Page 44 of The Save

My mind whirled back to Chase entering Ranchman’s with Melody Sanchez.He met me after.

"Well, I won't keep you from your friends." Blakely patted a beefy hand on the stack of papers attached to his clipboard. "You've really got a talent for this, Madeline. Have you considered going into coaching?"

If my jaw hadn't already been on the floor after hearing about Chase and Young Pucking Players, it would have dropped then. "Coaching? I've never played hockey."

"You don't have to play to be good with the numbers." Blakely gave me a smile. I sat there stunned for a moment, then pulled myself together and rose from my seat. Had he really just suggested I think about coaching hockey? Was it strange that the first person I wanted to tell was Chase?

“Thanks.” I gave a smile, then moved down the aisle to my seat.

We arrived at the hotel just before four, which meant we had three hours to rest and relax before the guys needed to be at the rink to gear up and run an extended warm-up before their game at eight thirty. It was going to be a late night, especially if they won and we all ended up at the bar after. But at least their next game wasn't until two p.m. Saturday afternoon. Then if they won, they'd play the championship game Saturday night.

Shar and I went straight to our room and crashed. We didn’t have to wake up that early, but talking nonstop on the bus was surprisingly exhausting. After sleeping and grabbing dinner at the hotel bar, we took the shuttle to the arena, where the guys were already on the ice. The Outlaws had been begging for arematch against Clearwater since our Invitational, but we had to get through the Fraser Valley Lynx from Chilliwack first.

"Have we played them before?" I asked Shar as we settled into our seats.

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

I scanned their players, but it was hard to tell who would be our biggest threat when they were all seated on the ice, stretching. Their navy, silver, and deep forest green jerseys bordered on pretty. “I kind of want a shirt that looks like that.” I pointed, and Shar laughed.

“Pretty sure you could find it at Northern Reflections.”

After introductions and the national anthem, we finally got to puck drop. Our guys were fired up from the get-go. Strong on the forecheck and winning their puck battles.

Rob scored at the six-minute mark after a beautiful backdoor pass from Axel. They celebrated in the corner then skated back and tapped gloves with the rest of the guys on the bench. Rory scored late when Rob took a wrister from up top and the puck rebounded off Fraser Valley’s goalie's stick. He was in position to snag the puck and flick it in, elevating over the goalie's pads and hitting top shelf.

When it was 2–0, I breathed a little easier. Our boys were dominant, controlled, and only gave the Lynx four power play minutes the whole game. Shar and I stood and cheered for the last minute and a half, then escaped the arena to wait for the guys at the small bar that shared a parking lot with the hotel.

While most of the guys opted for pizza instead of drinks, we still managed to stay out until one in the morning. The buzz from my beer had nearly worn off when Shar looked at me, bleary-eyed.

"Sleep."

I nodded. "Did you even drink tonight?" I asked as we dropped from our stools.

Shar shook her head then leaned over and planted a kiss on Rob's cheek. "I wasn't feeling great after the game.”

“And we didn't even have a corn dog." She grinned, walking with me to the door. I held it open for her. "While I'm thrilled that we get to be roomies, is there a reason you're not staying with Rob?"

She looped her thumbs in her back pockets. "Only that I'm an amazing girlfriend."

"To me or him?"

Her smile widened. "Both. No, I just didn't want to take away from this. It's his tournament with the guys. I want to be here, but I don't want to distract him."

We pushed out the doors and started across the parking lot. The night was warm and still. Shar's face pulled into an apologetic grimace. "Okay, since we’re talking real, can I ask you a question, and promise you won't get mad?”

Did a question about our roommate situation constitute real talk? I laughed. “This is probably the best time since I'm still a little buzzed and haven't gotten to my post-beer sappy stage."

Shar sighed. "Aw, I love your post-beer sappy stage."

The parking lot light momentarily flooded over us before we passed back into shadow, the laughter and music from the bar fading behind us.

"Are you—" Sharla fiddled with her hands. "So I think I know the answer to this, but I just wanted to be sure.” She chewed her lower lip. “Do you like men? Or?—"

It took me a moment before I figured out where she was headed with this line of questioning. I gaped at her. "Shar, are you asking if I'm a lesbian?"

Sharla held up her hands. "Zero judgment. I just wondered because you said sex wasn't great with Colin, and you haven't dated anyone in the last, what, year and a half? Two years?"

I laughed out loud. "Oh my hell, I'm not a lesbian."

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