Page 70 of The Power Play

“Hey,” she answers on the second ring.

“Hey, did the guys go out for their win or anything?” I ask, trying to sound casual.

“Some did, I think,” she answers. “Why?” I hear her teasing tone.

“Nothing, no, Charlie just isn’t back, and I don’t want him to wake me up when he gets home is all.”

Chandler scoffs, “Yeah right. Hold on.”

I hear mumbling in the background as I fidget with the hem of the t-shirt.

“Charlie didn’t go out with the guys, but he might be at the practice arena,” Chandler says once she gets back on the phone.

“Why would he be there?” I wonder.

“Dunno, but Vince said he mumbled something about it before leaving after the game.”

“Hm, do you think he’s okay?”

“Why wouldn’t he be?”

“Not sure, something just seemed off with him during the game I guess.”

Chandler’s silence is louder than anything she could say, and I canfeelthe smile she’s beaming on the other end.

“Don’t even start,” I tell her.

She breaks out in a laugh. “Why don’t you go there and check on him and see for yourself?”

“I’m hanging up, goodbye.”

“I love you!” she calls out.

“Love you back.”

I debate for all of five minutes before I’m throwing on a sweater and some jeans and getting in my car, driving toward the Dragon’s practice arena. While I’m on the way, I don’t even consider how I can get in until I get a text from Chandler.

Chandler: The code to get in the back entrance is 1126. *wink emoji*

I shake my head because of course she knew I would be going. When I pull up, I park in a spot off to the side of the building and notice the only other car here is a blue sports car that I recognize.

There’s a back door with a keypad on it. I enter the code Chandler told me to and it beeps, letting me know it’s unlocked. There’s a hallway that leads into the locker room. I see one pair of dress shoes scattered on the floor and a suit tossed haphazardly on a bench next to an open gym bag.

As I walk out toward where I think the rink will be, I can’t help but wonder if I’m about to catch Charlie skating around naked. The visual makes me laugh and turned on at the same time. The closer I get, I hear the sound of pucks hitting the boards.

Sure enough, the hallway I walked down leads to the benches where the players sit just for a game and Charlie is skating around with a puck before shooting it toward the goal, this one makes it. Sadly, he’s not naked but has changed into a pair of black sweatpants and a Denver Dragons sweatshirt.

He hasn’t noticed me yet, so I take advantage of just watching him. The way he makes it look so easy to glide across the ice. He makes it look like second nature, especially with the stick in his hand. The way he handles the puck before shooting it is so smooth, I can’t help but be impressed.

I walk around the bench and hoist myself up on the boards like the players do when they are changing shifts, but I just sit there. Charlie sends another puck toward the goal from the blue line, and it goes in easily.

“Nice shot,” I say, getting his attention.

He turns toward me with obvious shock on his face. “What are you doing here?”

I shrug, “I could ask you the same thing.”

He skates toward me slowly. “Okay, I’ll try again. How did you know I was here?”

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