Page 2 of Netting the Goalie

I didn’t add that I couldn’t bear to go home to Minnesota, where Mom would fuss over me like I was still in high school and Pop would lecture me like he was still my coach.

I loved my parents but if I had to deal with them for an extended period of time, it would totally fuck with my head.

And that just made me feel worse.

Could I beanymore screwed up?If I continued like this, Coach would trade my ass to Alaska or send me down to the ECHL.

“Then what’re you doing tomorrow night?”Cary asked.

I snorted with disgust and shook my head.“Besides drinking myself into a coma?Not one goddamn thing.Why?”

“Come to my place.Lori and I are having some people over.”

I automatically shook my head.“Nah, man.I don’t think I’d be good company.Thanks anyway.”

Cary went silent but he didn’t move.And that was never a good thing.The six-foot-two, two-hundred-plus defenseman not only was built like a brick shithouse but was pretty much as immoveable as one.

As the silence stretched on, I sighed and turned, forcing myself to look directly into Cary’s eyes.

“What?”

Cary had crossed his arms over his chest, emphasizing just how broad the fucker really was.“You’re strung tighter than a drum and you need to decompress or you’re gonna explode.And that won’t be good for you or the team.Won’t be anybody there you know and we won’t talk hockey all night, unless Lori goes on a bender.Besides, I could use the backup.”He grimaced.“Lori’s always collecting strays.I swear I won’t know half the people there.And her cousins are crazy.”

Hearing Cary talk about the love of his life coaxed a smirk out of me.The guy was married to an abso-fucking-lutely gorgeous woman who seemed to think Cary hung the moon and stars.Cary apparently thought the same of her.

It’d be sickening if they weren’t so perfect for each other.

But…Christ.Cary wanted me to spend a few hours making small talk with a bunch of people I didn’t know?I opened my mouth to say no again but Cary just stared at me.

Shit.My resolve crumbled.

With a sigh, I began to pull on my clothes.“How crazy?”

Cary’s shit-eating grin made me want to smile back but I squashed the impulse.Didn’t want to give the guy the impression he’d won.Even if he had.

“Let’s just say they have some holiday traditions that’d put the Addams family to shame.”

I tried not to sigh but couldn’t help it.“As long as there’s alcohol, I guess you can count me in.”

Cary nodded, his grin disappearing.“You find it helps?”

I didn’t bother to misunderstand him and shook my head.“Not really.And no, I don’t have a problem.At least, not with alcohol.”

Cary took me at my word.Another thing that made every single one of the guys worship him like he was the goddamn King of Hockey.

“Good to hear it.And yeah, I know you’ve been having a few bad weeks.It happens.The break’ll be good for you.Get your head on straight.If you want, we can run some drills tomorrow, just the two of us.”

Andthiswas why Cary was rumored to be the front runner for the next Redtails Coach.The gossip mill outside the locker room had been working overtime lately.Our current coach, according to gossip, had a lock on an NHL job.Everyone expected Cary to step into the vacated position.

The players loved him.The front office loved him.The fans thought he walked on water.

I found myself nodding.“Yeah.That’d be… That’d be helpful.”I hoped.

Cary grinned then punched me on the shoulder and practically knocked me off the bench.

“Good.And come to the party.You’ll have a good time.”

Bliss

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