Page 17 of Yo Ho Ho
Plus, she had to get through the morning watching an attractive hockey player on the ice with a bunch of kids. It could've been worse. There could've been puppies there too.
After touching base with Richard, the paper's photographer, who arrived just after Max, she headed for the bleachers along one side of the rink. Parents were already sitting there watching their kids on the ice, who seemed to be having an amazing time. That's one thing that Max loved about watching little kids play hockey. They had so much enthusiasm for the game, and they just enjoyed playing it at that age. No extra pressure, no stress about what travel team they could try out for or what club team would want them. They were just having fun.
But the person who seemed to be having the most fun on the ice wasn't a kid. It was Logan Moore. Sure, he was 29 years old and a veteran in the league at this point after spending almost a decade playing in the pros. And yes, he was a big guy, tall and all muscles. Max knew exactly what he was hiding under the track suit he was wearing today. She had seen him plenty of times without a shirt on in the locker room — and once in her hotel room.
But today she focused on Logan the player, who was helping a group of small children try some crossover drills and failing miserably. The kids would find it amusing to fall on the ice since they were all decked out in padding that was too big for their little bodies. Logan would laugh along with them, exaggerating his responses to make the kids enjoy themselves even more.
There were also a few times when he would skate by, bent at the waist as he glided along with a kid next to him, trying to give them pointers on how to adjust their skates or their sticks. One particular girl looked to be extra small, which meant Logan had to bend down extra low as he skated by. Max heard at least a few sighs in appreciation from the hockey moms in front of her, either because of his adorable interaction with the little player or because his amazing hockey ass was in perfect view of the parents on the bleachers. Most likely, it was a little bit of both.
Matt Jackson was also on the ice, off to the side showing some little goalies how to defend the net, and Logan would bring a few kids over at a time to see how Matty was doing.
"Oh, that was a tough break, but it was close!" Logan told one goalie after a little girl scored on him.
"Where did you learn that awesome move?" he asked a boy whose goalie pads were as big as he was.
"Matty taught me!" the boy excitedly responded before giving Logan a fist bump in triumph.
There was also the time Logan skated by as the head of a hockey dragon with Matty bringing up the tail, roaring as the kids all tried to stay in a line behind him. That's when Max could tell Logan spotted her, his face breaking into a huge smile, his roar becoming louder as if he was trying to impress her more than the kids with his dragon impression. He was definitely impressive, that was for sure.
The kids played a few more games with him and his Pirates teammate before he finally corralled all of them to the end of the ice for a final practice pep talk.
"You guys did an excellent job today," he said in an exaggerated tone with an extra big smile on his face. "I think you can all be hockey stars like me or Matty someday, but you have to keep practicing and listening to your coaches, OK?"
The kids all nodded, particularly a girl in the front with her pigtails sticking adorably out of her helmet.
"And do you know what the most important thing to remember about playing hockey?" A few of the kids actually physically leaned in, hanging on to the next words out of Logan's mouth. "You have to have …" The kids leaned closer. "Fun!"
He quickly got up and started chasing the kids around as they squealed in sheer delight. It was the perfect end as they finally got off the ice with Matt and Logan giving them a hand.
But while the kids' practice was done, Max's day had just begun. She still had to interview the head of that dragon and knowing Logan, that wasn't going to be the easiest of prospects. She just hoped she could get enough material to write up a good feature piece without doing too much damage to her personal life.
She only had a few more weeks left to work, but she was going to do it. Then she could walk away from the Pirates just like she walked away from hockey when she was 15.
Of course, hockey had a way of pulling her back in. She just hoped that history wouldn't repeat itself again. As much as her body was telling her she wanted him, her brain had to remind her that it wasn't a good idea to get involved with a hockey player, especially if that player was Logan Moore.
Chapter 9
Becca had been giddy when she met up with Logan on Friday afternoon before the Pirates' game against Chicago.
"Max Quinn asked to interview you at the Kids Can Skate event tomorrow, and I told her that would be a great idea. Fans love seeing you guys with kids." Then the public relations guru's bubbly voice turned serious. "Don't screw this up for Max before she's out of a job."
He didn't want to tell Becca that he already knew Max was going to call. He didn't want to mention that he had gone to theDetroit Herald's office to talk to Max about a possible story.
Instead, Logan gave Becca a "Sounds great," and tried to pay attention as she talked about the set up for the interview. Max would be waiting in the stands for him after the event. There would be a photographer there. The conversation would be lighter for a feature piece instead of the usual quick sound bite after a game. He was supposed to be the fun and happy media personality that Becca had helped him cultivate as part of his public relations training when he arrived in Detroit a few seasons ago.
But that didn't mean he enjoyed it. He hated when the media tagged along for these charity events. It just seemed a little too opportunistic for him. Like, "Hey, I'm the famous hockey player that's doing this volunteer thing so pay attention to me!"
Events that promoted things like the Kids Can Skate program, which gave hockey equipment and training to underprivileged kids, were about the people who used these programs and benefited from them. It wasn't about the big star who would jump in every once in a while for an event or an auction or some other thing. Sure, Logan knew that's why he was there. He knew he was being used to draw attention to the charity, but that attention seemed unearned.
He wasn't like the volunteers who worked tirelessly for the program. He didn't have a lot of time to devote to something like Kids Can Skate during the season so he would just show up here or there to skate with the kids, which he really did love to do. Plus, the kids were always so enthusiastic and excited to see him. They would cheer for him, try to impress him with their skills, and hang on to every word of advice he would give them.
Then he would give each one of their gloves a fist bump and head home. If there were other Pirates with him, they may grab some lunch afterward and talk about the season.
A few days later, the public relations office might send Logan a video of him out on the ice with some kids or a photo that made it on to some hockey site with women commenting about their ovaries exploding or something. He just had to show up and someone else would edit it to make it look good. He wouldn't have to feel dirty answering questions or hogging the spotlight. That was for the games at the arena, not here. No mess, no fuss. Just some skating with some kids.
Except for today.
Logan was already on the ice playing with some of the kids when he noticed her in the stands. Brown hair pulled up in a ponytail, fleece jacket, black leggings and winter boots. She looked like the other hockey moms sitting in the stands watching their kids play, but she still easily stood out from the crowd. He couldn't explain why. She just did.
