Page 31 of No Pucks Given
“Thank god. Some days, I don’t know if she’s getting paid by Russell’s camp to plant some of these stories, or if she’s into Carter, and that’s why she’s trying to break us up.”
Natalie’s eyes went skyward, and she took a sip of wine. “I will never understand what people see in my brother.”
It was such a sibling thing to say, but I couldn’t blame her. He wasn’t her type. “That’s because you’re into bad boys. But you wouldn’t be calling him Captain America if he were dog ugly."
She just shot me a look that said she wasn’t even going to entertain the idea that her brother could be attractive. Knowing her, she wanted to change the subject as quickly as possible. Sure enough, she said, “So, without talking about having sex with Carter, are things going okay? Or do I need to talk some sense into him?”
I folded my legs under me and bobbed my head. “No need to scold him. We may have moved in together rather quickly, but I feel incredibly bonded with him.”
She looked a bit concerned. “Not that I think either of you would do this on purpose, but make sure it’s not just a trauma bond.”
The mere thought of seeking out issues just so we could lean on each other seemed insane. Yet I could understand how it could seem like what we had was a trauma bond.
“Give me simple evenings together with him over any evening where I end up in a tabloid. Anyway, time to catch me up with your love life since Carter is a total spoil sport and won’t tell me anything.”
“That’s because he’s a big baby who doesn’t want to admit I’m having sex. Let alone sex with his best friend.”
That got me giggling. Carter still didn’t love the idea of Natalie and Spencer as a couple, but he wasn’t a dick about it. If you really pressed him, he would admit they were a good couple together, but he refused to tell me any details. He would just say he didn’t kiss and tell.
“How about you? Did you and Suzuki end up moving in together?” I asked Natalie.
She gave me a coy smile to let me know that, yes, she moved into Spencer’s place. Thankfully, we both knew it wasn’t the room that Carter and I used to share together.
Chapter 29
Carter
Trade deadlines were way more fun when your team was winning. The most intriguing acquisition was getting Eoghan Cooper from the Minneapolis Wild. It was not often you could get a defenseman of his caliber through a trade, but apparently, the Wild couldn’t re-sign him. I just hoped the Legacy would keep him long-term rather than just add him for the last two months of the regular season.
From playing against his team for so long, I knew his teammates always called him by his last name or some sort of nickname derived from his last name. After doing a little research, his name was Irish and apparently a complicated way to spell the name Owen.
Since all the new guys were given a place to stay in a Legacy-owned apartment complex until they decided what they wanted to do, I made sure to drop off a welcome gift for Coop. Some Irish whiskey. It seemed fitting.
Trying to be a good captain, I went to the rink extra early and hung around the parking lot so I was on hand when Coop showed up. It seemed like he was a bit of an early bird, too, since I didn’t have to wait long. Only Scuba and Suzuki were at the rink before Coop was dropped off.
“Yo, Coop! Welcome to Legacy.” I pulled him into a bro hug.
I was surprised that he reeked of alcohol. It wasn’t something I would expect from a veteran like him, but I wasn’t going to say anything just yet. Trades were hard, and he might need a little time to adjust. Besides, I did just give him a couple of bottles. Maybe he felt like he needed to try out the gift before coming to practice.
It was going to suck to be him today. Coach thought we were sluggish and needed to work on our footwork, so it was going to be a bag skate.
“So I take it you’re here to give me the tour?”
At least he didn’t sound drunk, so maybe he wouldn’t be puking as we skated round and round.
“Yup.” I scanned my badge in and smiled at Dwight, the security guard who lived on a barstool by the entry. His job was basically to make sure none of the puck bunnies ever bothered us by the locker rooms. “I know you’ve been here before, but never to our locker room.”
I swung by the equipment room. The room was open like normal since Grant never left his office unless it was time to join people in the clubs. “This is Grant. He’s awesome. Just let him know how you like everything.”
Coop didn’t even crack a smile. “Don’t tape my sticks. Ever."
Shit, that was colder than ice when he said that. I was just glad Suzuki and Scuba didn’t hear him at that moment. They would have totally started fucking with his sticks just to get a rise out of him.
Much to Grant’s credit, he didn’t flinch or seem bothered. Instead, he got up and said, “I talked to Sudsy and got the lowdown about your preferences. You’re all set to keep your number, and your stuff is already hanging up. But let me know if you need anything else. “
“Thanks, Grant.” I elbowed Coop as I said, “See, I told you he was the best. Come on. Let me introduce you to everyone else.”
Coop only nodded.
