“Shall we head down and go wait?” Jill asks. The crowd has started to thin out, now that the game has been over for a few minutes.
“Yep, you know the way,” I tell her as we make our way over to one of the tunnel entrances.
Most of the security guards in the building know who I am since I’ve been coming to games for so long, but they still have to scan our passes that allow us access to the back halls of the arena. We head for my dad’s office area and take a seat on the couch that sits just inside his office. He hasn’t made it in here yet, but I know he’ll be along once he’s done with his players or the press. It can take a while for the guys to get through their post-game responsibilities, so we settle in for a while.
“Well, hello, ladies,” my dad greets us a half an hour later, when he finally comes into his office. “What are you two up to?”
“Just waiting for the players to be done. I needed to talk to Beckett for a few minutes,” I tell him.
“Ah, everything okay?” Dad questions, raising his brows at me.
“Yep, we just ran into each other at a coffee shop the other day, and I wanted to follow up with him about something we discussed.”
“Ah, okay. Well, he should be out soon. The media was almost done and was going to be kicked out any minute.”
“We figured it would be a while, it’s why we came and crashed in here,” I tell my dad. “The guys played well tonight. Shook off the new season jitters pretty well after that first early goal.”
“They did. I was a little worried when Tyler went down late in the game on that interference call, but he appears to be okay.”
“That’s good. Would hate to lose your starting goalie during the first game of the season.”
“That wouldn’t be my preferred way to start the season,” Dad says, squeezing the back of his neck with his hand.
“Hey, Coach.” A deep, rumbly voice fills the space and chills run down my spine as it washes over me.
“Beckett, just the man we need. What can I do for you?”
“Nothing much, just wanted to confirm you still wanted to meet tomorrow to go over those drills?”
“Yes, let’s go over them at the optional skate.”
“See you then, Coach.” Beckett readjusts his bag on his shoulder. “Ladies,” he says, taking a step back through the doorway. I jump up and follow him out into the hallway.
“Beckett,” I say, grabbing his attention before he makes it too far down the hall. He comes to a stop and turns to face me. I skid to a stop just before plowing into him and look up into his eyes. The ones I swear I could get lost in. They are mesmerizing and pull me in.
“Julia.”
The way my name rolls off his tongue has my core clenching. “I realized we never exchanged numbers, so I couldn’t text or call you to set anything up,” I say quickly, pulling my cell from my back pocket and opening my contacts app.
“That might help just a little bit,” he replies with a small chuckle.
“Just a little.” I type in his name and he rattles off his number to me. I save his info, then quickly shoot off a “Hi, this is Julia” text to his number. “You should have mine now, I just texted you,” I tell him as I return my phone to the back pocket of my jeans.
“Got it. Thanks,” he says as a small smile crests his lips.
We stand there, staring at each other in an awkward silence, before the moment is broken when some of the other players come out of the locker room and start walking down the hall toward us.
“Julia, is that you?” Brian Kelley asks. I turn and look up…up…up at him. That dude is frickin’ tall.
“Tis me,” I confirm, accepting the side hug he pulls me into. “How’s it going?”
“Life’s pretty great right now. How are you? Glad to be back home?”
“Yes, it feels so good to finally be done with school.”
“Good to hear. Nice seeing you again, but I need to get going. I’ve got my two best girls waiting for me upstairs.”
“Go, get to them. Tell Kinley and Hayley I said hi. Maybe I’ll go up to the box for the next home game and see them myself.”
“I’ll do that, and I’m sure they’d love to see you.” He gives Beckett a fist bump as he passes by, heading for the elevator that will take him up to the suites.
“I should get going myself,” I tell Beckett, not wanting things to be awkward between us again. “I’ll text you and we can set something up.”
“Sounds good. Have a good night, Julia.”
I watch his beautiful backside as he retreats before I step back into my dad’s office to say goodbye and to collect Jill. “Ready?” I ask her from the doorway.
“Yep.” She yawns, then grabs her small purse and stands up. “It’s past my bedtime.”
“Night, Dad, love you,” I tell him before I move from the doorway so Jill can exit his office.
“Night, ladies. Be safe,” he calls out after us. “Love you.”
I wave over my shoulder, then head down the hall to the elevator.
Chapter Three
Beckett
Finally, back at my apartment after a long day, I toss my bag on the floor in my room and head back out to the kitchen to make a protein shake. I might not have played tonight, but I still worked out today and need some more protein.
I’m shaking my drink, leaning against the counter, when the door opens and in comes Johnathan, along with his sister, Cindi, who’s visiting for the week. Since we have an empty room, she’s staying here with us. “Hey, what’s up?” I say to JC, holding out my fist for him to bump.
“Nothing much. We stopped and grabbed some food before coming home,” he says.
“You had a good game tonight,” I tell him.
“Thanks, just glad to be back on the ice and that we got a win tonight. With so much change to the roster, I was worried we wouldn’t click like we have in years past.”
“I can understand that. Everyone looked good once the first ‘few minute jitters’ got out of everyone’s systems. I was a little worried when they scored that first goal, but y’all bounced back.”
I move into the living room and take a seat on the oversized chair. “Did you enjoy the game?” I ask Cindi as she sits on the couch next to her brother.
“It was great. I always enjoy watching JC play, and watching from the family suite is always fun. The ladies up there are always so kind and easy to talk to when I visit.”
“Cool, I’ve never been up there, so I’ll take your word for it.”
“They’ve got a pretty sweet setup for family members. It’s mostly the wives, girlfriends, and kids, but you can get access to it for your parents or any other family that comes to visit and wants to catch a game. They cater it and have a full bar,” JC says.
“Nice. I’ll have to keep that in mind if my parents or sisters come for a visit.”
“Do they visit you often?” Cindi asks.
“Every couple of years, usually. It’s a long trek here from Stockholm, and the flights are hard on my mom.”
“Does all your family still live in Sweden?”
“Yes, and I usually go back during the summer months. I wasn’t able to this year due to my training schedule, so it’s been a while since I’ve seen any of my family in person. It’s hard sometimes, but they understand this is my life and my years to play professionally are limited. I’ll have lots of time to return home when my career is over.”
“Do you think you’ll move back once you’re done playing?” Cindi asks.
“I don’t know. I guess it really depends on a lot of factors when that time comes. I’ll definitely go back home for a little while, and visit when I can if I don’t move back permanently. I’ve been either in the States or Canada playing hockey now for five or so years, that this is my new normal.”
“Do you like it here in Indy?”
“I do. I’ve only been here since June, but it’s been nice so far. The team has been very welcoming.”
“We d
o have a good group,” JC agrees.
“Well, I’m going to call it a night,” Cindi says, standing up as she yawns. “Good night, baby brother.” She leans down and hugs JC, then turns to me. “Nice talking to you tonight.”
“You too. Night,” I tell her before she heads down the hall to the guest room.
“Coach give you any indication on when you might get the start?” JC asks as we hear the click of the guest room door closing.
“Nothing specific. Matt said probably within the first ten games or so.”
“That bother you?”
“I mean, it kinda sucks riding the bench after having the starting spot for so long, but I can’t pass up being on an NHL roster.”
“I know what you mean. Before I was called up, I was always on the second line, but then I got here and the first two lines were already full and producing lots of goals, so I had to get used to playing on the third and sometimes fourth lines. It sucked at first, but then I put it into perspective and learned a lot from playing on those lines. Now, with the roster shakeups this offseason, I’ve been moved up and now’s the time to put all that knowledge to work and prove that I deserve that line spot.”
“Play like you did tonight, and you’ll be moved up to the first line.”
“We’ll see. I’m happy on the second line but will play where Coach puts me.” JC laughs.
“I hear ya on that.”
“I think I’m going to head to bed myself,” he says, standing and heading for his room.
I follow suit, stopping by the kitchen to wash out my shaker cup, and then head for my bedroom. Since I showered at the rink, I finish stripping out of my suit and slide between the sheets. I plug in my phone and pull up the group chat between my sisters. They’re always texting me, keeping me in the loop on what’s going on back home. Our time zones don’t always match up, but it helps me feel like I’m not always missing everything.
I let them know we won tonight, and that I’ll call tomorrow when I get up so I can talk to everyone. When I close out that text, I see the one Julia sent me earlier with her smiley face and note, and it has a smile cresting my lips. The entire encounter with her is fresh in my mind and I’m hard just thinking of her. Seeing her tonight took me by surprise, and I wish I could have touched her. But that isn’t going to happen. It doesn’t matter how much I want to, she’s off-limits. I can’t fuck up being on the team, no matter how tempting my coach’s daughter is.
I drift off to sleep, torn between letting her down easily and throwing everything to the wind and giving in to the temptation that is the one and only Julia Soaps.
“Hi, Mom,” I say when my parents answer the FaceTime call.
“Beckett!” My mom’s face lights up when she sees me. “I’ve missed you so much, my son.”
“I’ve missed you, too, Mom.”
“You look too thin, are you eating enough?” she asks in her thick accent.
“Yes, Mom, I’m eating just fine. The team nutritionist has us on a strict regimen during the season.”
“You need some meatballs. Your mormor will agree with me. I’ll find you some meatballs.”
“Mom,” I say, laughing at her antics. She gets on these tangents every so often, usually when I’ve been away from home for longer than she likes. “I promise you, I’m eating enough. If it makes you feel better, I’ll have some meatballs for lunch.”
“Promise?” she says, calming down a bit.
“Promise.” I look directly into the camera, so she’ll know I’m being serious. “How are things at home?” I ask, hoping to change the subject.
“Good, everyone is coming over soon for dinner, so I’ve been preparing all day.” My mother loves to have the family over and typically hosts dinner most weekends.
“Tell everyone hi for me.” We chat for a little while longer. My dad pops in to talk for a little bit before they need to finish getting ready for all the family to arrive at their house.
With the call to my parents out of the way, I turn the TV on. We have today off, a rarity in our jam-packed schedule. The rink is open for an optional skate later today, and Matt is expecting me to come in so we can work on some drills, but until then, I’m going to relax.
Before I get sucked into anything on TV, I make myself some breakfast. As I’m cooking, I chuckle at my mom’s antics over her worrying I’m not eating enough. I plate my omelet, which is packed with veggies, meat, and cheese, and head for the living room once again. I heard my phone chirp with an incoming text while I was cooking, so I grab it off the side table and check to see who’s messaging me.
Julia: Good morning, hope you had a good evening. Just following up to see if you thought more about getting together.
Becket: Good morning to you. Do you have any plans tonight? I could grab dinner if that works for you.
Julia: That works perfect!
Beckett: I can pick you up, unless you wanted to drive yourself?
Julia: You’re so sweet! I’m good with either.
Beckett: My mother would beat me with a ruler if I didn’t offer, and that’s not something I want to ever experience again. :shudder:
Julia: My my my, so what I’m hearing is that you once crossed your mom, but quickly learned not to do that again? Smart man.
Beckett: Yes, you are one hundred percent correct on your assumptions. Not someone I’d ever want to cross again in my entire life. Don’t get me wrong, she’s one of the sweetest women you’ll ever meet, just don’t get on her bad side.
Julia: We must have the same mother, as mine is exactly the same. She’ll bend over backwards to help you, but you cross her, and she’ll put you in your place.
Beckett: I can pick you up. Does 5:30, maybe 6, sound good to you?
Julia: Sounds perfect! I’ll see you then!
She sends me her address and when I pull it up in my GPS to see how far away she lives from me, I realize she’s not far at all.
After lunch, I head for the rink and take advantage of the optional skate this afternoon, plus the drill time with Matt. Keeping my legs fresh is important, especially with my lack of ice time. If I don’t keep my skills in top shape, then I risk not being able to start every so often and that’s not my purpose of being here. For now, I’m content being Tyler’s backup, but my goal—pun intended—is to become the Eagles’ starting goalie. It’s been my life’s dream and I’m within grasping distance of it. I just have to be patient and let it come to me.
Two hours later, practice is over, and I skate over to the bench to grab my Gatorade bottle from the ledge. Matt comes out onto the bench as I gulp down a large amount.
“You looked good out there today. Way to keep yourself sharp.”
“Thanks, Coach.” I suck in a deep breath, working on lowering my heart rate.
“Keep it up and you’ll get a start sooner than later. I’ll make sure of that,” he says, patting me on the back. “Go get showered and get out of here. Enjoy your night off.”
If he knew I was taking his daughter out to dinner tonight, I’m not so sure he’d be encouraging me to get out of here. For that reason alone, I’ve got to keep things platonic between Julia and me tonight.
I hit the locker room and strip out of my gear, then wrap a towel around my waist. With my shower bag in hand, I head for an open stall and quickly scrub down, then shut off the water. Freshly washed, I make my way to the dressing room where I’ve got my street clothes stored in my locker. The players’ areas are broken down into multiple sections. What people think of as our “locker room” is just where our game gear is kept and where we get dressed for practice or the game. Those lockers are open, with no doors and nowhere for us to store our personal items. We have a room, referred to as the dressing room, that has locked cabinets for us to store our league-required suits, along with other personal items—wallets, cell phones, and anything else we might bring with us that we want secure. The equipment staff also makes sure our team-issued warm up gear is waiting for us to change into when we
arrive.
Once dressed, thankfully not in a suit today, I head for my car and back to my apartment. I’ve got an hour or so to burn before I need to pick up Julia for dinner. I still don’t know where we’re going tonight, but figured we could just decide once we’re together.
“Hey, man, you go to skate?” JC asks when I walk in.
“Yeah.” I take a seat on the couch. “It was a good one. How was your day?”
“Good, I took Cindi shopping. Had to spoil my nephew before she returns home. She’s in talking to Stephanie and Mason now. I guess he’s missing her something fierce.”
“Cool. What did you get him?”
“Well, since she’s flying, I had to be careful that things would fit in her suitcase, but I plan to go online and order some more things that she said he’d love. Plus, Christmas is coming up, so that’s a good enough reason to spoil the crap out of him. She’s just taking him back some clothes and a jersey. Had the guys custom make me one for him. He’s going to lose his shit when he gets it. He goes crazy when he gets to see me on TV, playing, so now that he’ll get to wear my number, he’s going to flip even more.”
“That’s so awesome. Have you thought of having them come here and bring him to a game?”
“I keep bugging my sister and her wife to do that, but they want to wait until he’s a little bit older, and I get it. The games are late, and long for a three-year-old to sit through.”
“That makes sense. Give it a couple of years and he’ll love it even more.”
“Do you have any plans tonight?”
“I’m going to dinner with a friend.”
“Oh, nice.”
“Don’t know where we’re going yet, but I told her I’d pick her up at five thirty,” I tell him, looking down at my watch. I’m down to only twenty minutes until I need to leave.
The Hardest Shot: Indianapolis Eagles Series Book 7 Page 2