Page 28 of Offside for Christmas
He was about to put his phone down when another text came through.
This one from Ellie.
ELLIE:Good job today. Actually.
Cole stared at the message for longer than was probably necessary.
Then he typed:Was that painful for you to admit?
Three dots appeared immediately.
ELLIE:Excruciating.
COLE:Good to know I'm not the only one suffering.
ELLIE:Goodnight, Hansen.
COLE:Night, Winters.
He stared at the conversation for several heartbeats—at the way she'd complimented him, at the fact that they were texting like... what? Friends?
Don't be an idiot.
She was being professional. Keeping her patient motivated.
But as Cole plugged in his phone and settled into bed, shoulder aching in that good way Ellie had mentioned, he found himself reading the text again. "Good job today. Actually."
He typed out three different responses before deleting all of them and putting his phone face-down on the nightstand.
His grandmother used to say he overthought everything. "Cole, sometimes a cookie is just a cookie," she'd tell him when he'd analyze whether someone actually wanted him at their birthday party or was just being polite.
Maybe a compliment was just a compliment. Maybe texts from teammates were just texts.
Or maybe he'd spent so many years braced for the next trade that he'd forgotten how to just... be somewhere.
Cole closed his eyes before he could think about it any longer.
6
ELLIE
Ellie stared at the contents of her overnight bag spread across her bed like she was preparing for a month-long expedition instead of one night at a cabin.
"Why are you bringing three sweaters for one night?" Sophie asked from her perch on the windowsill, coffee in hand, clearly enjoying the show.
"Because I don't know what the temperature will be like." Ellie folded a cream cable-knit sweater with more precision than necessary. "The cabin heating is unpredictable."
"Uh-huh." Sophie took a sip of coffee. "You know most people are driving home tonight, right? Luke has a doctor’s appointment, Jamie's got his kid in the morning, and Mac—well, Mac will probably crash on the couch like he always does."
"I know."
"So you're staying because...?"
"Because I hate driving at night," Ellie said, which was true. "And the cabin is beautiful on Christmas morning. Waking up to fresh snow, making coffee while it's still quiet, watching the sunrise over the lake..." She paused, adding thermal leggings tothe bag. "It's tradition. I always stay the night for the Christmas party."
Sophie's smile turned knowing. "Has nothing to do with a certain grumpy forward who's also staying because his rental doesn't have any furniture?"
Ellie's hands stilled on a pair of wool socks. "Cole's staying?"
