Page 26 of Scoring Chance

His eyes dropped to the table. “No.”

“Why not?”

His shoulders rose and fell as he took a deep breath. “It’s hard enough knowing they’re holding onto these negative feelings, I don’t know how to bring it up without things getting confrontational. I don’t want to make things worse.”

I could understand that. “I don’t think things will get better without hashing it all out. It will be uncomfortable in the moment, but you can’t move forward until you do.”

“Can’t I just work harder from now on?” he asked with a half-hearted smile.

“I don’t know how the guys work. That might be okay, but I really think you need to clear the air.” I paused and waited until his eyes met mine. “I know we just met, but I really like you. You’re funny and kind and thoughtful. It’s sad that they don’t know that side of you.”

He didn’t interrupt so I continued.

“I’m not sure what’s happened in the past, but I know we all make mistakes. I don’t know all of them very well, but they seem like good guys. I’m sure they would appreciate the effort of you wanting to talk to them.”

He shifted in his seat. “I know it’s what I need to do, but it’s hard.”

I gave him a gentle smile. “It takes a lot of strength to set aside your pride and admit when you’re wrong. I think they’ll respect you.”

Tina saved us from the serious conversation when she brought out the food. The topic was forgotten and Derrek regaled me with stories from playing hockey as a teen while we ate.

“Thanks for coming with me.” He stopped next to my car and gazed down at me.

“Thanks for inviting me.” He’d also paid for me which made me wonder if this had morphed into a date at some point.

We both hesitated, staring into each other’s eyes. The memory of how he’d focused on my lips sent a shiver down my spine. I couldn’t deny I was attracted to him, but I wasn’t ready to think about what that meant. I broke the tension when I unlocked my car. “I’ll see you later?”

He nodded. “Are you coming to the game tonight?”

“Yeah, the girls saved me a seat.”

His smile dimmed. “See you.”

I slid in behind the wheel and he shut the door for me. I watched him in the side mirror as he walked to his car and got in. His smile was gone.

9

Derrek

I had the perfect vantage point from my seat next to the bench. I could see the Pride in the section directly across from the bench, a few rows behind the penalty box. I noticed Amelia the moment she walked through the entrance of the portal wearing a home jersey. She took the stairs down behind Elena and sat between her sister and Madi. The two rows of women surrounding her waved and smiled when they saw them.

There wasn’t a single look of animosity among them. She lived here for just over a week and blended in seamlessly with the group. I knew from experience and stories that the Pride could be tough to break into. The women were protective of the team and one another. Chloe was especially tough on anyone that threatened to disturb the precious balance.

Elena met most of them in Mexico while vacationing with Lucy. She told me stories from that trip and how the women embraced her and even invited the two of them on their excursions. It didn’t sound like the Pride’s norm, but I couldn’t even begin to understand or predict their behavior.

It seemed completely random at times. A few of the girls some of the guys had brought around in the past were immediately dismissed. They weren’t allowed to come to practices and were never invited to any parties or dinners the women were famous for hosting. They seemed to have some sort of grading system no one knew about. They either let people into the group or they didn’t. I didn’t see any pattern or reasoning, but what did I know?

The game started unremarkably. I was the overqualified doorman, opening the door in the boards as the guys switched out lines. I’d been teased about being too slow or not helping enough, so I was being more conscientious tonight. I didn’t have a chance to talk to the guys before the game so until then I didn't want to give them any ammunition.

One of the centers shoved my leg out of the way, and I bit back my instinct to lash out. He might not have meant to. I blew out a breath to remain calm and went back to watching the action on the ice. With my Fury hat on it would be hard for anyone watching me to tell if my attention was on the game or not. It didn’t matter. Olli was on fire today, and I knew there was little to no chance of getting subbed in. Short of a major injury, I’d be right here for the remaining fifty two minutes of play.

“Aston, can you grab Brayden?” Schultz shouted from the far end of the bench. I held back a sarcastic retort and turned on my stool looking for the equipment manager. Look at me making progress already.

He was organizing the extra sticks so I called his name. “Hey Brayden, Schultz needs you.”

He met my eyes and nodded before he hurried along the bench. Erik was pointing down to his skate but I couldn’t hear what he was complaining about.

By the end of the third period we were up by four and the guys were discussing dinner plans for after the game. There was a debate between pizza, steaks, or Chinese takeout and hanging out at someone’s house.