Page 33 of Playing the Pucking Game
“Are you watching me play?” I ask, a teasing lilt to my voice.
“Oh yeah, I just can’t get enough. I’m obsessed with you, Lincoln Storm, and I watch every move you make.”
“Alright,” I mock. “There’s no need for that.”
“I’m watching game tape.”
I frown. “Why?”
She barks a laugh.
“Fucking hell. Is this what I should expect in the coming days and weeks? Everyone underestimating me because I’ve got a fucking vagina?”
“You’re working,” I mutter, feeling like the world’s biggest moron for not putting it together sooner.
“Yeah, asshole. I’m working. And do you know what I’ve learned?”
Her narrowed, angry eyes hold mine. She’s desperate to tell me whatever it is.
“Go on,” I encourage.
“You’re struggling on the ice. That groin injury you picked up after Thanksgiving hasn’t healed properly, has it?”
My chin drops. The need to lie to her surges through me. But what’s the point? She knows. She’s seen it with her own eyes.
“You’re favoring your left side when your right is usually dominant.”
“Parker,” I warn.
“What was your treatment plan?”
“Do we have to do this right now?”
She tilts her head to the side, her gaze turning a little patronizing. “Do you want to retire early?”
“Wow,” I say with a laugh. “Say it like it really is.” Absently, my hand lifts to the back of my neck, kneading the tight muscles there.
“What? Would you prefer I fob you off with a half-assed treatment plan that sees you underperforming in games and risking your career?”
“No, of course not.”
“Who did your treatment plan, and what was it?” she demands again.
When I still don’t say anything, she makes a very accurate guess.
“You didn’t tell anyone how bad it was, did you?”
“We’d won five games in a row. We were on the best winning streak in years. I couldn’t risk being the reason it ended.”
“Lincoln.”
“I did what I had to do to ensure I wasn’t benched.”
“You should have been,” Parker states flatly.
There’s no point arguing. She’s right. Of course she’s fucking right. But she needs to learn the stubbornness of the men she’s about to start working with.
We have one focus and one focus only: lifting that cup.
