Mari chuckled too. “No, probably not.”
“He said he wants me to speak about commitment, dedication, respect, that kind of thing.”
“That actually sounds pretty cool. Can anyone come?”
Jon was completely thrown off by her question. Does she want to see me coach? What if she thinks I look like an idiot? “Actually, I have no idea. I mean, I assume the parents will be there, so I don’t see why not…”
“If you’d rather I wasn’t there I certainly understand, but I’d get a kick out of seeing you in action.” Mari laughed again. “Well, at least a different kind of action than I’ve seen you engage in recently.”
His ears felt hot and Jon was sure he was blushing. Mari had never spoken to him this way, but he found he kinda liked it. The woman had spunk. And he definitely liked being able to follow her lead, rather than doing something and possibly offending her. “Um, why don’t I text Rob and ask, and if it’s okay I’ll send you a message with the details.”
“Maybe we can grab some dinner afterward or lunch before?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“I’ll wait to hear from you then.”
They hung up and Jon let out a long breath. How did I get myself into this? Quickly he typed out a text, trying not to give one of the team’s biggest jokesters ammunition to use against him. As he waited, his nervousness began to grow. Why did she want to do this?
Duh, you jackass. She’s trying to get to know you.
Rob wrote back a short time later saying it was fine if Jon brought a “friend”—even putting quotes around the word in his reply, and Jon sighed. He had no experience to fall back on for stuff like this. How would he introduce her to the guys? It seemed like Mari might get pissed if he called her his friend, but it was a little early to be getting into titles like girlfriend. Maybe she’ll be okay with good friend.
Yeah, right.
~ * ~
Saturday dawned hot and humid, and Jon hoped Rob had made it clear the kids should be bundled up. After all, it may be slated to go into the 90s outside, but the rink was still damn cold. He went to the arena in shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt but changed into a track suit once he got there. As he laced up his skates, he thought about the fact it had actually been quite a few weeks since he’d had them on last. He was almost done lacing when Rob appeared with a woman Jon assumed was his girlfriend, along with Sebastian, Rick, and Jordan. Jon was starting to think of them as The Four Musketeers.
“Hi, Coach,” Jordan called out. “Missed us that much, eh? Couldn’t stay away? I’m touched you thought we needed guidance to run a skate with kindergarteners. But I knew you always were the big bear type, no matter how hard-assed you want us to think you are. All growl, but no bite.”
Jon grunted. “Not likely.” He stood and held out a hand to the woman. “I’m Jon. I coach these goofs.”
“I’m Alaina. I feel sorry for you.”
“Hey,” came a chorus from the guys, and Alaina smirked.
“I thought you loved me,” Rob said.
“I do, but I can imagine trying to coach you guys is a lot like keeping my kindergarten class on task.”
Jordan turned to Rick. “Did she just compare us to a bunch of five year olds? I’m very mature for my age. My mom said so.”
Alaina laughed and Jon shook his head. Whoever took on Jordan would have their hands full, though Jon didn’t doubt he’d make a great boyfriend or husband. Underneath that joke-a-minute exterior lurked a smart, caring man.
She shrugged, grinning. “I call ‘em like I see ‘em.”
“Can’t catch a break anywhere,” Rick muttered.
“How about you guys quit yapping and put on your skates?” Jon asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Man, he’s bossy even in the middle of the summer,” Rob grumbled but sat and began the task.
The others followed and Jon shook his head. Overall his team really was a great bunch of guys, but Alaina hadn’t been too far off the mark in her assessment. He truly enjoyed coaching these guys, and most of their episodes truly were funny, but if he let on he thought that he’d never keep their attention on anything.
“Let me make sure I understand what you want from me,” Jon said. “Basically, just give them a gentle pep talk about realizing their potential?”
“Exactly,” Rob said, “but you might want to use another phrase. Not sure the small ones will understand ‘realizing their potential.’”
Alaina broke in. “Just tell them to work hard, dream big, stuff like that. We all know they’re cliché, but the kids don’t.”
“And they’re cliché for a reason,” Jon said. “Because they’re true. Every professional hockey player, or any successful person for that matter, has to work hard and dream big to make it in life.”
He’d been holding it together as far as his nervousness went, but once they left the hallway near the locker rooms and waddled toward the rink, it returned full-force. Mari had said she’d rather have dinner and had promised to be at the event, but Jon was still wondering what she would think as she watched.
Probably be bored stiff.
They spilled into the area near the door onto the rink and Jon’s eyes widened. There must be twenty kids here. The players fanned out over the crowd, kneeling to help the kids get their skates on. Apparently that was the first order of business, and possibly the last, since they only had an hour.
Jon approached a little boy and remembered to squat as best he could on skates, feeling every bit his age as his knees protested the odd angle. “Do you need some help?”
The child looked up at him, eyes big as saucers. “Uh-huh. Please.” He was missing some teeth so his “please” sounded more like “plis,” but Jon tried not to laugh. If anything, it should’ve made him feel more comfortable, since half the guys on his team were missing teeth. Lucky for the rest of the human population, most of them wore bridges or other appliances when they weren’t playing. Their mugs were ugly enough without looking like a jack-o’-lantern all the time.
Jon laced up the skates as quickly and efficiently as possible. The other guys were laughing and joking around, but Jon really had no idea what to say to these pint-sized balls of energy, so he remained silent for the most part as he moved from kid to kid. After what seemed like an eternity, all the tiny pairs of skates were laced and the kids were slowly gaining their feet, reminding Jon of just-born giraffes. He had to admit it was pretty cute.
He’d gotten so caught up in the kids he’d completely forgotten to look for Mari, and after all the kids finally made it out onto the ice in one piece, Jon did a slow spin. There she was, about eight rows from the ice. She smiled and waved and he waved back before looking down, knowing he was blushing.
“Soooo…” Jon’s eyes closed as he prayed Rick wouldn’t make a big deal out of what he must’ve just seen. “Who’s the obviously blind fox waving at you, Coach?”
Jon turned to him, raising one eyebrow. “Blind?”
“I figured that was the only way to account for her hanging around you.”
“Ha-ha. I can still make your life miserable, remember. Training camp isn’t that far off.”
Rick scowled. “Now that’s just mean.”
“Now that’s just true. Go make yourself useful.” He glanced into the stands once more. Mari’s face was split into a huge smile. Great, she probably saw everything and now she’s laughing at me.
Rob looked around at the little people before saying, “Okay, guys, we’re going to slowly—notice I said slowly,” a couple of boys snickered, “make our way around the ice a few times. After that, the Storm players will demonstrate some fancy moves. Well, except for Rick, who has no fancy moves.”
“Hey,” Rick shouted from the back. “I have plenty of fancy moves. I do play in the NHL, you know.”
Rob grinned. “Oh, we know. And hey, if you can do a one-timer on a breakaway and get it past Jordan, go for it. But we’ll probably leave stuff like that to Sebastian.”
; Sebastian snorted laughter next to Rick, who then said, “A shootout contest? You’re on.”
Jon had a feeling Rick knew Sebastian would cream him in such an event, but figured the kids would get a kick out of it. They started hooting and talking amongst themselves about who would win until Rob got their attention once more. Yeah, the players were way better at this stuff than him, who remained standing there like a doofus.
With a shake of his finger, Rob reminded the students that the things they’d see from the professional hockey players were not things they should try themselves. A few of the kids giggled, but at a surprisingly intense glare from Alaina, they sobered up and nodded. At that moment, Jon gained respect for the woman. She didn’t look real intimidating on first glance, but that was clearly deceiving. He’d bet that glare didn’t only keep her students in line. He smiled to himself. It was good for Rob, who’d noticeably matured since meeting Alaina.
When Rob had started that charity to get school supplies for inner-city kids, Jon hadn’t really said much about it, but he thought Rob’s idea could really take flight, and through Rob and others’ hard work, it had. A month or so ago, once the off-season had given him a chance to relax more, he quietly cut a check to the organization.
Slowly, they pushed their way around the rink, the children falling plenty and cackling like mad people. Jon righted kid after kid, laughing when one took down a bunch more like a set of living, giggling bowling pins. They pretty much laid there like pins, too, until he or one of the players reached them to help. Jon hadn’t known this was going to be so hands-on, and though he’d felt trepidation in the beginning, he found himself smiling and joking around with the youngsters.
Every time he glanced into the stands, Mari was watching with an expression of mirth. When he got close to the boards on her side he stopped for a few seconds and looked up at her.
She is so beautiful. Rick was right. What the hell is she doing with me?
Mari must’ve seen something in his expression, because her face softened and she smiled. He was about to smile back on reflex when Jordan bumped him.
He turned and regarded the stick-pole thin goaltender. “Like I told your teammate, training camp is only a few weeks away, and I’ve got a long memory.”
Jordan blinked back at him. “It was an accident. He pushed me into you.” He pointed at a student beside him.
“Did not,” the pupil helpfully pointed out.
“Thanks for throwing me under the bus there, kid,” Jordan said with a wink and got a snicker in return.
“I didn’t throw you under a bus. There’s no bus here.”
Jordan regarded Jon. “The tiny tots are very literal.”
Jon chuckled. “I doubt they have any idea what ‘throw under a bus’ means.”
“What does it mean?” The child asked, looking from one to the other of the men.
“It means you got me in trouble,” Jordan told him.
“Like you have to go to the principal’s office?”
“Something like that, only he’s my principal.” Jordan jerked a thumb at Jon.
The kid looked confused, and Jon jumped in to explain. “Not really. I’m his coach.”
“Cool!” Apparently the conversation was over because the student lumbered away. Jordan grinned at Jon, looked right up at Mari, and then grinned bigger, if that was possible.
Jon shooed him. “Go away. You’re bothering me. If this keeps up I might have to ask Alaina for some tips on how to get you guys to behave.”
“Wouldn’t work. We’d just throw hockey tape and smelly equipment at each other. That’s the hockey player equivalent of goofing off, right?”
The remaining time skating went quickly, and after the kids had removed their skates—pretty much a reverse process from putting them on—he and the guys handed out hot chocolate, and then it was time for Jon to talk. He hadn’t been sure what he should say to kids this small, but after spending the last hour with them, he felt a lot more comfortable.
Jon kept things short and sweet, telling them to try hard at whatever they did, to study because knowing a lot of things would help them later in life, and to have respect for each other. He probably only spoke for two or three minutes, and the students were surprisingly attentive. Afterward, parents came forward to collect their offspring and Jon held up a finger to Mari before lumbering back to the locker room to change out of his track suit and skates.
He wasn’t surprised when the entire contingent of players remained glued to his side until he introduced Mari, but he felt like an exhibit at the zoo: Look at the mating ritual of the head coach. This isn’t often seen in nature.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mari,” Jordan said, holding out his hand. When Mari reciprocated, the little shit took it and kissed the back.
Jon growled, “Hands off.”
“I was just greeting her in the manner befitting a pretty woman.”
Rob stepped between Jon and Jordan. “Dude, he is so gonna have you doing wind sprints ‘til you puke. You might wanna shut the hell up.” Then he regarded Mari. “Hi, I’m Rob, and this is my girlfriend, Alaina. The kids were her kindergarten class from last year. We thought they’d get a kick out of trying skating.”
Mari nodded. “It certainly appeared they did.” Sebastian and Rick introduced themselves, and then Mari turned back to Jon. “Are you ready? I’m starved.”
“Yep.” He speared his guys with a glower. “Don’t any of you follow us.”
“I can’t. Sarah’s making me go look at flowers for the tables at the reception.” Sebastian made a face, but the love he and Sarah shared could be seen from a mile away, so Jon doubted he really minded, though the thought of taking a beautiful summer day to do something like that forced him to suppress a shudder. If he ever got married, he’d let the woman handle all the details. God knew his taste couldn’t be trusted.
“And I wouldn’t dream of it,” Rob said, throwing a cheeky grin Mari’s way. “I have a well-developed sense of self-preservation where this guy is concerned.” She laughed and Jon decided getting her away from his guys as soon as possible was priority number one. Luckily for him they moved away and began to leave.
“Want to leave your car here?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Where are you taking me?”
Jon thought about it. “How does a steak place sound? There’s one near here with great food, but everybody dresses casually. My kind of place.”
“Sure, that sounds great, but why don’t I just follow you if it’s close? That way you don’t have to bring me back here.”
“Where do you live, anyway, just out of curiosity?”
“North Buffalo.”
“Ah.” He silently berated himself for not offering to drive her out here to the rink in Amherst. “Okay, then. The restaurant’s not far.”
They had a great dinner and were finished by the time most of the Saturday evening diners started arriving. Jon wasn’t sure how long Mari was free and she hadn’t mentioned doing anything together after dinner, but he found himself trying to think of activities in the vicinity to spend more time with her. Unfortunately, besides the rink and the restaurant, Jon wasn’t familiar with the area and was at a complete loss.
Yes, he could suggest something back in the city, but would he look like an idiot if Mari wanted to go home? And when had he become such a wuss? He’d stand toe-to-toe, or rather skate-to-skate, with anyone in the league even now, and yet he was scared to extend a date she’d initiated.
Suck it up, dude.
But Jon didn’t have to worry long.
Mari turned to him. “There’s a live band playing in the bar in about an hour. Want to hang out and listen to them?”
“Sure.” He paid the check, and they moved to a booth in the cozy bar, where Jon ordered a beer and Mari a glass of wine. Neither had drunk during dinner, and since they were both driving, Jon doubted they’d be pounding down drinks, which suited him just fine. He liked to have a clear head at all times, so
he never drank more than a beer or two.
They settled back into the worn red leather of the semi-circle booth and Mari pulled his arm around her shoulders. “Why are restaurants so cold? I’m freezing.”
“I think it’s so you don’t hang around.”
“It’s dumb. I like to be comfortable while I’m eating.”
“I’ll keep you warm.” Jon rolled his eyes to himself at the lame line, but Mari snuggled into him and a sense of peace washed over him. Sure, he might look like a real tough guy, but he liked holding a woman in his arms as much as the next guy.
After a couple of hours and with their ears ringing, they decided to leave. Jon walked Mari to her car, and before he knew it she’d thrown her arms around his neck and pulled him down for an intense kiss, pushing her tongue into his mouth with a moan. Usually he was the aggressor, and it was damn sexy when a woman took control over things. He let her do what she wanted, and soon she’d turned them both so he was against the car door. A novelty, but again, he went along with it. But when her hands wandered down and skated over his ass, he startled and felt her shake with laughter. Was she laughing at him?
She pulled away. “You’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Me?” Women had called him a lot of things in his day, but sexy was never one of them.
“Yes, you.” Mari rubbed up against him like a cat, and he hardened embarrassingly quickly. “Happy to see me?”
“Uhhhh…”
“I’m just teasing you.”
“You’re not what I thought you’d be.”
Cocking her head to the side, Mari asked, “What did you think I’d be?”
“You’re so smart, but there’s this goofy, sexy side to you too.”
“And that’s a good thing, I hope.”
“Oh yeah, definitely a good thing.”
“Glad to hear it.” She backed up, giving him a little, much-needed breathing room, and Jon shifted, willing his erection to subside. “I should go. This was fun. Thanks for letting me come along today.”
The Big Man Falls Page 3