Page 3 of Slap Shots & Sweethearts

"How?" I ask.

Maria smiles at me, "That brother of yours begged me to sell him a box of your favorites. I almost made an exception to his ban."

Sofie fills in the next part as she pulls a gift bag from behind a shelf, "But I happened to be at the bakery, and well, the idea for tonight happened. Beth and the others all wish you a happy birthday and wish they could have made it tonight."

"You guys!" Tears prick at the corner of my eyes. I’ve only known these women for a little over a month, and already they’re proving themselves as the best friends I’ve ever had.

They all surround me and I end up at the center of a group hug.

Chapter 2

Matt

Hockey practice this morning isn't bad as we skate around the ice in preparation for the upcoming game. Lou and I face off against Nate, trying to give him a challenge for the puck drop. Nate is the best on the team, and we all know it. I don't mind being a right wing with him as center. Lou and I had his back, just like the goons had ours.

I practice my slap shots, they aren't as accurate as other types, but they are my favorite. The power behind the shot doesn't compare to the others and when the puck flies past Dan in the goal, I don't bother to hide my grin.

Lou skates over and punches me in the shoulder to celebrate. Even with all the pads on, his hit is strong, not that I'd tell him that.

"You call that a hit?" I ask Lou. "You hit like my Granny."

He rolls his eyes. "I've met your Granny. That's a compliment."

Nate skates over to us and gives me a fist bump with his gloved fist. Dan stands at the goal, and pulls his mask up to take a drink.

"Make shots like that and we've got this game in the bag." Nate tells me.

His praise makes me grin. Nate used to be pro, and traded down to prioritize his family. I've never told him, but his opinion matters a lot to me.

"Thanks, man."

We skate to the boards and retrieve our own drinks. The team was able to partner with a local sports drink company, and they've provided enough of their blue ice sports drink to last the season. Lou double checks the cap on his, as he normally does. Early in the season, someone pranked him with a bottle that had been glued shut, and so far no one has owned up to it.

"When are you going to let that go?" I ask him.

He eyes me wearily. "Ready to confess?"

"You know I don't pull that stuff." I pause for just a moment trying to keep my face serious as I say. "Without taking credit for it."

"I have my suspicions," Lou says. "I think it was one of the camera guys."

Nate lifts a brow, "What do they have against you?"

"The camera loves me." Lou laughs at his terrible joke before finishing the rest of his drink.

Nate and I share a look and then, in sync, we lift our open bottles and dump our blue drinks all over Lou. He splutters, and I'm laughing as I skate away with Nate toward the locker room.

By the time Lou is out of the showers and by his locker I've had the chance to make a stop at the break room upstairs to check for treats. Hannah brings in the best goodies from a local bakery, and I always try to get one before they're gone. Normally I liked to be there right as Hannah brought them in, but Coach had called us in early to discuss strategy and Hannah hadn't been in yet. The break room interactions were the highlight of my day. Lucky for me there was one left in a clear plastic clamshell container.

Inside the container is an innocent-looking lemon bar with a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top. I'm just waiting for Lou to notice what's in my hands as I sit on the bench next to my locker. The treat is just out of reach if Lou were to notice now.

Lou's got his head in his locker looking for something when I crack the container open. It makes that familiar plastic crinkle, and Lou snaps his gaze to me so fast I'm surprised he hasn't broken his neck.

"That's mine." He states as if it were fact.

"Is it now?" I tease, and look over the clear plastic. "Don't see your name on it. And Hannah didn't mention it was yours."

"My sister is off limits. Now hand it over." Lou steps over the bench that's between us. "It's a Left Wing Lemon Bar. Doesn't need my name."

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