Page 75 of No Rhyme or Roughing
Teddy crashed onto the couch, milk sloshing over the edges of his bowl of Fruit Loops. “Bite?” he asked, holding a dripping spoon toward me.
I stared at him. “You realize this is practically my bedroom right now, right?”
He shrugged.
“Because your sister’s here.”
“Want me to kick her out?”
No, I really didn’t. “That’s not what I mean. She can stay as long as she wants, but what if I’d still beensleepingwhen you plopped your giant ass down on my legs?”
He shrugged again. “Are you ordering me back to my room,Captain?”
“No.” I slid my legs out from under him. We didn’t have practice today, but I’d already sent a text to the team. If we were going to be sold and possibly relocated, we had to make the most of our time here. Work harder. Be honest with each other. It was time I started acting like their captain.
“Hurry and eat. I want to stop by Starbucks on the way to the rink.”
“The rink?” That got his attention. “We don’t have practice today. I was planning to lounge in my dad’s hot tub while he’s at work.”
“Sorry, bro.” I stood and patted his shoulder. “This isn’t optional.”
By the time we got to the rink, about half the team had already taken the ice. We weren’t late; they were early. That was a good sign.
Griff stood in the center of the locker room when we entered, arms crossed. I dropped my gym bag on the bench in front of my locker and turned to face him. “Coach.”
“Coach.” Teddy added a dramatic bow.
Griff raised a single brow. “Valentine, the visitors’ locker room is a perfectly good place to don your skates, wouldn’t you say?”
Teddy saluted and sauntered out the door, bag slung over one shoulder. The guy had a death wish.
Griff turned back to me, his expression stern. “Care to explain why my team is out on the ice right now? I seem to remember giving you shits the day off to rest.”
Jules and Gonzo both cursed when they walked in, caught sight of the showdown, and pivoted right back out.
Griff waited.
Maybe it was the whole dancing-on-the-ice thing the last few games, or maybe something else, but for once, he didn’t scare me. I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze. “Coach, I’m the captain of this team. If I think we need an extra skate, then I can call for one.”
His lips quirked upward—an expression I didn’t recognize on his face. “Damn right you are, Cassidy. I’m glad you’re finally deciding to lead this team.” He paused. “Just… practice actual hockey. Not…” He winced. “…dancing.”
I barely managed not to laugh. “Yes, sir.”
He looked like he wanted to say something else but thought better of it. He turned and disappeared into his office.
I let out a long breath and sank onto the bench tolace up my skates. This was going to be a no-contact, no-puck skate—we were all banged up already. That meant no heavy pads, no ankle guards, no helmets. Not even a cup.
When was the last time I’d skated without being wrapped head-to-toe in protective gear? It felt weird walking down the tunnel like this, stepping onto the ice in just my skates.
The guys were gathered at center ice, watching Teddy re-enact some of his dance moves. He and Gonzo were currently practicing a dip.
“Listen up,” I yelled.
They ignored me.
“The next person to utter a word has to skate figure eights until I tell them to stop.”
That got their attention. Everyone except Teddy. He kept yammering, so I skated toward him. “I’m running this practice, Valentine. You know what to do.”
