Page 4 of The Goalie

I take a deep breath as I try not to look annoyed. The last thing I want to do on my day off is spend it with a bunch of snooty rich people.

“Now,” Coach continues, “if you haven’t noticed, there’s no ocean outside the window, so it’s a three-hour drive. Leave accordingly.”

Three hours? What the fuck?

“I want to see you all dressed nicely,” he says as his stern eyes roam around the room. “That means suits and ties, and no fucking running shoes. I want to see you sober. I want to see you well-behaved, well-mannered, and well-groomed.”

One of the defenders, Thatcher is leaning against his locker in only his jockstrap. Coach points at it.

“And keep your jockstrap in your pants if you know what I mean. This is a work event. Your boss—me—will be in attendance. Your boss boss—VanMorgan—will also be present. Don’t make a fool of yourself. And leave the women alone. I don’t care if Gemini-Z?—”

“Gemini-X,” Edvard interrupts.

Coach glares at him. “I don’t care if Gemini-any-letter-of-the-fucking-alphabet says she wants you on the spot, you are to be-fucking-have. That goes with all the women there.”

The guys are shooting each other sullen glances as the coach finishes up.

“Great game tonight,” he repeats. “And I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

He returns to his office with his two assistants at his sides. As soon as the door closes, the locker room is full of chatter again.

“Gemini-X,” Edvard says as he comes over with a low whistle. “Even the coach can’t stop me from going after her.”

“She’s way out of your league, dude,” Sebastian says with a laugh. “Didn’t she date the lead singer of Trite Dynamite?”

“You’ll see,” Edvard says as he walks away, chuckling like a madman. “The Sweet Swede always gets the girl.”

I grab my shirt and pull it on as Austin turns to me. “Do you want to drive down with me and Norah?”

“Nah,” I say as I button my shirt. “Thanks though, I’m going to stay solo.”

There’s no way I want to spend three hours each way in a car with a happy couple yapping in my ear.

I just want to get in and out as quickly as I can.

The night will be nothing more than a chore.

But hey, at least it’s for the kids.

CHAPTER TWO

Grace

“What happened?” I ask when I get home and see my mother’s face.

It’s her face, but it’s not her face.

“I tried clearing out that old garden beside the shed and I got poison ivy in my eyes.”

“What?” I say, staring at her in shock. She’s lying in bed with both of her eyes puffed up. Like, seriously puffed up. They’re red, puffy, and almost swollen shut.

“I must have had it on my hands and then wiped my eyes with it.”

“We have to go to the emergency room,” I tell her. I’m already grabbing her purse and reaching for my phone.

“I already got checked,” she says. “My doctor came by and saw me this morning. She said there’s nothing to worry about. It’s just swollen. She said the swelling should go down in a day or two.”

“A day or two?” I say, staring at her in shock. “Can you even see?”

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