Page 5 of Puck Drop
“I will step outside so you two can get dressed.” His voice is eerily calm. “You have thirty seconds,” he tells us. “No more, no less.”
The door opens and closes again, this time signaling that it’s just me and Logan left inside the locker room.
“Oh my God,” I let out a snort. “This is embarrassing.”
I rush to put my underwear on, followed by the socks, then my pants, and finally my shirt. I am sliding my feet into my shoes when I realize that Logan is not moving or saying anything at all.
“Hey.” I bend down to grab his T-shirt off the floor. “Put this on before my dad comes in. He won’t appreciate your abs like I do if he finds you like this when he walks back in.”
I start laughing again, trying to make light of the situation. Logan is still frozen in his spot. When I walk around to look at him, I notice how strained his face looks.
“Logan…” I touch him gently as I bring the shirt up for him to put it on. “I know this is not ideal,” I explain. “It is not how I wanted my dad to find out about us. But it’ll be okay.”
He pushes his arms through the holes in the shirt, his moves abrupt and uncoordinated. He looks at me with crazed eyes. “I don’t want to lose my spot on the team.”
My eyes widen in disbelief, which is then replaced by a little bit of anger. I am irritated that he is more concerned about his position on the hockey team than he is about me.
“He is not going to get rid of you because of this, Logan,” I snap at him, feeling like he’s purposely blowing things out of proportion.
I don’t have time to say much more when the door opens, and my father walks back in. Thankfully, he is alone this time around. His eyes lock with Logan’s, never acknowledging me at all.
Unsure of how to proceed, but happy that at least I have my clothes on now, I jog lightly to him, then hop up a little to kiss him on the cheek.
“Hi, daddy,” I say like nothing ever happened. “I know this is a weird way to introduce you to my boyfriend,” I start. “But…”
“Your boyfriend?” He barks at me. “Thisis who you’ve been seeing?”
In the last few months, every time I went out, I’d tell him that I am dating someone new, and that I would introduce them when the time was right. Logan was always worried about it, so I never had a chance to. Until now.
“Yes,” I chuckle nervously. “Surprise!”
I clap my hands together, like it is the best thing ever, but my father is not impressed in the least. Instead, he focuses all his attention on Logan.
“You’re the third stringer we just signed on,” he tells him.
Logan tries to swallow around the obvious lump in his throat. “Yes, sir.”
“Well…” My father lets out a sarcastic laugh. “You have an interesting way of approaching how to advance in your career.”
“Daddy!” I am appalled by what his words imply.
Logan finally snaps from his stupor. “Sir, this is not what you think at all. Elizabeth and I met by chance…”
My father rolls his eyes at that. “That’s what they all say.”
“All who?” Logan snaps back before looking at me. “How many players have you been with?”
“What?” I slap a hand to my chest. “None! And I don’t like what you’re trying to imply, Logan.”
My words offend him. “Me? It wasn’t me who suggested this happened before.”
“Just because he said it,” I throw my arms out toward my father, “it doesn’t mean it really happened. He’s trying to make you feel bad.”
My words echo around the room when I raise my tone toward the end.
“Daddy, don’t make Logan feel bad about this,” I beg. “We didn’t do anything wrong…”
My father shakes his head in disbelief. “I would take you two more seriously if you didn’t sound like you were in high school,” he declares. “You are both adults…”
