Page 38 of One More Chance
Tabitha squealed and ran off into the kitchen. Charlotte leaned in toward Logan, “Thank you, that’s very sweet.”
“She’s going to love it.” Logan smiled. “The game starts at seven.” He rested his hand on the door handle. “I would drive you there, but I have to be there early.”
“We’ll be there,” Charlotte took the envelope with the tickets and stretched up onto her tiptoes to give Logan a peck on the cheek. He lingered for a moment. “All right then,” he said. Charlotte thought he was going to take a step forward, or do something, but instead, he opened the door. “See you there,” he paused again and then jogged down the flagstone walkway out to his truck. Am I always going to have to make the first move? She wondered as she checked her watch; they had roughly an hour before the game started.
The parking lot was jam-packed and Charlotte had to park on a side street three blocks from the arena. Megan wasn’t kidding when she said everyone from town went to the games. The old school wooden bleachers were jam-packed as Charlotte and Tabitha shimmied to find a space near the red line.
“Which team are we cheering for?” Tabitha asked.
“The blue one,” Charlotte replied. The Bobcats jerseys were navy blue, the logo an aggressive-looking cat with its teeth bared.
The screams and shouts from the audience were deafening as the Bobcats scored the first goal of the game.
“That’s our team!” Tabitha clapped her little turquoise-mittened hands together and gazed up at the scoreboard.
Charlotte looked around and realized that she was woefully unprepared for the game. Fans wore Bobcats’ jerseys, held up handmade signs complete with glitter and puff paint, and most of them remembered a blanket. Charlotte shifted uncomfortably, the cold from the bench seat seeping through her jeans. She looked down to Tabitha, worried that she was cold, but she was practically vibrating with excitement watching the players skate around the ice. She clapped her hands together, grinned, and waved. Charlotte looked across the ice and saw Logan, waving across the ice at them. She raised her hand shyly and waved back. She saw him grin and then focus back on the action on the ice.
The game was a roller coaster of emotions and Charlotte found herself getting into the action. The players were fast, and she winced every time one of them was body checked into the boards. The Bobcats were down a goal at the middle of the third period but tied it up.
With one minute left in the game, Logan pulled the goalie. She heard a mix of grumbling and cheering around her in response to his call. Pulling the goalie meant they’d have an extra player on the ice, but an empty net. It was risky. Her heart was in her throat as the seconds ticked away on the scoreboard. Then, Logan’s star player, Riley intercepted a pass and deked around two players – a breakaway. The fans were on their feet. Charlotte was sure the screaming from the arena could be heard all through town as Riley charged to the net. He wound up and Charlotte held her breath, but he faked the shot, then rocked back on his skates, stickhandled the puck to the other side of the net and easily backhanded it in behind the goalie.
Charlotte screamed and raised her arms above her head. Tabitha was jumping up and down and clapping. The fans around them were screaming and high fiving, the energy was high at the Chance Rapids Forum that night.
“Oh, that was so good,” Charlotte said.
“Did you see that guy skate?” Tabitha was watching as the team members piled onto the ice and hugged each other.
“He was fast,” Charlotte replied. The only time she had ever seen Logan play was on TV when he was a junior. She realized that by boycotting the games she had missed out on a lot of excitement.
Charlotte looked to the other side of the ice and caught sight of Logan’s team hat as he disappeared from the bench.
Now what? She wondered.
All day she had been expecting a romantic date, and while the game had been exhilarating, she had hoped for some actual one-on-one time with the man.
“I should get you home,” Charlotte smiled at Tabitha who was still clapping along with the audience.
“Aww.” Tabitha groaned.
“You know that your mom is strict about bedtime, Tabby C.” Charlotte checked her watch. “It’s 8:45 and we’ll be lucky to get home and sneak you into bed before your mom finds out I had you out late.”
“Okay...” Tabitha shrugged her shoulders dramatically and the two of them shimmied in front of the other fans and headed to the exit.
Charlotte shivered as they exited the arena. The body heat and excitement of the game had warmed both of them, but now that the sun had set, it was frigid.
“Brrrr.” Charlotte rubbed her leather gloved hands together and blew on them. She reached down to grab Charlotte’s hand and it was surprisingly small. She looked down, “Where’s your mitten?”
“I think it fell off when we were leaving,” Tabitha said.
“Were you going to tell me?” Charlotte asked.
“I was worried that you would be mad.”
“Why would I be mad?” Charlotte asked.
“Mom told me the mitts are special because grandma made them.”
She looked down and saw that Tabitha was crying and her heart sank. “It’s okay, Tabby. We’ll find them.”
