Page 41 of Stick By Me
He pulled his shirt down over his washboard abs. “Sure. You have Sundays off, right?”
“Yep. No practice, no classes, and no workouts. We get to lie around and be slobs if we want.”
Leo stepped to me and placed a quick kiss on my mouth. “Want to go pay a visit to Goliath if he’s still there?”
“And risk bringing him home? Absolutely.” I kissed him again. “But let’s leave the cage cleaning to whoever is volunteering.” Though I’d loved volunteering that day, I really wanted to spend time doing something fun with Leo. Showing him off even.
“Sure. I’ll call the shelter tomorrow and see how he’s doing.” He grabbed my hand, then kissed my knuckles. “Walk me out?”
“Of course.” I followed him out of my bedroom, down the hallway and to my front door. “You’ll be watching the game tomorrow, right?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.” Wrapping me up tightly, he kissed my cheek. “See you Sunday.”
“See you.” I watched him leave, an ache filtering through my chest. I missed him already.
The next night,Denver had beaten us, one to zip. We hadn’t gotten a single goal on the bastards. The locker room was quieter than usual as everyone took off their gear.
“Carlson, can I see you in my office before you leave?” Coach Patterson stood next to my stall with his hands planted on his hips, his steely blue gaze running over me.
“Yeah, sure.” My pulse quickened. Had I done somethingwrong? Why did he want to see me? I had played a good game, despite the loss.
With his brows wrinkling, Jonah leaned in. “What do you think that’s about?” He bumped his elbow to mine.
“No idea.” I set my gear down for the equipment manager to take. The guy was a miracle worker in keeping us mostly stink-free.
After showering and dressing into my sweats, I made my way to Coach’s office, down a stark white hallway from the locker room.
The door was open, and I knocked on it, then stepped inside.
A man with short, brown hair and dark eyes, wearing a suit, stood opposite Coach, beside his desk.
Coach brushed his hand over the top of his graying hair. “Carlson, this is Richard Dupont, the new defensive coach for the?—”
“Coyotes. I know who he is.” I stared at him. What the hell was going on?
Richard held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.” He gave me a thin-lipped smile.
“Nice to meet you.” I shook his hand, my pulse kicking up. This was weird. NHL coaches didn’t pay visits to college hockey players. They had people for that. Plus, I wasn’t exactly the star player on my team. But I hadn’t been drafted either. I would have had to put in for that, but Dad’s voice had kept me out of it.
“Archer, I’m here because I’m interested in where you’re going after college.” He quirked the corner of his mouth. “See, I knew your mother. We competed together once upon a time.” He eyed me.
My stomach did a flip, and my mouth went dry. “Y-you knew my mom?” I dropped my mouth open. “Were you in the Olympics together?”
“We were. She was a good friend.” Richard glanced at Coach. “We kept in touch, all the way up until the day…” He pursed his lips. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to attend the funeral. I was with Chicago at the time, and we were traveling for a game.”
“Oh.” I gazed at his shiny black shoes. What did he want with me? Surely not to talk about my hockey skills.
Clasping his hands in front of him, he said, “I always kept an eye on your hockey career.” Dipping his head, he chuckled, then drew his attention to me. “Well, your mom always kept me up to date on your career. She loved to talk about you.”
Nodding, I swallowed thickly. “Yeah, she was proud that I played hockey. She was at every game, always made sure I ate right, trained right, you know.” I scratched at my neck as a pit formed in my stomach.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here.” He stepped toward me. “I see something in your playing style. You’d make a good depth player.”
I snapped my gaze to his. No fucking way. Was this really happening?
“I see a spark in your play at most games, but then at other games, it’s gone.” He pressed his lips together.
My fucking father. The voice. Every time he fucks with me, I lose my focus and my game suffers. “Yeah, I know.” I wrangled my hands in front of me. He wasn’t here to offer me anything with his team. It couldn’t be that simple. He was here as a favor to Mom for whatever reason.
