“So,” Mack started before stifling a yawn. “What are we doing with our day off?”
“I have a training session with Carter.” Josh shrugged.
“What training session?”
“Boxing.” It wasn’t just boxing. Josh started working on his fighting over the summer. It was a training program specifically for hockey fights. Fighting would always be part of the game and Josh wanted to be whatever kind of player his team needed. As a grinder, it was his job to provide energy. Big hits and fights did just that. He didn’t particularly like getting punched, but he’d do anything to stay in this league.
“Come on, Josher,” Mack faked a whine. “Blow it off and let’s have some fun.”
“Stop it, Mack,” he snapped. “You have no idea, do you? You have this enormous amount of God-given talent. You don’t have to work yourself to death just to keep your head afloat. If you don’t play well, you might lose a few minutes of ice time. If I suck long enough, I could be finished.”
“Whoa, dude. Calm down.”
“No. I’m sick of you not taking this seriously. We get to play hockey for a living. Don’t you get that? They pay us to do this. I’ve had to work harder than most to get here. I didn’t coast on my talent. I don’t have the option of blowing it off. If I don’t constantly improve, the young guys coming up will pass me. Look at what happened this week - I let myself get distracted and I played like shit.”
“Everyone played like shit,” Mack said quietly.
“That doesn’t make it okay.”
Mack drove in silence for a few minutes. Josh doubted anything he said would actually sink in to his friend’s thick skull. He’d never understand.
“Who is she?” He finally asked.
“What?” Josh responded.
“I assume a girl was the reason you were distracted.” Mack grinned sideways at his friend and everything was back to normal between them.
“No one. It’s nothing.”
“The Josh I know doesn’t let anything affect his game.”
“It’s complicated,” Josh paused, considering if Mack was the right person to talk to. They’d been close since he made the team, so he continued. “Her name is Taylor. You remember that kid on the Winterhawks who died last year?”
“Of course I do. It really freaked me out.”
“Yeah, me too. She was his girlfriend.”
Mack’s breath whistled out. “Shit.”
“She’s still pretty broken because of it.”
“I’d imagine she would be. And you want to be her knight in hockey pads to help her finally get past it.”
“Something like that.” Josh sighed.
“Want my advice?” Mack asked.
“On girls? No.”
Mack ignored him. “There are loads of girls who would kill to go out with you. Ones that aren’t a mess.”
“You seriously giving me the ‘plenty of other fish in the sea’ speech?” Josh scowled.
Mack shrugged, but didn’t respond.
“There’s something else,” Josh admitted.
“What more could there be?”
“She’s kind of Coach Scott’s daughter.”
Josh didn’t see Mack’s hand coming before it hit him upside the head.
“What the hell?” he yelled.
“You have a death wish?” Mack asked. “Coach Scott is a scary dude. For someone who is so worried about his hockey career, you’re being pretty stupid, dude.”
“Yeah.” Josh slumped back in his seat. “I know.”
“You need to stop hanging out with her.”
“I know.”
Taylor finished pressing her Panini before picking up her tray and walking across the dining hall to join Abigail at her table.
“Hey, Roomie.” Abigail looked up and smiled.
“Hi.” Taylor sat down, still not completely comfortable with her new friend. They’d spent a lot of time together over the past week, and Taylor was glad to keep her mind busy. It gave her less time to think about Danny. Or Josh. The latter had called a few times since she ran out on him, but she decided it was easier to just cut the cord. She wasn’t ready for the kinds of things she was feeling for him.
“We haven’t even been here that long,” Abigail started, “and I’m already sick of dining hall food. I mean, come on, is it so hard to make it edible?”
“It’s not that bad.” Taylor took a bite of her lunch.
“Stop being so damn nice and just bitch with me for once.” Abigail scrunched her forehead.
“Fine,” Taylor said. “It sucks.”
Abigail laughed loudly. “You’re so bad at that.”
Taylor shrugged and continued eating.
“You’re so lucky you can go home for a home-cooked meal whenever you want.”
“I guess.” The truth was, Taylor hadn’t been home once in the couple of weeks since school started. In fact, the only times she left campus was to spend time with Josh.
Josh had been taking over her thoughts a lot since the night at his apartment. She looked down at her tray and smiled, not realizing Abigail was still talking until she squealed.
“Oh, perfect idea! Let’s go to your house for dinner tonight.”
“I don’t know.”
“Please. Pretty please!” Abigail reached across the table and grabbed Taylor’s hand. “It’d be so good to get off campus.”
Taylor sighed. “Okay.”
“Do you think your mom will mind?”
“No, she’ll just be happy I’m home. We’ll surprise her.”
“Yay!”
“Be at the room around five,” Taylor said. “We’ll go then.”
They finished eating, and then Taylor had to rush off to class. On the one hand, she was looking forward to seeing her family, especially her sister. She just hoped her mom wouldn’t bring up the past in front of Abigail. Maybe she’d just be happy that Taylor was making friends.
Her afternoon classes passed quickly, and before long, she was back in her dorm room, waiting on Abigail. She grabbed a sweatshirt out of her closet and pulled it on before running a brush through her hair. It had grown a bit, making the use of product a must on most days. She didn’t bother now, though, because she was just going home. No one there cared what she looked like.
Abigail breezed in and dropped her bag on the floor. “Sorry I’m late. I ran into Colin.”
“Are you two going to be okay spending a few hours apart?” Taylor meant for it to be a joke, but it didn’t sound that way coming out. It was probably the serious look on her face.
Luckily, Abigail seemed to get it and she laughed enough for the both of them. “We’ll be fine.”
It wasn’t long before Taylor pulled onto her parents’ street. She’d only picked up her car from the shop the day before, and it felt good to have it back. As they got closer to the house, more and more cars lined the street. Their long driveway was basically a parking lot.
“What the hell is going on?” Taylor muttered. She’d talked to her mom a few days ago, and she hadn’t mentioned a party. Taylor was half-tempted to turn around, but Abigail looked excited beside her. She loved a good party.
How did her parents know this many people already?
They had to park down the street and walk to her house. She pushed open the front door and immediately heard noise coming from the living room. Abigail’s eyes widened as she took in the large house. Taylor grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hallway.
The bathroom door on their left opened and a tall man with enormous shoulders stopped when he saw them. They froze and Taylor heard Abigail gasp beside her. The man grinned slowly and brushed the dark hair out of his face to reveal mischievous green eyes.
“Hello there,” he said lowly.
“Who the hell are you?” Taylor asked, receiving a pinch from Abigail.
“Grant Mackenzie,” he stated proudly, puffing out his chest.
“Am I supposed to know you?”
That deflate
d him a bit. “You know,” he stepped forward, dropping his voice. “I’m supposed to be here. Who are you?”
“This is my house.” She tried to push past him. “I need to find my dad.”
“You’re Coach’s daughter?” Surprise laced through his voice and he stepped back, dropping all pretence of flirting.
“Shit,” Taylor said, finally realizing who all those nice cars belonged to. “The team is here.”
“Team?” Abigail asked.
“Columbus Blue Jackets, baby.” Grant winked at her, and Taylor was sure she’d have to mop her roommate off the floor in order to get her out of there.
“What sport?” Abigail asked.
He broke into a wide grin and chuckled. “The only one that matters, Sweetheart. Hockey.”
“Your dad is a hockey coach?” Abigail stared at Taylor with her mouth hanging open. “You’ve been holding out on me, girl.” She turned back to Mack. “So, the whole team is here?”
“You bet.” His arrogant grin widened. He had to know exactly what Abigail was thinking.
Taylor was frozen to the spot. Up until now, she’d been able to keep herself separate from her dad’s new job. Her blood rushed to her head, and she put a hand on the wall to steady herself. She didn’t hear much of what Abigail and Grant were talking about, but her roommate’s flirtatious laugh resonated through the hall.
“So, you’re Taylor?” Grant brought her attention back to him. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“I don’t see how,” she pushed by him, suddenly needing to see her mom. “My dad isn’t exactly the sharing type.”
“Not from him,” Grant followed close behind her. “My roommate.”
Before he got the chance to explain, Taylor was saved by her dad. He saw her step into the living room and hurried over.
“You should have called,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “I would have warned you.”
“I know,” she said. “My friend and I just wanted some of Mom’s cooking. I think we’ll just grab some food and head to my room.”
He released her and glanced back at Abigail, then at Grant who’d escorted them in. His eyes narrowed. “Mack, go tell the guys the food is almost ready.”
“Yes, Sir.” Grant practically ran from her side.
They started talking, but Taylor’s attention was drawn to the other side of the room where a boyish smile lit up the face of a familiar blond man. Evie stood in front of him, babbling about something. He laughed, and she giggled before turning around and running in her sister’s direction.
“Tay!” Evie yelled, flinging herself forward. Taylor caught her, never taking her eyes from the eyes that had looked up at the sound of her name.
Putting her sister down, Taylor started to back away, shaking her head from side to side. “No,” she said, causing her dad to look at her. She didn’t answer the question in his eyes as she turned and ran from the room. Abigail followed her, and she barely breathed until she shut her bedroom door behind them.
“What’s going on?” Abigail asked.
Taylor’s stomach heaved. Tears stung her eyes, but didn’t fall. “I can’t…” she said, unable to continue.
Taylor sunk to her bed and Abigail sat across from her, worry etched into every feature. That’s why she didn’t want to tell her new friend about Danny. It would change the way she saw her. Now, she saw firsthand how messed up Taylor really was.
She clutched a pillow to her chest as angry tears finally started to fall.
“Taylor,” Abigail said. “You don’t have to tell me why you’re upset. But, you can if you want to.”
Taylor leaned her head back and stayed silent. Josh had lied to her. Or, maybe he hadn’t. But, he knew about Danny - he should have told her he was on her dad’s team. Then she could have stopped hanging out with him before she kissed him.
There was a soft rap on the door. “Taylor, please talk to me.” Josh’s voice came through softly.
Understanding lit in Abigail’s eyes. “I’m going down to get us some food,” she said. “Plus, there’s a house full of hockey players down there, and that opportunity cannot be wasted.” She winked, trying to lighten the mood, before walking to the door.
Taylor didn’t stop her as she opened it, revealing Josh, looking gorgeous in his pressed suit. Abigail smiled at him and then disappeared down the stairs.
Josh stepped in and closed the door, never taking his eyes from Taylor. “Are you okay?” He hesitated. “No, stupid question. Sorry. I’ve been trying to reach you.”
“Ever thought I wasn’t answering because I didn’t want to talk to you?” she asked harshly.
“Okay, you’re mad.” He ran a hand through his hair and sat, uninvited, on the corner of the bed.
Taylor wiped away the remnants of her tears and scowled at him. “You should have told me.”
“What? That I was a hockey player?” He scrunched up his brow before continuing. “Maybe I didn’t want you treating me like everyone else does?”
“Like what?”
“Different.” He sighed and leaned closer to her. “I’ve called a few times.”
“I know.”
“I’ve been worried.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, shifting her eyes away.
“I want to be friends with you, Taylor,” he said, reaching out to grab her hand. “I like being around you.”
“I just…” She lifted her eyes to his and was trapped in his gaze. Did she want to be friends with him? He made everything too confusing, but being around him felt different somehow, better. Something about his presence was calming. She could almost forget and that was the problem.
“Don’t say no,” he pleaded. “I get that what happened is too much for you right now. So, just friends. I promise.”
“I can’t be around hockey. Everything about it brings back too many memories.”
“I won’t talk about it,” he said. “You don’t have to come to games. Come on, I think I can help you. I might even be good for you.”
She looked down, a small smile coming to her lips. Confusion be damned. She just wanted relief from her grief and he gave her that. “Okay.”
“Is that a smile?” he teased. “Told you I’d be good for you.”
“Just go.” She threw the pillow at him. “Before my dad finds you up here.”
“Good idea.” He stood to leave. “They’ll start to worry about me if I have to spend this long in the bathroom.” He winked. “You should come down and get something to eat.”
She stuffed her hands into the pocket of her hoodie and leaned back on the bed. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“Okay, well we’ve got a stretch of games coming up and I’ll be really busy. But, let’s hang out early next week.”
“Sure,” she said, still on the fence about this new friendship. “Friends. I can do this.”
He grinned once more before leaving just as Abigail returned with their food.
Chapter Seven
Josh scored his first goal of the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It wasn’t a pretty one, most would call it a garbage goal, but that was his specialty. He wasn’t the guy that was going to take the puck end to end, deking defensemen on the way, but he got his team on the board. His line-mates mobbed him behind the net and his team went on to win the game.
After three straight losses, the Jackets were back on track. Carter Neil scored his first NHL goal, a game winner, the next night, and they won the two after that as well. After each win, the music was cranked up in the locker room and the mood was good. After they said a few words, the coaches would leave the rest to Olle. It was one thing to be the captain when the team was losing, but another when they were winning. Some said it would be harder to lead a winning team. Harder to keep the guys from getting complacent, satisfied. The only time in hockey that you should be satisfied is when you are raising the Stanley cup above your head.
The regular season is a slog and the playoffs are
grueling. Any time someone asked Josh why he gave up so much for a game, he’d just smile and tell them they wouldn’t understand. Hockey was a love affair. Each player that made it to the NHL did so because they gave the game a part of themselves. A part they knew they’d never get back.
When he wasn’t playing well, Josh felt like he was letting the game down. When he was, when everything was in sync, he felt whole. That was why he tried so hard.
“Walker,” Coach Scott called above the music.
Josh followed him down the hall to his office.
“What’s up, Coach?”
Coach Scott gestured to the empty chair in front of his desk. He wasn’t the head coach, but he was still very involved with the players.
Josh sat, bouncing his leg nervously as the coach studied his face.
“This is how I know you can play,” he started. “Wherever your head has been at this week, keep it there.”
“Thanks, Coach.”
“Now, hold on. I didn’t call you in here to inflate your ego. Whatever you’ve been doing to help Neil, it’s good.” He eyed him carefully. “You’ll make a good coach one day.”
“Hopefully once I’ve played myself into old age.”
To Josh’s surprise, Coach laughed. “Just keep doing what you’re doing. With Mack too.”
“I’m not doing anything with Mack,” Josh said, confused.
“You are,” Coach Scott disagreed. “You can read him. You know what he’s thinking, and he knows where you’ll be. Never underestimate the importance of line chemistry. You aren’t the prototypical first-liner, but it’s working right now.”
“He’s been playing really well.”
“Stop being so damn humble, Walker!” Coach Scott pounded a fist on his desk. “Learn to take credit when credit is due.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now, get out and go tell Olle I’d like a word with my captain.” Before Josh made it out the door, Coach said one more thing. “You have an off-day tomorrow, Walker, and I’m insisting you take it. Do not set foot in this building. No weight room. No exercise bike. It’s a long season. Rest. Do you hear me?”
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