Page 29 of Rookie Move
“We can’t have everything we want,” Georgia grumbled. “But we can have cheese puffs.”
“Youcan. Some of us gain weight when we eat things.”
“So I’ve heard.Hell. Now I’m nervous about this game. Leo in the NHL! How am I going to watch?”
“Aw. You’ve got itbad, girl.”
“Do not.”
“Do so.”
Georgia gave Becca a little shove.
“Easy, Killer,” Becca said. Then they both burst out laughing.
***
When game time came, though, Georgia retreated from polite company.
She watched the Tampa game alone, from the back corner of the press box. The isolation was exactly what she needed, since no game had ever made her so horrifically nervous before in her life. She watched the game with her seventeen-year-old self, heart in her mouth, fists clenched. Every time Leo took to the ice with the third line she stopped breathing.
Supersized Leo was a sight to behold on a pair of skates. He skated with the same ease he’d always enjoyed, but now it was fueled by even more impressive power and speed. There were years of estrangement between them now, but it was clear that he’d spent most of those years at the rink. He was nimble, even with Tampa’s most aggressive defenseman bearing down on him. Time after time Georgia bit her lip as one enemy or another tore after him only to see Leo escape with the puck, creating opportunities where none had seemed to exist.
It was breathtaking. Georgia said another little prayer of thanks for the privacy of the darkened corner where she stood, because her face was plainly crisscrossed with emotion as often as hockey sticks crossed on the ice. She couldn’t have hid her interest for all the dumplings in Brooklyn. The first two periods passed in a blur. The game was hard fought, and deep into the third period the score was tied 1–1.
Watching him was both amazing and painful. Shewanted this for him so badly it hurt. Right in the center of her chest, like a tightness that couldn’t be soothed. The trouble, though, was thatwantingwas contagious. Wanting him to succeed felt a lot like wantinghim. And that wasn’t on the table.It’s just nostalgia, she told herself.
She’d had him all to herself once, and it was wonderful. But then, when he’dstoppedlooking at her with passion in his eyes, it had hurt with a fire so bright that she’d never wanted to experience that again.
Never.
Never ever.
Leo vaulted over the boards to take another shift, and Georgia filled her lungs with a shaky breath.Come on, baby. This is for all the marbles.
His teammate passed the puck to him, and Leo took a run toward the net. But Tampa swarmed and he just barely got the pass off to Castro, who then got into trouble, coughing up the puck to Tampa’s defense.
The clock ticked down, and Georgia wasn’t sure she could stand the pressure as Leo gave chase. The other team closed ranks, and retrieving the puck looked impossible. But when Tampa passed to avoid the other winger again, Leo pounced, making off with the puck and crossing into the attack zone, then passing it to Castro.
Who shot. And scored.
The hometown crowd surged to its feet as the lamp signaling a goal lit up. Georgia’s smile was so wide she thought her face might crack. Leo had his first big league assist. It wasn’t a goal, but it was pretty damned impressive. How many of his high school games had she watched, wondering what the future held? A hundred? Dozens, at least.
A little voice whispered in Georgia’s head.Sometimes peopledoget their heart’s desire.
Not often, though. She was living proof.
The game ended without another goal, and the Bruisers had beaten Tampa. It was a notch in their belt that the team absolutely needed.
Feeling jubilant, Georgia sped out of the press box ahead of the reporters, taking the private elevator downstairs to organize the happy chaos of a postgame press conference. Usually, she’d set up ahead of time, watching the final moments of the game from a monitor downstairs. Tonight she was late to her own party.
But her minion Roger had seen to their little basement pressroom. She skidded to a halt in front of the podium. The wall behind it was already lit with Bruisers footage. (The team had the snazziest press conference setup of any team in the NHL, thanks to Nate’s obsession with technology.)
“Thank you, Rog,” she said, panting. “I couldn’t tear myself away from the action.”
He chuckled. “I gotcha covered, boss. Who are we bringing in for interviews?”
“O’Doul.” Then Georgia hesitated. A rookie’s first assist was newsworthy. But it made more sense to bring in Castro for the goal, and let the media forget about Leo for a night. “And Castro.”
