Page 85 of My Best Bet

It dawned on me that she seemed desperate for girl time, for a motherly figure in her life… And deep down, I wanted so badly to be wanted, to be needed, to not be lonely anymore. It felt like it was meant to be that the two of us were together. Spending time with her didn’t feel like a chore or anything Ihadto do. Iwantedto be with her. And even if nothing came of me and Colt, if we fell apart again, I’d love to be the kind of Coach for Lucy that I wished my younger self would’ve had.

After gorging ourselves on gourmet mac and cheese, the two of us walked over to the stadium and had fun getting popcorn and slushees before the warm-up started.

As per Lucy’s request, Colt got us tickets right on the glass in the corner so we had a perfect view of the net.

When the lights dimmed and spotlights went crazy, the announcer’s voice boomed welcoming the Windy City Whalers. Lucy jumped to her feet, so I followed suit, and we watched all the guys stream onto the ice.

Watching Colt in his signature #17 jersey skate-run onto the ice and then smooth into a long glide looking so large and calm and sure of himself made my eyes sting with unshed tears. I just couldn't believe I was actually seeing him living out his dream.

He caught my eye as he rounded the corner for a drill and he winked at us. I had to wipe my eyes as I smiled back.

When it was finally game-time, nervous energy clanged through my body.

Colt zoomed up to center ice for the puck drop, taking the same face-off stance that I’d seen him take hundreds of times as a kid. It was just so surreal to see him taking a faceoff in a stadium with all of these people watching. The jumbotron lit up with an image of his face. Gone was his playful nature he regarded us with, instead, his eyes and jaw hardened, like he was ready for war.

And then the puck dropped.

Colt battled with the New Jersey Bandit’s center for a couple seconds before winning and dropping the puck back to JP on defense, and then everyone was spreading out for a play. JP fed the puck across the ice to Kappy, while Colt hung around the blue line ‘til Kappy crossed into the zone. The three forwards zoomed to the net, trying to break New Jersey’s defense.

Kappy slid the puck over to Colt for a one-timer, but the puck zoomed over the crossbar and hit the glass.

“C’mon Dad! Hit the net!” Lucy yelled out, making me crack up laughing.

The Whalers dominated the entire first period, but about half way through the second, they were down 2-0.

And that’s when things started to slide downhill for us in the stands.

A very large, sweaty man wearing a New Jersey Bandits jersey snuck down from higher up seats and started heckling the Whalers. He had a sign that read “Whalers suck ass” that he placed right up on the glass.

Things went even further downhill when he caught sight of Lucy’s jersey. Like a true instigator, a grin slid onto his face as he yelled, “Conover sucks ass!”

Lucy’s head whipped towards him. “Hey, that’s mean!”

“Not mean, just the truth, kid.” He laughed snidely and continued banging on the glass.

Lucy’s face scrunched like she was about to cry.

I reached to hold her hand. “It’s okay, he’s just trying to make people mad. We won’t give him the satisfaction,” I whispered to her.

At the break between the second and third period, Lucy and I wandered up to the stadium’s rotunda to find a bathroom.

Unfortunately, when we came back, the man in the Bandits jersey was somehow sitting right next to us. I looked around for security, wondering how this was allowed to happen.

Noticing us on the stairs, he smoothed out of his seat to let us into ours. As soon as I passed him, the smell of BO and beer filled my nostrils. He was becoming more drunk by the minute. Lucy smiled at me for reassurance, and I had to shove aside my uneasiness to smile back at her.

Colt’s next shift out, he was flying around the boards, carrying the puck, when a Bandit’s stick went up into his helmet. Colt’s glove went to his helmet. He dropped his stick and bent at the waist before skating hard to the bench, blood streaming down his face.

Lucy grasped my hand.

“He’s fine, honey,” I reassured her, trying to calm myself down too. “Just a cut.”

The beefy man cheered louder. “Conover’s a bitch!”

Already anxious and now pissed, I flinched at his tone. “Please don’t say that,” I tried to keep my voice even. “There are kids around.”

He scoffed. “We’re at a game, don’t be an uptight bitch.”

A scary calmness overcame my body– like the calmness before a raging storm. My eye practically twitched. “Did you just call me a bitch?”

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