Page 26 of Goalie Lessons

“Oh, whatever,” I laugh, unable to stop the smile that spreads over my face. It feels erratic, to be laughing like this, but it also feels so, so good.

Then, as quickly as it started, it ends. A door slams at the end of the hall and Astrid jumps, her eyes darting past me. Sobering up, she clears her throat.

“Just—see if you can find someone for her to talk to? And keep an eye on her, Grayson.”

The sound of my name on her lips makes me shiver, and I watch as she turns around, heading toward the door.

“I will,” I say, but it’s too late—she’s already pushing through the door, letting in a flood of sunshine before she disappears into the bright Milwaukee summer.

Astrid

“It’snotgood,Astrid.”

I’m sitting at the dining table at Sloane and Callum’s place, watching as she paces back and forth, one hand holding her phone, the other buried in her hair. She’s been like this for the past forty-five minutes.

“I can see that.” I lean forward, taking a sip of the artisanal soda Sloane has poured in a glass. Behind her, through the sliding glass door, I can see the surface of the pool, the floaties bobbing merrily, and try to push down my disappointment that we’re not out there right now.

“Luca is freaking out—he doesn’t want to push him too hard, ask for too much, but the admins were at practice the other day when Grayson had to walk out.”

Even the sound of his name makes my body more aware. Sloane has been talking through the goalie problem this entire time, getting on and off the phone, so I should be more numb to mentions of him.

Apparently not.

“They’re not happy aboutpaying for a goalie that doesn’t even come to work. Their words, not mine. How do we explain to them that he’s like…sick?”

“It’s complicated.” I tip my head and watch as her glass of soda continues to sweat, condensation building up and running down the side of the glass, where it pools on the surface.

“And then there’s the problem of the guys. Callum said it was bad, that the vibes during practice were totally off. And Freddy—he’s hilarious, but he’s not a very good goalie. What happens if it’s just Martinez pulling weight? He’s nearing retirement. What do we do? The general manager is asking if we should start looking for a replacement.”

This is the first thing that genuinely shocks me. I drop my straw back into my drink and pull back, watching her as she comes to a stop, rubbing her palms over her cheeks, her eyes meeting mine.

“…Look for a replacement?” I ask, eyebrows through the roof. “It’s been—what? Like two weeks of him feeling a little off? And with everything he’s going through, they’re thinking of benching him?”

“Not benching,” Sloane says, her face white. “Tradinghim. If they can. The season hasn’t started yet, so this would be a good time—”

“That’sridiculous.” I frown, running my fingers through the condensation on the counter’s surface.

“You don’t have to tell me.” She closes her eyes, bringing her hand to her temple. “He was doingsowell at the start of the summer—Luca was saying he thought this was going to be the best season. That with the way Grayson was performing, and with Maverick back, that other guy coming in from Houston, too—”

Sloane stops again, bracing her hands on the table. Without warning, she looks up, eyes narrowing in on my drink.

“Is it good? It’s from that little place down the street—”

“Sloane,” I laugh, waving my hand in front of her face. “You need to take a breather, girl. Is all this stuff even your responsibility? What’s in your job description as team manager?”

She sighs again. “It doesn’t matter what’s in the job description. It’s like with Luca—it’s not in his description as captain to take the franchise’s success onto his plate, but that’s what he’s doing. This is like…like a family endeavor now. It’s more than just a paycheck for me.”

Sloane doesn’t say it, but I get the feeling that she’s also trying to make up for writing about the Frost in the past. Before becoming the Team Manager for the Frost, Sloane’s primary project was Slap Shot, her media company, and it was a big secret. On the various platforms, she published content that pointed out flaws in Luca and Callum, and in the Frost, as a way to try and keep people from figuring out who was really behind the articles.

Except the articles got more and more intense, and when Callum and Luca found out about it, they were rightfully hurt.

All this—throwing herself into her job with the Frost—might be another way of making up for all the stuff published by Slap Shot.

“Stop it,” Sloane says, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I hold my palms up. “Stop what?”

“Don’t be coy—you’re analyzing me. Thinking about the Slap Shot stuff. You know I’ve always wanted to work in hockey. That’s not the only reason I’m doing it.”

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