Page 83 of Offside for Christmas
"I love you too." The words tumbled out. "And I hate that I do. I hate how much it's going to hurt. I hate that I'm setting myself up for exactly the kind of pain I swore I'd never feel again. But I love you, and I can't seem to stop."
Cole's smile was brilliant, transforming his entire face. "Most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me."
Despite everything, Ellie laughed. "Shut up."
"Make me."
She kissed him, right there in the parking lot, surrounded by melting snow and Christmas lights and the distant sound of carols still playing from the square.
Cole's phone rang.
They broke apart, breathing hard. Cole pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. His expression shuttered.
"Rick Maxwell - Agent," he read aloud.
Ellie's stomach dropped. "Are you going to answer it?"
Cole looked between the phone and her, something unreadable in his eyes. "I don't know."
The phone kept ringing, shrill in the quiet night.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
"Cole," Ellie whispered. "Answer it."
13
COLE
Cole stared at his phone, Rick's name glowing on the screen, and felt Ellie's hand slip out of his.
He couldn't not answer. You didn't ignore your agent when he called, especially not when you were trying to salvage a career.
"Rick," he said, his voice flat.
"Cole! Finally! I've been trying to reach you all week." Rick's voice was too loud, too excited, cutting through the quiet parking lot. "Are you sitting down? Because I've got news. Big news."
Cole looked at Ellie. She'd taken a step back, her arms wrapped around herself, and he could see in her expression that she already knew. Already understood what this call meant.
"Just tell me," Cole said.
"LA Kings. They want you." Rick paused for dramatic effect. "One-year contract, $1.2 million. Cole, they need a right-winger. They want you back. You're back, kid. You're back in the NHL."
The words should have felt like victory. Like vindication. Like everything he'd been working toward his entire life.
Instead, they felt like a death sentence.
"When?" Cole's voice sounded hollow to his own ears.
"They want you January 2nd. Training camp starts the 3rd. This is it, Cole. This is what we've been working toward. Your comeback story. From disgraced shoulder-injured brawler to NHL redemption in a few weeks. The media is going to eat this up."
“I’m not even playing right now.”
“They don’t care, they want you. Their right-winger is injured, they need someone ASAP.”
"I need time to think."
Silence on the other end. Then: "Think? What's there to think about? This is the NHL! This is your career! This is everything you've wanted since you were nine years old!"
