Page 190 of Puck Me Secretly

“What about me?”

“Your year is almost up.”

“It is.”

“You’ve made me proud, Rory. This year I was more proud of you than I’ve been of anyone.”

“Thanks, dad,” I smiled up at him.

“So,” he pushed his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Do you know what you will do next year?”

I squinted up at him. “Well, I had a great internship, but…”

“But?” I could see him trying to hide his disappointment.

“But my boss hasn’t offered me an extension.”

He took a deep breath as emotion crossed his face. “Well, that was short-sighted of him.”

“I’d stick around if he made the right offer.”

“Oh yeah?” He swallowed hard. “Do you accept verbal offers?”

I nodded, pretending to consider that. “I do. But my demands will be high.”

“I like a good negotiation. Let’s hear what these demands are.”

“I want to keep traveling with the team.”

“Done.”

“I want one Friday off a month, so I can volunteer with the skate-for-kids program we run.”

“I think we could manage your absence one day a month.”

“I’d like Mom and you to come over at least twice a month for a family dinner.”

His eyes shone suspiciously. “I think we could fit that into our schedule.”

“And I know my boss goes to the gym every morning from 11 to 12 PM. I’d like to work out with him, if he’s willing.”

He swallowed hard. “He’d like that, but on the condition we don’t talk about work. We only talk about fun stuff.”

I furrowed my brows. “Is there anything else fun besides the NHL?”

He put his arm around me. “Not that I’ve noticed, but maybe we can figure thatout.”

“Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m really happy.”

“Me too, kid. Me too.”

I stood in shock,staring down at the ice.

We won.

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