do Saturdaymornings for all the die-hards who can’t make it any other day of the week, but I’ve already talked to Jessa and Nick about taking over Saturday afternoons and Sundays. And I’m going to keep an eye out for another part-time teacher, so I’m not gone every night while you’re home alone.”

“I mean, I would love that,” I say, “but I don’t want you to feel like you have to rearrange your entire life for me. I can make changes, too. I can come help out at the studio after work or?—”

“It’s not a sacrifice,” she cuts in. “It’s a realignment. Turns out I have dreams that are just as important to me as building a beautiful business.”

“What kind of dreams?”

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