Page 94 of Hockey Halloween
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The Devil’s in the Details by A.L. Heard
The Devil’s in the Details
A.L. HEARD
Copyright © 2025 A.L. Heard
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage, A.I. programs and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Trope: Grumpy/Sunshine
Costume: Devil
Brock Warner, star defenseman for the Philadelphia Gliders, has a not-so-secret crush on his adorably sweet neighbor, Felix. When he’s roped into attending the team’s Halloween charity party, it’s the perfect chance to finally ask Felix out on a date. Thanks to a last-minute costume mix-up, Brock and Felix end up in costumes that are maybe a little too on the nose.
Brock
Brock Warner hadn’t even finished pulling on his sweatshirt when Gwen stepped in front of him, blocking his way out of the training facility. He’d almost escaped into the chilly September afternoon, but the universe had other plans.
“Gwen,” he greeted warily. Gwendolyn Jones was about 5’2 and looked like she was still in middle school (acted like it too, sometimes, not that Brock would ever say so out loud), but she was definitely a force to be reckoned with. Gwen was head of social media for the Philadelphia Gliders NHL team, where Brock currently played as their star defenseman. He might tower over her, but she wielded a surprising amount of power.
“I need a favor,” she said sweetly, looking straight up to meet his eye. There was something unnerving in the way she met his eyes without flinching, something other hockey players couldn’t always manage.
Gwen’s favors usually involved an uncomfortable number of pictures and charity events where he showed the team’s commitment to the community. Brock was all for giving back, but sometimes the events required him to dress up in weird outfits or—the worst of all—interact with the team’s mascot, Nibbly. The Glidershad the (mis)fortune of being represented by a flying squirrel with googly eyes bigger than his hand, and its antics were well known throughout the league. They were objectively funny…but Brock preferred when they were happening in the arena while he was safely on the ice.
“Is Nibbly going to be there?” he asked, eyes shifting up and down the hallway in case said mascot was already lurking in wait. Nibbly had pied him his first year on the team, back before Brock knew better. It was supposed to be commemorating when he won the Norris Trophy for best defenseman in the league. Brock hadn’t expected it—none of the veterans on the team had warned him, damn them—and gotten a face full of blueberry pie on an Instagram livestream. He’d avoided Nibbly as much as possible since then.
“Oh myGod!” Her laugh filled the hallway, and she smacked his arm. He rubbed the spot automatically, even though it hadn’t hurt. “Are you still upset he pied you that one time?”
“I had blueberry up my nose, Gwen,” he said. “Blueberry. My snot was blue for a week.”
“TMI, Warner,” she said breezily. “Yes, he’ll be there, but I wouldn’t worry. It’s a big event. You can probably avoid him.”
“A big event?” That didn’t sound great either. He hated dealing with the public. It was so…awkward. The fans weren’t the problem—as long as the Gliders were doing okay, the fans were great. Brock was an introverted mess when it came to large gatherings. The press had very generously called him ‘surly’ and ‘grumpy’, which was code for ‘kind of an antisocial asshole.’ Despite his talent and popularity in Philly, Gwen normally didn’t drag him to events where he’d be forced to deal with the public too much. “I don’t know, Gwen, I?—”
“Stop freaking out on me!” She giggled and handed him a flyer. As he read it, she recited all the details from memory. “It’s a team Halloween party! Ticket revenue all goes to charity, and we’ll be auctioning off items.”
