Page 22 of Slap Shots & Sweethearts

"Nate and Dan drove my car over earlier." I held up the keys as proof.

I leave before I can drag out the goodbye and make it even more awkward.

The gym is exactly what I need to get my head on straight. The familiar clank of weights, and the muscle-burn in my lungs from the run on the treadmill. Gyms are straightforward. Do the work, see results. I'm at the top of my game here. I've broken my personal best in this room more than once. It's all the welcome distraction from the dangerous thoughts I've been having about a certain curvy blond.

My phone rings, and I hit the stop button so I can take the call. My agent's name is on the screen.

"Hey Lennox," I answer after recognizing my agent's name.

"Matt, my man. I'm getting nibbles," he doesn't bother with the preamble. It's one of the many reasons I signed him as my agent. I don't need him wasting time asking me about the weather when he could be getting me deals.

My pulse quickens. "Really?"

"How do you feel about this being your last season playing semi-pro?" He drops the bombshell as if he's asking me how I feel about a well-grilled steak.

Disbelief, and wonder, slam into me. Advancing to the big league has been the ultimate dream. It's grown more distant with each passing season. Younger guys getting called up, while I play the ice in Glacier Bay.

"Are you serious?" I can't believe what he's suggesting, there has to be a catch.

My heart pounds with excitement and apprehension.

"Your slap shots have the attention of some people on the next level. I mean nothing's official yet, but you keep playing the way you have been."

"You got it Lennox."

"Keep your press stays clean. No puck bunnies, drunken parties, or fights off the ice. Be a good kid. Talk soon."

It's not a problem to keep my press clean. I don't drink, do one-night stands, and without the game adrenaline in my veins, I don't fight. He hangs up without waiting for me to say goodbye. It's normal for him, but I'm left to stare at my phone while I think over what he's said. It's a dream come true, almost. Almost the bruises, and aches, and long hours of practice will be worth it. Almost, I have my shot.

"Do you think he's broken?"

Lou's voice interrupts my rambling thoughts, and I look up to see him and Nate standing nearby watching me.

Nate's expression looks more thoughtful. "He's got that face, it's hard to tell."

I clench my jaw, feeling the weight of their scrutiny. I've tried so hard to be a dependable teammate who never falters. These two have seen the cracks in my defense.

"Ice off," I tell both of them.

Ignoring their prying gazes, I hit the start button on the treadmill to focus on the workout, but the tension in the air is palpable.

They move so they stand on either side of the machine, I decide to ignore them and up my speed. They talk to each other as if I'm invisible about the weather, biding their time until they get to whatever they want to say.

Nate starts first, "Do you think it's a lady problem?"

"You think Matt's got the monthlies? Finally becoming a woman?" Lou grins like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.

Nate chuckles, and I spare Lou a quick glare. His grin only gets bigger.

"Could be," Nate muses, casting a pointed glance at me. "But I was thinking more that he's got a lady on his mind."

The pounding in my chest isn't due to the physical exertion. I haven't been running long enough or hard enough for that. No, it's because I have a sinking feeling that I know what's about to come out. I tense, and gauge Lou's posture. He's relaxed in his typical manner. No sign of his Lou Lightning energy. I'd had to stop myself from laughing when I overheard Hannah's date say it last night. I one hundred percent agreed with her that if Lou ever heard someone call him that, his ego would be insufferable.

"Maybe he met someone at the Sweetheart Shuffle yesterday," Nate suggests, his voice laced with curiosity.

I can feel Lou's attempt to stare a hole through me. Despite my warm muscles from running, there's a tension I can't shake off. I definitely don't like wherever this is going.

"Not long enough to be this caught up on her." Nate snaps his fingers as if an idea just sparked in his mind.

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