Page 62 of Second Chance Faceoff

Colton raised an eyebrow. I gave her a flat look.

"And no, I don't need help," she added with a wink, then disappeared toward the back.

Colton shifted beside me, hands tucked into his hoodie pocket. "She always that subtle?"

“Only when she’s trying to be helpful.”

I paused, then cleared my throat. “Can you thank the team? For supporting the rescue, I mean. With everything going on... this last legal challenge is kind of my last shot.”

Colton shifted slightly, his brows drawing together.

I exhaled. “Sorry. Is that something I shouldn’t bring up?”

He looked at me, surprised. “You don’t have to stay away from that topic.”

“Well,” I said, hesitating, “it’s your dad. I didn’t know if that was... off-limits.”

Colton shook his head. “I want you to win, Riley.”

He said it plainly. Like it wasn’t complicated.

“My dad has other options. He just doesn’t like being told no.”

I blinked. “You’d really be okay with that?”

“I’ve even thought about calling him myself. Telling him to back off the rescue land.”

That caught me off guard. “I appreciate that. But I wouldn’t want to put you in that kind of position.”

He shrugged. His eyes narrowed a bit. Focused.

“What you need is cash. Donations. Right?”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah. My lawyer’s cutting me a deal, but I still need the funds to buy the land outright.”

Colton scratched his jaw, thinking. “What if we set up something? A charity scrimmage? Or maybe I reach out to some sponsors to see if we can get some attention.”

I swallowed. “Thank you. I’ll think about it.”

Colton glanced toward the clock on the wall, then stretched his arms overhead with a small grunt. "I better get going."

I stood as he did, brushing my hands on my jeans. There was something on my mind—something I hadn’t said earlier, when he first came in. It hadn’t been the right moment. But now… now it felt like maybe it was.

"Colton?"

He looked over at me. "Yeah?"

"Can I give you some advice?"

He raised an eyebrow, wary but amused. "You’re not about to yell at me, are you?"

I smiled. "No."

I hesitated for a breath, then pushed forward. "You’re powerful on the ice. I’ve seen you crash people into the boards if they get too close to your goalie. You don’t hesitate to fight when a teammate gets roughed up."

He looked confused. "Is this going somewhere?"

I hit his arm lightly. “Shut up and let me finish, will you?”

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