Page 54 of The Closed Off Captain

We have multiple auctions throughout the season for all things Green Thunder—worn jerseys, pucks, sticks, skates, and more. It’s crazy what fans will buy. We make it to Gunner’s truck a few minutes later. He puts my bag in the backseat, and I climb into the front seat. I told security about my car being here for a little bit, so I don’t have to worry about that. Gunner climbs into the front seat and hands me a white box. “What’s this?”

“Lunch. Figured you probably didn’t stop to eat.”

“You figured right. Thanks, Coftman; you don’t have to keep doing this you know.”

“I know.”

I take a bite of the beef and veggies and sigh. “That’s really good. Did you eat already?” He nods and starts the truck, leaving me to my lunch. It doesn’t take us long to leave the stadium and get on the highway. “How long of a drive is it, did you say?”

“A little under four hours.”

I glance at the clock. “Good, we should beat rush traffic.” I finish eating my food and close the box. “That was really good. Thank you.”

“I didn’t cook it.”

“I know, but you grabbed it for me.” I turn around and lean into the backseat to grab my laptop bag. “Do you mind if I work?”

“No.”

I pull out my laptop and use my phone’s hotspot, so I can get internet. Surprisingly, the time flies by, and before I know it, we’re entering the city limits of Chicago. Knowing we’re not that far from the stadium, I close my laptop and put it away. “We made good time.”

It takes about another half hour to get to the stadium and longer than that to get to a parking spot. When we finally park, I climb down and stretch. Gunner comes around the side of the truck, and I take in what he’s wearing for the first time. “Chicago Frostbite, huh?”

He glances down at his t-shirt. “Yeah.”

I glance down at my heels, black pencil skirt, blue blouse and black blazer. “I didn’t even think about it. I’ll just stop by the gift shop and grab a shirt.”

“You don’t need to buy a shirt. You can wear one of mine; I have several.” He ducks into the backseat and pulls out a t-shirt a moment later.

“If that even fits me, I will shoot myself.”

He smirks at my comment and pushes it towards me. “You want to wear it? Or do you want to go stand in line in the gift shop with a bunch of college kids?”

I frown. That doesn’t sound appealing at all. I put out my hand for the gray t-shirt. “Hand it over.” I glance at his truck. “There’s tinted windows; I’m just going to slip this on reallyquick.” I don’t wait for his response as I climb into the backseat. I take off my blazer and blouse and slip the t-shirt on. I fold my clothes and slip them inside my bag before climbing out of the truck. I’m not a short woman, but Gunner’s t-shirt falls nearly to midthigh. I smile. “Good. It’s too big.” I grab a ponytail holder from my wrist; I always have one there for emergencies. I gather the extra material together and slip the holder around it, twisting it several times. One there’s a nice knot, I tuck it under. “There. How does that look?”

Gunner’s eyes run over me, and I almost regret asking him. “Good.” He doesn’t say anything else about it.

“All right, then. Let’s go watch some hockey.” I can’t help the pep in my step as we head towards the college arena. It will be nice to watch the game without having to work. He pulls his ball cap out of his back pocket and pulls it low over his eyes. “You know that does nothing to disguise you, right?” I ask with a laugh. “Even if people don’t know who exactly you are, you’re too big and tall and muscular to just slip into a crowd.”

He glances over at me. “Muscular, huh?”

I roll my eyes and smack his bicep lightly. “You know you’re made of muscle, Coftman. That’s why all the ladies love you, Big C.” He scowls, and I can’t stop my smile. We wait in line and sure enough, it takes less than five minutes for somebody to recognize him. People start to close in around us, and I get knocked to the side. Suddenly, there’s a hand on my elbow, and Gunner pulls me next to him and wraps an arm around me. He signals to somebody, and then security surrounds us and walks us inside. The entire time, Gunner keeps me locked tight to his side. I’m hyper-aware of it, but I try to act like it’s not a big deal. I am supposed to be his fiancé, after all.

“Sorry about that, Mr. Coftman,” one of the security guards says.

“Thanks for getting us inside,” Gunner says as they lead us down a hall that’s practically empty. I figure it’s a back way, so Gunner doesn’t get mobbed again. They lead us almost all the way down to the ice and then leave us after asking if we need anything else. Gunner sinks into his seat at the end of the row and pulls his hat even lower. I sit next to him and take in the teams on the ice. “You watch any college hockey?” Gunner asks.

“Not as much as I’d like to; I used to though.”

“Who was your team?” he asks, turning to look at me.

“Northern Michigan,” I say with a grin.

He frowns. “Don’t tell my brother.”

I laugh. “Yeah, I know.” I elbow him. “Why do you think I agreed to come with you this weekend?” Greyson plays my old alma mater tonight. The rivalry between Northern Michigan and Chicago for college hockey is no joke. Two guys show up at the end of our row, and Gunner stands up to let them in. I stand but just step back to let them pass. The taller of the two ends up sitting next to me.

“Thanks,” he says with a smile.

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