Page 50 of Goalie and the Girl Next Door
“Oh!” I look up.
Bailey Porter grins at me, one hand grasping her purse. “Whoa there. Dramatic entrance?”
“Something like that.”
She glances at my expression, then tilts her head. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I just have a complicated relationship with hockey arenas.”
She studies me for a second, then smiles like she understands more than she’s letting on. “Want me to walk you in?”
I hesitate. Then nod once. “Please.”
We fall into step together.
“I don’t know what it is about Maple Falls,” I mutter, half to myself. “It’s like anyone who dares come through, even if just briefly, is sofriendly.”
Bailey chuckles. “It’s Maple Falls. We either hug you or feed you until you give in.”
I exhale a laugh. “We have got to find a way to keep Maple Falls… well, Maple Falls.”
Bailey shows me to the alley I enter for my seat and I settle in with all the grace of someone being sentenced to a mild but deeply personal form of torture.
It’s a hive of humans high on face paint and soft pretzels. Everywhere I look, someone’s shouting, waving, or wearingflashing hats. My stomach twists, tight and stubborn, and I can’t tell if it’s because of the noise, the crowd, or the fact that I’m here at all.
This is my second ever actual game, and I remember too well how the first one went.
And—I hate admitting this part—the atmosphere is also kind of fantastic.
There’s a murmur as the lights dim slightly. A voice booms from the overhead speakers, thick with performance energy.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the inaugural home game of your team, the Maple Falls Ice Breakers!”
The crowd erupts. People leap from their seats. Kids scream. Someone behind me blows a horn so aggressively I feel it in my spine.
“And now,” the MC says, riding the energy, “please welcome tonight’s visiting team—the Great Lakes Vikings!”
There are some cheers and a few obligatory boos. A kid a couple rows down yells, “Go home, horn heads!” and his mom gives him a halfhearted “shhh.”
The lights flash again.
“And now… the moment you’ve all been waiting for…” The crowd surges to its feet. “Introducing your Maple Falls Ice Breakers!”
The noise is deafening. Thunderous. Absolutely unhinged.
Spotlights whip across the ice as the players skate out one by one, called by name.
“Jamie Hayes, your Ice Breakers captain!”
If the roof had any screws left in it, they’re gone now.
A man skates out, powerful and confident, with a jawline that looks like it’s never lost a fight. The name sounds vaguely familiar. Maybe he was in some of the promotionalphotos. Or maybe the sheervolumearound me is making everything stick.
The announcer keeps going.
“Cade Lennox!”
“Asher Tremblay!”
