Page 64 of The Save

Now the guys were playing mini hockey in the living room. Shar had wisely moved all the lamps.

“Your goal is too narrow.” Bear pointed at a dining room chair, and Nick nudged it out a bit.

“Fine, happy?”

“Still a little to the right.” Bear grinned, and Nick flipped him the bird.

I followed Crystal into the office where Rob was geeking out over the computer. “This is better than what they have at Douglas.”

I marveled at the beast of a desktop with a CD-ROM drive and a monitor the size of a microwave. There was even a printer, complete with a stack of fresh dot matrix paper. It made mewant to do homework. Which was a thought I kept inside my body.

I was grateful for the distractions because anytime my brain had downtime, I circled back to Chase. What was he doing this weekend? Was he pissed that I still had his sweatshirt? Was he thinking about me at all?

We ended the night with frozen pizza, hot chocolate, and way too many bodies crammed into the backyard hot tub under the stars. Someone brought out a boombox, and Axel gave us a striptease to Bryan Adams. We truly didn’t need alcohol to act like idiots. It was probably my favourite thing about us.

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We woke early the next morning for a hike—Axel’s idea, fueled by a map he found in the drawer next to the Trivial Pursuit board game. The trails were half-frozen and half-slosh, and my boots were soaked through in minutes. But the views?

Breathtaking.

Towering pines gave way to sweeping vistas of the Rocky Mountains, their jagged peaks dusted in late snow, lit gold by the rising sun. A frozen lake shimmered below, the surface fractured like stained glass. Birds cut through the air, and we crossed over not one, but two waterfalls churning with snowmelt.

By the time we got back to the cabin, our legs were aching and our socks were soggy, but our spirits had never been higher. After showering and putting on loungewear, I showed up in the living room to find nobody there.

Voices wafted from the office, so I followed my ears and found nearly the entire group huddled around the computer. I wormed my way into the mass. “What’s going on?”

Sharla yanked me closer, pointing at the screen. “Rob got an email. From the scout that held that exhibition.”

My eyes flared. I leaned over the chair, squinting at the text on the screen.

“Okay, okay.” Rob waved his hand to quiet us. “Here’s what it says.” The room stilled. He cleared his throat. “‘Rob, great to see you on the ice last week. Your speed and composure caught our attention.’” He grinned. “Obviously,” he added, then continued on, summarizing. “They’re assembling a development squad for a three-month travel intensive. Starts June first. Fifteen players. Three coaches. Two scouts. Exhibition games across Quebec and Ontario with NHL feeder team staff in attendance.’”

Crystal let out a low whistle. “Holy. Shit.”

“Keep going.” Tim rocked his chair.

Rob scrolled. “Accommodation, gear, and travel provided. Training will be full-time. No part-time schooling or employment permitted.”

“Does it roll into next semester?” Axel asked.

“If it starts in June, yeah. It would, eh?” Rory mused.

“Coach Wilson was telling us some of those scouts work with the Mooseheads, bud,” Nick said.

“Mooseheads, IceDogs, even the Marlies,” Rory added. “I know two guys who went through that dev squad and got signed to the AHL.”

The weight of it hit all at once. Shar pursed her lips. “This is incredible, babe.”

Rob turned, searching her face. “I’d be away for a bit.”

She blinked quickly and smiled. “Hell yes, you will.”

Rob stood from the chair and hugged her. Rory and Bear joined in, slamming them against the wall.

“Shit! Careful with my Auntie’s house, boys!” Axel laughed and yanked them away from anything breakable. Rob made the rounds, getting hugs all around.

That’s when I noticed her. Shar. Escaping through the doorway into the hall.

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