Page 27 of Almost Ours
“Alright, boys,” Ryan said, his voice overly bright as he clapped his hands together. “Practice is over. Go home, get some rest, and come back ready to work even harder next time. We’ll go over that wrist shot then.”
The boys took off, their laughter echoing through the rink as they chattered about ice cream and video games. Connor’s blond hair bounced beneath the hood of his jacket, his cheeks stillflushed from practice. Beside him, Liam–taller, with a mess of chestnut curls and a mischievous glint in his eye–grinned wide as he animatedly waved his arms, mimicking a slapshot mid-story.
Ryan gave me a small nod, his expression unreadable now. Guarded. Then he turned and walked toward his office, his shoulders just a little too stiff, his steps a little too quick.
I watched him go.
The air felt colder without him next to me. I shivered, rubbing my arms as I made my way to the exit.
Outside, the evening had settled into a quiet chill. Streetlights cast a golden glow onto the icy pavement. Nina waited near her car, arms folded and breath curling white in the air.
She didn’t say anything–just raised an eyebrow as I approached.
I gave her a half-smile.
She pushed off the door with her shoulder, unlocked the car, and climbed in as we said our goodbyes.
I followed suit, but not before casting one last glance back at the rink doors.
My chest was tight with things I didn’t have the space–or safety–to name. So I inhaled. Exhaled. And let the cold air swallow the feeling whole.
The grocery storewas quiet for a Sunday afternoon, the soft hum of fluorescent lights and the occasional beep of the checkout registers filling the air. I tossed a loaf of bread into my cart and turned down the produce aisle, mentally running through the list of things I needed to grab.
I was halfway to the vegetables when a familiar voice cut through the quiet.
“Coach Ryan!”
I turned just in time to see Connor darting toward me, his face lit up with excitement. Harper close behind, pushing their cart and smiling apologetically, like she worried Connor might be bothering me.
“Hey bud,” I said, grinning. “What’s up?”
“You’ll never guess what happened at our house this morning!” Connor practically bounced on his toes, eyes wide.
“What’s that?” I glanced up at Harper, who hovered a half-step behind him, arms crossed tightly over her chest.
She looked tired–shadows under her green eyes and her blonde hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. Still, even exhausted, there was something effortless about her. And whenshe smiled, even just a little like she was doing now, it was impossible to ignore how it lit up her entire face.
“A pipe burst in our kitchen!” Connor said, like it was the best thing that had ever happened.
I raised an eyebrow and looked at Harper, who let out a low breath. “Not exactly how I planned our morning,” she muttered.
Connor launched into the story before I could respond. “Water was going everywhere! Mom turned it off super fast and then we watched a bunch of videos on her phone to figure out how to fix it.”
“She even went over to Mrs. Knox’s and borrowed tools,” he added proudly.
I turned to Harper, trying not to laugh. “You serious?”
She lifted a shoulder in a shrug, clearly a bit embarrassed. “Thought I could handle it.”
Connor grinned. “We both got soaked when she turned the water back on. It sprayed everywhere.”
Harper gave him a look, though a laugh slipped out anyway. “It was a disaster.”
I smirked. “Let me guess–YouTube said it was easy?”
She huffed a laugh, rolling her eyes. “I mean… how hard could it be, right?”
“Bold strategy,” I said, crossing my arms over the cart handle.” Watching a video doesn’t exactly make you a plumber.”
