Page 12 of The Secret Play

“Yeah, cookies!” Winnie sang out as she reached for one from Nico’s lap.

“Freshly baked chocolate chip,” I said as I passed the tray around. “It’s the least I can do.”

“Coach wouldn’t like it if we cheat on our diets,” Nico said, grabbing one anyway.

“Your coach sounds like a pain in the ass,” I said, grinning.

“He is,” Nico admitted around a mouthful of cookie. “But he improved our game, so his methods work.”

“Better how?” I asked, curious despite myself. The other guys helped themselves to cookies, and Megan flirted with every one of them as she passed out drinks.

Nico was distracted by that, his eyes on her as he told me, “He’s tough, but fair. He’s got this way of holding us accountable without making us feel like we’re getting lectured. And he knows the game, inside and out. Guy’s a walking hockey encyclopedia. Can’t imagine the Fire without him.”

Nico was always talking about his coach when I asked him about work, and every time, it made me wonder about him and how much he missed Dad. I shoved the thought away.

“You sound like you admire your coach.”

“I do. He’s earned everyone’s respect. I’d call him the hardest worker on the team, but our trainer probably takes that title,” Nico explained.

“Esai is slave driver,” Sergei said, his Russian accent hitting hard. “Good man.”

Megan lit up at the thought. “So, you like being worked hard?”

“Megan,” I hissed as a warning, jerking my head toward Winnie.

“What?” she said as faux-innocently as possible. “It was just a question.”

“Right.”

Nico looked perturbed, but as soon as Winnie passed him another cookie, the frown subsided. “You should meet him.”

“Who?”

“Coach.”

“Why?”

“For your new job. Interviewing the head coach of the Atlanta Fire? That’d be a hell of a way to kick things off.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “You think he’d agree to it?”

“I can make it happen,” Nico said. “Coach likes me.”

“Debatable,” Megan muttered under her breath, earning a laugh from Sergei.

I looked at Nico and thought it over. My new job as a sports writer for a major outlet in Atlanta was a fresh start, a chance to rebuild my career closer to family. And an interview with the Fire’s head coach—someone who’d taken a team with a mixed reputation and turned them into serious contenders—would be a huge get. They’d even won the Stanley Cup since he joined the team. I couldn’t say no to that.

“Okay,” I said, nodding. “Let’s do it.”

Nico grinned, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

Chapter 5

Casey

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee hit me as I stepped into the breakroom for a welcome reprieve from the whirlwind of meetings and practice schedules that had been my life since dawn.

I reached for a mug from the cabinet, vaguely aware of the sound of typing and frustrated muttering behind me. Turning around, I wasn’t surprised to see Whitney parked at the small table, her laptop open, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

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