Page 55 of Wanting the Winger

Dinner finally ends and the waitstaff clear the tables. Mr. Sears, the owner of our team, walks up to the front of the room where the podium is set up. He gets everyone’s attention before he begins talking about Coach Carling. He starts with some background of where our coach grew up and where he went to college. I never realized he played on the United States Olympic Hockey Team.

Mr. Sears finally gets to the reason why we’re all here. To honor Coach Carling for breaking the record for the number of all-time wins. He calls Coach up to the podium and we all rise to our feet and cheer as he accepts a large plaque from the team owner.

I shift my chair to face the front of the room so when we sit down I’m able to look at the back of Evie’s head whenever I want.

Coach begins to speak. “I’m honored to be here tonight accepting this award. When I first started coaching professional hockey, it never occurred to me I’d last this long in the sport.”

Everyone laughs.

“Coach has a sense of humor. Who knew?” Ryder says.

“Right?” I agree. We never see that side of him.

He’s always all about business when we practice, and on game days he’s even worse.

“But once Mr. Sears offered me the job coaching the Coyotes, I knew this was the only place I wanted to be. Charleston has been wonderful to my family and me. My wife, Regina, has served on many of the city’s committees and my daughter, Evelyn, attended Charleston University.”

My head cranes in her direction, and I’m pleased to find she’s sitting sideways on her chair. The new position allows my eyes to explore the gentle curves and angles of her profile as she watches her dad. I don’t absorb another word of his speech. Every bit of my focus remains on Evie like a lovesick teenager.

When she finally looks my way and our eyes connect, there’s a brief moment when her defenses are down. A hint of a smile teases her lips, and my own curve in reaction. But then her expression hardens, her blue orbs shutter and hide all evidence of emotion. And it fucking hurts to know I’m the reason she’s doing this. Her attention returns to her dad, leaving me staring at her profile again.

Evie stands up, surprising me.

Kaiden tugs on the sleeve of my suit coat. “Get up, dude.”

I become aware Coach Carling is done speaking and he’s getting a standing ovation. I jump to my feet, applauding loudly along with the rest of the room.

Once Coach has returned to his seat, people begin to mill around the room again, visiting other tables and heading to the bar. Evie leaves her seat, heading toward the exit, and I bound to my feet.

Kaiden places a cautionary hand on my arm. “Are you sure you want to go after her? Maybe you should wait and give her some space.”

“I have to risk it; I don’t know that I’ll get another chance.”

He nods. “Fair point. Good luck.”

“You better say some prayers on the way, luck isn’t going to be enough to get you out of the doghouse you’re in,” Ryder says.

I flip him the bird as I hurry off. When I step from the reception hall, I catch sight of Evie at the other end of the hallway where the restrooms are. I feel like a stalker as I progress in that direction. Taking up a position against the wall, I crack my knuckles. I shove my hands in my pockets, then remove them. I rake my hair back from my face. Jesus, what’s taking her so long? I begin pacing back and forth on the dark carpet like a caged animal. I’m filled with so much anxiety and nervous energy, I feel like I’m going to lose my mind if I can’t talk to her soon.

“Darius?” She calls my name and I whirl around. “What are you doing?”

I dash over to her. “I’m waiting for you.”

She shakes her head. “This isn’t a good time or place.” She scans the hallway for observers.

“It’s as good as any.” I catch hold of her hand, tugging her farther along and around the corner where I find a handful of doors. One at a time, I begin opening them. The first looks like a break room for employees and the second is a well-lit, roomy storage space. I pull her into the room and lock the door behind us.

“What the hell, Darius?” She’s angry.

“Evie, I’ll keep us here for the next twenty-four hours straight if I need to. Whatever it takes to get you to listen to me.” I’m angry too. Angry that she’s willing to shut me out so easily.

She yanks her hand free of mine and crosses her arms. “Fine. I’m listening.”

“When I took you to coffee, you didn’t know who I was, and that was such a refreshing change for me. That’s not something that happens very often. When I meet people, they always see me as Darius the hockey player. You saw me for the man I am. You didn’t have preconceived notions about me or my life. We started on an even playing field, so to speak. You didn’t know anything about me and I didn’t know anything about you. That hardly ever happens in my world.”

“I understand your motive at first, but you should’ve told me sooner,” she says, lifting her chin.

“You’re right, I should’ve. But let’s play devil’s advocate for a second. If I had told you the night we went out for pizza, what would’ve happened?”

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