Page 49 of Power Play Pursuit

Everyone laughs, including Beaumont. I move on to greet everyone else, and Miles gives me the longest hug, even though we literally just saw each other a few hours ago.

“Good to see you, man,” Hawthorne says, squeezing my shoulder.

“What are you doing back here?” Wally asks, already dressed in his goalie pads.

“Just wanted to see if you guys were decent. I have Elizabeth and her parents with me tonight.”

A chorus of “Ohhh!” fills the room.

Here we go.

“It’s her dad’s birthday. I’m just part of the surprise,” I say, as if I didn’t orchestrate the whole thing. If they knew, I’d never hear the end of it. “So keep your clothes on, and be on your best behavior.”

They all nod, laughing as I walk back to the end of the room. Once I return to the spot where I left my guests, I beckon them to join me.

“I thought it’d be fun to meet the team you’ll be rooting for tonight,” I say, a hand on my hip.

“Who?” Richard asks. “The Dallas Cheetahs?”

I look at him for a second, then burst into laughter. “Now I know where Elizabeth gets her sense of humor from.”

“I’m just pulling your leg, son.” He pats my arm, and my chest warms. Being called “son” when I’ve never had a dad is both foreign and strangely comforting.

“You call her Elizabeth, not Beth,” Pam muses, throwing me a soft but questioning look.

I rub the back of my neck. “Yeah. I just think her full name suits her better.”

Elizabeth’s smoldering eyes are fixed on me, and I avert my eyes. “Right this way.”

23

"I’m pretty sure it’s my name on your back."

Beth Bowen

James really thought of everything. My dad got his jersey signed by every player on the team, and now we’re watching the warm-ups from the bench, right next to the coaches.

“Are you sure we’re allowed to be here?” I whisper to James, feeling the eyes of the entire arena scorching into us. I’m used to ice seats, but this is different. It’s the actual bench. There’s no glass in front of us, and we can feel the speed of the playersas they whiz past and cold air rushes over us.

“It’s fine,” he says with a smile. “Obviously, we’re not going to watch the game from here. But since we’ll be all the way up in the VIP section, I wanted your parents to get a taste of being close to the ice.”

“More likeonthe ice,” I joke.

He turns to me with a frown. “Are you scared you’re going to catch a stray puck?”

I swallow. “No—does that happen?”

He bumps his shoulder with mine. “Highly unlikely. But don’t worry. If it does come flying, I’ll catch it. The broken nose hasn’t affected my reflexes.”

I roll my eyes at his classic cockiness, and though I won’t admit it to him, I’m glad it’s back. My parents don’t even notice our little exchange, completely enthralled by the warm-ups. Occasionally, the guys skate toward us to grab a drink or high-five my parents.

“So, how long are you out for?” Mom asks, looking at James. “Do you miss the game?”

He offers her a genuine smile, and my heart melts just a little. “A few weeks. And yeah, I do. It’s definitely an adjustment, since hockey has been pretty much my entire life, but I’ll be fine. Besides, with Elizabeth keeping me company, it’ll go by in a flash.”

My mom frowns in confusion, and it’s like someone just pressed my face against the ice.Crap. Why didn’t I think of this possibility? I haven’t told them James was the friend I’m currently living with. I should have warned him ahead of time.

“What’s that?” Dad chimes in, clearly paying more attention to our conversation than I was giving him credit for.

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