Wildcat

by Rebecca Jenshak

  The players are on the ice warming up. I scan, looking for Leo. He texted earlier to make sure I was still coming tonight and to invite me out after. I gave him a noncommittal, We’ll see.

  I had fun with him yesterday, but he’s a star hockey player and I’m… rebuilding. Or maybe it’s just building, since I haven’t successfully made anything of myself yet.

  I’m confident in me. I’m awesome. I just liked him better when I thought he was in the same stage of life as me. And before I knew he was a Wildcat.

  When I find him, he’s already got that dark gaze aimed at me. One long leg is up on the wall next to the bench, stretching. Ash is next to him, his longer hair a shade lighter than Leo’s. He talks and Leo nods like he’s listening, but he keeps staring at me.

  Mom nudges me. “Scar?”

  “Yeah.” I snap my attention to her and my cheeks warm.

  Laughing, she says, “I asked how working with your dad was going?”

  I glance back at Leo. He’s no longer in the same spot, but I find him by the back of his jersey. Lohan, number fourteen. “It’s been good, actually. I missed him while I was gone.”

  I talked to my mom almost every day on the phone, but rarely my dad. Mom would fill me in on what he was up to and that somehow felt good enough at the time.

  “And, there’s this photographer Lindsey that works for the Wildcats. She’s incredible and she offered to talk with me and tell me about how she worked her way up without a degree.”

  Mom frowns. I’ve broken the happy truce by inadvertently mentioning school.

  Her mouth opens and closes. I’ve rarely rendered her speechless. Before she can find her words and get deep into lecture mode, I place a hand over hers. “I know it isn’t what you wanted, but I want to be a photographer and I think I’m pretty good at it.”

  “You could still be a photographer and get a degree. Just in case.”

  “Just in case what? I can’t find a job or pay my bills? I’d rather make less money and have a job I love than fall back on some career that makes me miserable.”

  She sighs. That deep, disheartened sigh that mothers perfect over the years.

  “I’m sorry if you’re disappointed, but I’m not. I’m going to find a job and save up so I can move out and start my own business or I might like to work for a newspaper or a real estate company. I don’t know yet, but that’s the point of taking time and doing all of these favors.”

  The buzzer sounds and the players from both teams head for their respective benches.

  “I don’t have it all figured out,” I confess. “But I know this is right for me.”

  We stand for the national anthem. I find number fourteen on the bench facing the flag, stick in hand, swaying side to side like he’s too amped up to hold still.

  Mom hums along, a quirky trait that used to embarrass me when I was younger. Tonight, I join in. She glances over and smiles, and I know everything is going to be okay with us. She might not agree with me, but she’ll still cheer me on.

  We take our seats as the teams get ready for the puck drop.

  “So, you aren’t pregnant then?” she asks as the first lines skate out.

  “What?” I ask a little louder than I intended, causing several people nearby to cast a curious glance. Only for a second though because the action starts.

  “I didn’t think so. Especially after seeing Cadence. That girl is lit up like a Christmas tree with that pregnancy glow. But I knew something was up with you. You haven’t been acting like yourself since the breakup with Rhyse.”

  “I’m not pregnant,” I whisper.

  “Will you at least consider finishing your degree? Not because I think you’ll fail and need a fallback plan, but as an insurance policy. A lot of companies won’t even let you through the door if you don’t have a degree in something. I’m not saying it’s right, but it’s the way it is. If you have a degree, then you’ll always know that you have options.”

  It’s a more reasonable request than I was expecting, so I nod. “Yes, Mom, I will think about it.”

  My uncle joins us halfway through the first period. Mom turns her chatter toward him, and I finally get to focus my full attention on the game. Or more accurately on Leo.

  Either I forgot how exciting hockey can be on home ice or Leo is winning me over. He races down the ice, a determined and eager look on his face. I know another time that Leo Lohan had that same expression, and it was naked with me.

  Sweat makes the ends of his hair darker and curl up at the back of his helmet. His shift ends and he comes off the ice, chest heaving. We lock eyes and for several seconds, I think I stop breathing.

  Holy pucking shit. If I thought I was going to watch him play all season and be completely unaffected, I was seriously mistaken.

  20

  DON’T BRING YOUR LOGIC AND REASON TO THE PARTY

  SCARLETT

  After the game is over, I tell my mom I’m meeting up with some friends from work and say bye to her and my uncle. I hang out in the lobby, trying to decide if I’m really going to go out with Leo.

  The Wildcats won, five to zero, thanks to a little help from Leo with one goal and an assist, so I think there’s a very good chance he’ll be celebrating. If not, or if I decide against this insanity, I’ll be taking a very spendy Uber ride home or hoping I can find Dad before he leaves.

  I’m pacing the marble floor when a text pops up from Leo, Still here? Want to hang out with a bunch of awesome hockey players?

  Oh god. I can’t seem to help the big smile on my lips. Awesome is debatable. I’m here.

  I don’t directly answer his question, but the excitement and anticipation I feel waiting for his reply is a clear signal that I’m doing this. Bring on the insanity.

  When the lobby is starting to thin out, my phone pings again, and I read the text with an ear-to-ear smile on my face, Meet you outside on the southwest corner (opposite direction of the parking garage).

  I know which way is southwest, I fire back. Or I think I do. I would have found him.

  I head outside, hugging my arms to my stomach. A jacket didn’t go with the outfit.

  On the corner, I wait, clutching my phone in my hand. It’s much quieter on this side of the arena, and I’m a woman in a midriff shirt standing alone. Not your best laid plan, Leo.

  No sooner than I curse him, a black truck with tinted windows pulls to the curb. The window rolls down and Ash smiles from the driver’s side.

  “Miller, nice to see you. Couldn’t get enough of us?” He revs the engine.

  Leo leans over from the passenger seat. “He’s mostly safe. Hop in.”

  The new car smell hits me as I slide into the back seat. Ash pulls away from the arena, going the opposite direction of the popular bar.

  “I thought we were going to Wilds.”

  “Jack is having a party at his place.” Leo glances over his shoulder to meet my gaze. “You cool with that?”

  “Wild’s will be packed tonight. Always is after the first game of the season,” Ash says from the driver’s seat.

  “I have to drop off something, but we can go somewhere else after that if you want,” Leo reassures me.

  “Sure. I’m game for whatever.” As the coach’s daughter, I have a feeling I’m much safer in a house full of Wildcats than at some bar.

  My phone pings with a text from Leo, You look gorgeous.

  “So, Scarlett,” Ash says and glances in the rearview mirror. “I heard you just got back from London.”

  “Yeah, that’s right. I lived there for two years right after high school.”

  “That’s dope, although unfortunate that you made my boy here wait two years to meet you.” His attention turns to Leo. “That was what, your second year with the team when Coach Miller became the head coach?”

  “Oh, I never would have dated him two years ago,” I say before Leo has a chance to answer.

  Ash busts up laughing and Leo’s mouth falls open.

  “That was in
my skinny, drugged-out, rocker guy phase,” I tell him with a small lift and fall of one shoulder.

  “Sounds… hardcore,” Ash says, still laughing.

  “Not really. Most of them were wannabes that drank hard seltzer and dabbled in E while living in big apartments their parents paid for. Not exactly the sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll lifestyle the Internet sold me.”

  “I think I like you.” Ash shakes his head.

  He drives us to Leo’s house, except he pulls into a house across the street. The garage door opens and Ash parks inside a massive four-car garage. Most of the space is filled with workout equipment, but there’s a killer Mercedes SUV and a golf cart.

  “Is there a golf course nearby?” I ask as I step out of the truck.

  “Nah, it’s just for driving around the neighborhood,” Ash says. “I’m going to drop my stuff inside. I’ll see you guys at Jack’s.”

  Leo meets me at the back of the truck and tilts his head in the direction of his house. “Ready?”

  He takes my hand as we cross the street. I wasn’t sure what agreeing to hang out tonight meant for us, but I know I like the feel of his strong fingers clasped around mine.

  “I assume there’s no roommate?”

  “Nope. Just me.” He punches in the code on the garage opener, and it comes alive with a hum. His Jag is parked inside, but Leo hops into the driver’s seat of a golf cart that looks identical to Ash’s.

  “We’re taking this to the party?”

  “Jack lives up the street.”

  “Of course, you all live next door to one another.” I sit on the bench seat next to him. A hula dancer bobble head is stuck to the dash. I glance in the back, where several cases of beer and a box of wine and liquor are loaded up and strapped in. “We’re in charge of bringing the booze?”

  He starts out of the garage and makes a right, taking us farther into the neighborhood.

  “Yeah it’s my unofficial duty as the newest alternate captain.” He grins and pulls into the circle drive of a house that’s so big it makes Leo’s look like a shack.

  “Wow.”

  As soon as it’s parked, he reaches over and grips the back of my neck, pulling me closer while he leans in to cover my mouth with his. His thumb strokes my neck as his tongue seeks entrance. He deepens the kiss, and his other hand frames the side of my face.

  It seems he’s always pulling back sooner than I want, but I realize why this time when headlights pull up behind us.

  “We don’t have to stay long,” he says.

  Two guys emerge from the SUV.

  He calls to them, “Hey, rookies, little help.”

  They come closer and I recognize Johnny Maverick and Tyler Sharp.

  “No way Coach Miller’s daughter is partying with us tonight?” Johnny asks. He’s got this likable, genuine smile and a lot of ink.

  “I am.”

  Tyler is quieter, though something tells me it’s easy to be the quiet one around this group of guys. He says hello and offers a shy wave. They each grab a case, and Leo picks up the box of liquor and wine and carries it with one arm on his hip while holding my hand as we walk inside.

  A man at the door is collecting phones and making people sign NDAs, but we move right through with a nod in his direction.

  “How come I don’t have to sign away my silence?”

  “It’s sort of assumed you being Coach’s daughter and all,” Leo says quietly.

  “How does he know who I am?”

  “That’s Jack’s agent, James. He makes it his business to know everyone.”

  Leo drops the box on the counter in the kitchen. There’s already a healthy amount of liquor bottles to choose from.

  “What do you want to drink?” Leo asks as he grabs a beer from the fridge.

  “That looks good.”

  He hands me his and gets another.

  “I hesitate to show you Jack’s back yard.” Leo moves toward an open door that leads outside, where I can see people are gathered around a patio. The music that plays gets louder as I step back out into the night.

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because it’s better than mine.” He places a hand on my lower back as he guides me.

  Heaters are set up around the patio, surrounding a whole lot of outdoor furniture where people sit, while others stand all around the giant yard.

  Leo’s not wrong. This is amazing. Everything is bigger and more extravagant. The same pool setup but larger. It has a lane roped off for laps, there’s a waterfall in one corner and a swim-up bar.

  We wander over to a group of his teammates standing in the side yard in front of a smaller guest house. French doors are open, and I can see inside, where another kitchen is filled with booze.

  Leo introduces me to everyone, though most of them I’ve interacted with in some way over the past two weeks. Jack is the only Wildcat I knew by name and face before I started working with my dad. Dad mentioned him in passing and he’s in a few commercials and advertisements that make him sort of impossible not to know.

  “Fuuuuck. For real?” The captain waves the beer in his hand, motioning between us. “This is really happening?”

  Uhhh. I look to Leo. Neither of us finds our words before Jack does.

  “Does Coach know?” His question is directed at Leo.

  “That I’m at a party with his players?” I cross my arms and step forward. “Because anything else would be none of his or anyone else’s business.”

  “Just trying to look out for the team.” Jack holds his hands up defensively. He takes one last look at Leo and then walks off.

  The rest of the group falls silent.

  Crap. I worried about what my dad would think of me seeing Leo, but not what might happen to Leo or how his teammates might feel about it.

  “I should probably go,” I tell him.

  “No, don’t. Jack is just being Jack. He never stops thinking about work.”

  “Stay,” Johnny says.

  “Yeah, stay.” Ash steps up beside Leo. “What’d I miss? Drama already?”

  “Jack being an ass,” Leo bites out.

  I glance around. I catch the eye of more than one player as I scan the yard.

  “He has a point. Besides, even if my dad knew and was cool about it, I don’t want the guys to feel like I’m Coach’s eyes and ears.”

  Ash nods. “Then what better way for everyone to see you’re cool than to hang out and be chill? You’ll blend in, in no time.”

  Leo’s fingers take mine. “What do you say? We can go back to my place or somewhere else.”

  “Yeah, I’d bet you’d like to take her back to your place again,” Ash says under his breath.

  Leo keeps his gaze on me as he flings an arm out to smack his buddy on the chest.

  “Again?” Johnny asks, then his eyes go wide. “Ooooh. This is dream girl?”

  “That’s her,” Ash confirms.

  Leo’s eyes scrunch up adorably. “I didn’t mean go back to my house to hook up. We can hang out, swim, talk.”

  The group of guys gathered around all look to me for my answer.

  “We can stay,” I say, and I swear they all grin.

  “Yes!” Ash is the first to voice his enthusiasm. “Let’s play some pong.”

  Leo and I team up against Ash and Tyler. Tyler isn’t as quiet as I first assumed, but he’s more reserved than the rest of the guys. Possibly because I’m here. He crushes us all at pong and then Ash spends a few minutes trying to convince more people to play Flip Cup Races, which I assume is just flip cup, but as it turns out, it is a variation of the game that involves racing silver and red remote controlled cars between flips.

  I sit out the first game and am glad I do, because these guys aren’t messing around with these cars. Boys and their toys. Miniature cars—ones that look way fancier and go way faster than those I’ve seen little kids play with—speed down the road toward Leo and Ash’s houses, cutting each other off at the turnaround mark.

  Ash’s shiny silv
er car makes it back first. He pumps a fist and calls to me, “Get your ass over here, Miller. You’re on my team. I need you to distract your boy.”

  Leo and I line up in the last spot. There’s a playful glint in his eye.

  “Do I even want to know how much those cars cost?” I ask

  “More than my first real car,” Tyler says.

  Leo grins. “We tried racing on foot a couple of times, but people were puking left and right. We improvised. Jack loves these things.”

  “Gross.” The visual is not pretty. “Don’t you guys have practice tomorrow?”

  “Spoken like the coach’s daughter,” Leo teases me.

  “Spoken like anyone with an ounce of logic.”

  “Aw, Miller, don’t bring your logic and reason to the party.” Ash boos and then all the other guys join in.

  “Okay. Okay.” I laugh “Let’s do this.”

  We’re in teams of four. Ash and Johnny are the first to go. Johnny finishes his drink faster but is slower to get the remote car going. The guys that have done this more have an obvious advantage, and Ash catches him about halfway down to the turnaround point. The silver and red cars nearly avoid crashing into one another when Johnny swerves in front of him, taking the lead.

  Next up is a guy they call Morris and Declan. Then it’s Tyler and a girl that’s been hanging on Morris.

  “Sorry in advance for kicking your butt.” Leo winks. He’s hovering over his cup of beer, waiting for the car to return.

  “Dream on, Leo Lohan.”

  The second Tyler moves our car past the finish line, I chug the lukewarm beer. It sits heavy in my stomach as I hurry to grab the remote from him. Yeah, running right now would be bad.

  Leo fumbles the remote, but I think he might be letting me catch up. Oh, how sweet, he’s trying to take it easy on me. Unfortunately for him, I’m playing to win.

  “Hey, Lohan,” I say as his car races after mine.

  He glances up from the road, and I flash him. I have on a bra, so it isn’t like he’s seeing my boobs, but it’s enough to distract him and send his car off into someone’s yard.