Page 28 of Penalties and Proposals

“Yes, sir,” I say, nodding my head.

“Okay, good.” Keeping his eyes drilled into me, he inclineshis head toward Dawson. “Since you’re the senior here, what are your thoughts for the three of you if you wanted to give Dawson some sage advice and help your game?”

Choosing to overlook the senior comment, I lean into what Scotty’s asking. “First, I’d say that Ted and I need to play the bodies coming at us and not the puck, and if we’re two on one, we take the passer so Dawson can get the shooter.”

“Good,” Scotty says, encouraging me. “What else?”

“Clear the trash in front of the net, please,” Ted interjects.

Scotty holds up a hand to stop him. “Don’t worry, I’ll quiz you later. It’s Beaumont’s turn.”

I slug Ted’s arm jokingly, eliciting a growl, before I continue, “I’d remind myself, and Ted the Bear here, that if we aren’t one hundred percent certain we’ll back the shot, then get outta the way so the goalie can do his thing. He doesn’t need us running away at the last second or accidentally deflecting the biscuit into the net.”

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Scotty yells out, patting me on the shoulder. He moves away from us, glancing back to point at me. “That’s coach material right there.”

I watch as he skates away, heading toward Dan and Cooper. Probably instilling more sage advice ahead of the night’s first game against the Canadian Lumberjacks, but leaving me to chew over his parting remark.

“I’m going to hit the showers, then go back to my rental and change into my suit for tonight’s entrance. I really want those Lumberjacks to rue the day they said yes to playing us,” Ted jokes, skating off to the edge of the rink.

“I’m right behind you,” Dawson agrees, taking his face mask off and cocking his head to one side as he looks at me. “Coming, Noah?”

Shrugging, I skate in a circle around him. “Sure. I feel like I need more time to do some drills, but I’m probably overthinking things.”

“We’ll warm up when we get back and hit the ice,” Dawsonassures me. “It’s our first game, man. We’re gelling a lot better than we were, so tonight we’ll be on fire.”

“From your lips,” I say with a snicker, skating behind him to the edge of the rink. Standing on the side, waiting for us to come off, is Zach, the man who put all of this together. I can’t call him just a man, though—this dude is a flipping billionaire, and the fact he helped his brother put all of this on to raise funds for a local charity still blows my mind.

“Hey, guys, good work.” Zach slaps Dawson on the shoulder as he marches past to the bench, but then holds a hand out, signaling for me to stop. “Good to see you again, Noah. Can’t say it enough, but I’m really glad we got you on this team. Thanks for taking part.”

“Thanks for having me.” I watch as he puts his hands on his hips and looks around the arena.

“I can’t believe it’s all coming together for tonight,” he murmurs, his eyes sparkling with excitement, “but that’s not why I stopped you.”

Leaning against my stick, I wait patiently for what the man has to say. He may be a billionaire, but I’m in need of a hot shower and something to eat before this game kicks off. “What’s up?”

An amused grin twists across his lips. “I heard you met a certain local junior league player, Charlie, the other night?”

His tone makes me chuckle. “She’s a spitfire. Heard she petitioned your brother and his wife to get a women’s team here. That true?”

“Apparently they were planning on one anyway, but Charlie beat them to it. I swear, the stories I hear about that kid; she could be our next president and the country would be all the better for it.” He crosses his arms as he looks me up and down. No small feat since I’m still in my skates and towering over him at the moment. “Look, she called and asked Troy and Kelly if there was any way we could get you to come back and do a special skills course with our junior leagues, like an intensivetraining camp for the players who are serious, like she is. I know it’s a big ask considering your schedule, but I promised I’d touch base on it.”

A tap dance of excitement begins making its way from my feet all the way up my spine, a tickling sensation that reaches the top of my head. The fact that this excites me throws me off, but I also can’t deny the fact that … I want to do it.

“So, I’d come here and do a hardcore training course?” I’m already picturing early morning workouts, drills for hours, finishing the team off with a run after a full day of practice.

“Not hardcore, like your kind of hardcore.” Zach laughs as if he can read my mind. “We’re thinking of a two-week camp, staying at the Lodge for bonding, team activities, and of course, lots of time on the ice. I even want to put them through some ice skating lessons with a local teacher, Ellie, just to add more layers to what they get out of it.”

“Wow,” I say, nodding my head. “You make a good case.” Do I want to do this? Is it something I think I could do well? Yes, and yes, but … timing. “When are you thinking you’ll want to schedule the first camp?”

“Since my brother owns the rink, we can block out dates any time. If you say yes, we’ll work with your schedule to get it on the books and fast, but summer is actually ideal since kids are out of school. We can float some ideas and maybe talk about it further before you leave Maple Falls?”

“I’d like that,” I say as Zach claps me on my back.

“Awesome. It would be great to have you head up the camp. You’ll be compensated for it, but again”—he winks, his face going a little more serious, a little sign of the businessman he truly is starting to come to light—“those things we can negotiate once the time comes.”

“Deal.” I quickly glance at my watch and realize if I want to have enough time to myself and to get ready for tonight, I need to go now. When I look at Zach, he inclines his head toward the tunnel to the locker room.

“I’ve kept you long enough. Thanks for the talk.”

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