Page 44 of Finding the Forward: Part One
Oh. Maybe it was just treats. Huh.
“They have names on them, dumbass. Take your own.” Nia handed another to him. It had a little tag on it that saidCarlos.
“Who doesn’t like cake?” Sarah, another forward, snickered as she took off her skates.
Clark cradled his like it was precious. “They’re so cute. Can we eat them?”
“Why do the Maimers have a team mom?” Nia looked confused.
Carlos smacked him on the ass. “Team Mom makes the snacks.”
“The Maimers have a seventeen-year-old rookie. Verity’s the responsible adult. That’s why they call herTeam Mom.” Dean took the one with his name on it.
Oh, that made sense. Seventeen? Fuck no. The nineteen- and twenty-year-old rookies were bad enough.
“Oh, Plant Prof. She’s so nice,” Jean-Paul added, taking his. “She’ll look at pictures of your dying houseplants and tell you how to fix them before your girlfriend comes home and gets mad.” His girlfriend was a flight attendant and went away a lot.
When had everyone met Verity and we hadn’t? But we’d been busy getting Grif situated here and doing everything necessary to start our pack.
Carlos had the whole thing in his mouth, nodding. “So good.”
Everyone took theirs. The more seasoned players watched as the rookies gobbled them up just to make sure nothing happened. Still, everyone lookedhappy.
Who’d have thought a bunch of professional hockey players would get excited over cake pops shaped like hockey pucks?
She’d made one foreveryone. Even the coaches, trainers, and equipment managers. There were also some with no names. The fruit had been cut intoshapes.Several players claimed the nameless extras. Yeah, someone’s alpha nature really leaned into caregiving, didn’t it?
A smile erupted across Grif’s face as he saw the treats. “Oh, Verity made us goodies. I think making snacks is how she cares for people.”
The coaches gave us the rundown and assigned press duties.
“Good game, everyone. Rookies, clean this shit up. I better not hear that the equipment managers had to do it,” Elias told everyone.
We all hit the bikes or ice baths to cool down, then the showers.
After we showered, Grif did a giddy little dance in only his towel. “Did you see her in the stands? She had a sign withmyname and number on it.”
The Maimers stayed and watched the game. They’d had signs, funny hats, and silly dances. Verity held a sign that saidGo, Grif, Goin sparkly paint and tiger stickers. She’d cheered and yelled when he scored a goal. Every time she did something like that, he stood a little straighter and skated a little harder.
“Who’s going to Tito’s?” Carlos asked. Many people repliedyes.
“Did AJ come to the game? I didn’t see him in the family section,” Dean asked, as he got back in his suit. This one was light green.
He said it brought out his eyes. I thought he looked like pistachio ice cream. My mate was lickable, though.
“AJ was in his company’s box tonight, making deals as usual. He’ll meet us there.” Grif looked up from his phone.
“Why were there tiger stickers on the sign?” I asked as Grif and Dean ate their cake pops in my SUV. I’d give mine to AJ because I didn’t like chocolate.
“That’s what she calls me.” Grif grinned like a goofball.
Tiger?Okay.
“Oooh, I want a nickname,” Dean added as we drove to the bar.
The packed tropical-themed bar served decent food and weak drinks. Some of the team had already gotten a couple of tables. Gwen, one of the usual servers, took orders.
“Wasn’t your team banned from Tito’s?” I asked Rusty as she came over to me, beer in hand. That eventful night last season involved dancing on the bar, spraying people with beer from the taps, and a brawl.
