My face lit the moment I saw her in the stands. She noticed me instantly and smiled back with a small wave.
We’re working this out tonight, baby. Even if you walk out on me.
She shot me two thumbs up but looked about as nervous as I was. I lined up for the puck drop, determined to keep my focus. I had two goals tonight.
Win this game. Win the girl.
“What the hell was twenty-three doing out there?” I panted, as Ryan and I trodded down the tunnel toward the locker room, sweating.
“Hey, are you coming to Coach’s party tomorrow?”
I shook my head. “No. I’ve got too much going on at work, and if things go well tonight, I’ll have other plans.”
Simon punched my arm. “No time for dating, huh? See what being a pro player gets you?”
“She’s not like that.” Harper wasn’t superficial. She was sincere, honest, innocent. And I immediately kicked myself again for saying I didn’t know her well enough for her to have any effect on me.
I’m in love with her.
Most of the other players were playing in second period while the three of us walked to the lockers for a breather and talk strategy for third.
Ryan stopped short the second he walked in the room. Simon and I behind him.
Troy was sitting by my locker, sliding on a clean, spare uniform.
“Troy?”
“What’s the matter, you don’t recognize your double?” he glanced up.
Simon, a smidgeon bigger than me, stepped around, intimidatingly toward Troy. “You weren’t due back until practice this weekend.”
Troy finished tying up his laces and stood. “Last I checked, I was the real Troy Hartman, and if you’ll excuse me...”
He started to walk past us, and Simon put a hand up against his chest. “You’re not playing tonight. You shouldn’t even be here. If Coach sees the two of you—”
“I wouldn’t get in my way, Simon. If Coach finds out you’ve been lying to him and you knew all along, pretty sure you two will have your titles stripped.”
“You’ll have a lot more to lose if you come clean now. Get out of that uniform and let August finish this game.” Ryan approached with a more civilized tone.
I moved around the two men to face my brother. “Troy, I’m sorry, but you can’t just come in here unannounced and slip into a game in the third—”
“I’m finishing them, August. Thanks for starting for me but I’m ending it. This is the team that almost ruined my career, I know what I’m doing tonight. I can play like I did—”
“What about next game? When you don’t have all that retaliation and heat playing for you?” Simon argued.
“Yeah, Troy and you haven’t been to practice—” I started.
“Youhaven’t been to practice in over a year and you did just fine. You’re not better than me, August. You play for fun, there’s no pressure. Imagine making this your living and every fucking night is a nightmare because you have seconds to get something right while people are coming at you. You get to work in your pretty office with people jumping at your every command, well I don’t live that way. I try not to get creamed out there while I fight with everything I have to get a fucking goal.”
The two captains exchanged an uncomfortable glare and stepped aside.
I turned to both of them. “Can I have a minute?”
Simon released a breath. “We’re back on in ten, I need a Hartman out there in eight. You two figure out which one it’s going to be.”
I nodded and they both stepped out of the room.
Troy avoided eye contact.
