Page 18 of Puck to the Heart
“And you’re sure it’s okay for me to go with… the team?”
“Coach said yes.” His allowance of my unusual request was a surprise, but he had daughters of his own. He understood.
“I barely know you, so I need you to know I wouldn’t accept this offer if it weren’t for my dad.”
“Understandable.”
A huge breath escaped her lips as she sank back into the white leather seat. “Fuuuck, this has been the longest day.”
It really fucking was. “We should probably get home since we’ve got such an early start. It’s going to be okay.”
My parking lotpacing in the dark felt a little too broody Byronic hero, but the static of anxiety while waiting for Olivia to arrive kept my feet moving, following the length of my car. Headlights appeared, tires squealed, and she slammed into a parking spot across from mine. A massive backpack weighed her down, enormous headphones dangled from her neck, and a travel mug roughly the size of a bucket sloshed as she half-ran, dragging a gargantuan suitcase toward me.
“I’m coming! Sorry, I’m late!” Evidence of our late night left her face pinched and wan, with a few traces of eyeliner still smudged beneath her lashes. Dark half-moon-shaped purple splotches told me she probably hadn’t slept.
“You’re right on time.” My own duffle slung over my back, I reached to take her backpack from its precarious perch on one shoulder. For a moment, it seemed she wouldn’t let me help, but I arched a brow at her, and she rolled her eyes and relented. Jesus, fuck, the thing was heavy. “Barnes, we’re going to be gone for three days.”
“I know, I know.” The plaintive lilt of her voice only added to her tiredness. “But I didn’t know what to bring to the hospital. And I have to work on the plane, and—” Her words cut off abruptly as her suitcase smacked into the back of her legs. “Goddamn motherfucking son of a cocksucking who?—”
“Okay, you’re officially cut off from the caffeine.” Reaching out, I took the travel mug out of her hands.
“Ugh, fuck you, that’s the only thing keeping me alive right now.” She made grabby hands, well hand, at it.
“Language, Olivia.”
“Fuck. You. Give it back.”
She smacked me in the arm. I laughed when she swore again, shaking her fingers.
“Is it too much to fucking ask for you to not be hard as a rock?”
“My manhood is affronted by that statement, Princess.” I mean, she walked right into that one. I couldn’t contain a chuckle at her glare.
“It’s too early in the morning to talk about your manhood… Hockey Pants.”
“Ooh, no. That’s the best you’ve got? Try again.”
“Don’t fucking call me Princess and I won’t fucking call you Hockey Pants. Deal?”
“You’re feisty in the morning. I like it.”
She froze, sort of turning in on herself, and we crossed the final few yards to the shuttle bus in silence.What the hell did I say?
After we loaded the bags in the cargo area, I wordlessly handed the enormous cup back to her. She hugged it to her chest with one hand, adjusting her backpack with the other, keeping several yards between herself and the others waiting for the bus to leave. Friends and family intermingled with the other Knights, saying their goodbyes in varying degrees of affection. I looked for Trip, our captain. Usually, he told us it was time to go, but he was suspiciously absent. Weird. Trip was never late. Like, ever. He took it personally when we were late and made us skate extra lines if we were over five minutes late to practice.
Light spilled out of the office, blinding me in the dark. As my eyes adjusted, I couldn’t quite make sense of what I saw. A dark-haired woman pushing a bearded man in a wheelchair.
Lauren, Trip’s situationship and mother of his two daughters, pushed Trip in a wheelchair. As the others noticed too, a startled hush spread over us. Close behind the pair, Coach Olsen closed and locked the door, completing our group.
“Well.” Trip shifted his weight in the chair. Scrapes and bruises covered his face, which wasn’tthatunusual, considering our profession. Then I noticed the cast on his leg, from hip to foot, with only the tips of his toes peeking out. “Looks like I’m out for the season.”
Low, shocked murmurs from my teammates echoed my thoughts.What the fuck?How are we going to make it without Trip? Who’s going to be captain now?
Coach put a rough hand on Trip’s shoulder and told us he planned to choose a new captain in the winter. Anyone interested should speak with him in the next week.
A half-formed thought spun through the back of my mind, but I shoved it aside to listen to Trip’s explanation about his car accident. It was uncanny; his accident must’ve happened around the same time as Olivia’s dad’s. Checking to be sure she was okay, I saw her scrolling on her phone, several feet away from the small, gathered crowd. Her hand shook, but when she glanced up to find me looking at her, she saluted with the giant cup and turned partially away, as if to give me privacy.
With the team in low spirits after Trip’s dramatic announcement, we loaded the bus, passing the short ride to the airport in silence. Even Dante, whose mouth usually ran a mile a minute about nothing, stared out a window in silence. A few of the guys eyed her curiously, but no one questioned it. It wasn’t unheard of for a partner or kid to tag along with the team, though some time had passed since Coach allowed someone to join us.
