Page 27 of Three Pucking Words
Helen shakes her head. “We’ll handle it, but I appreciate the offer.”
After saying goodbye, I lean against the hallway wall outside the rink. Most of the guys have gone home by now, but I knew the second Gemma called that I’d be too distracted to drive.
On the days I don’t have her, I don’t like going home right away. Now that I know what having her around is like, my place feels too empty when she’s with her grandparents.
“Surprised to see you here,” a feminine voice says from a short distance away.
I turn to see Honor and Puck standing there and push off the wall. “Hey,” I greet, sliding my phone into my back pocket. “I could say the same about you. It’s late. What are you still doing here?”
Her brows pinch. “Still?”
A sheepish smile curls my lips. “I saw you skating earlier,” I admit. “You’re good. Wanted to tell you that but you disappeared.”
Even from here, I can see her cheeks tint a rosy color. “I didn’t know anybody was watching.”
She doesn’t like attention. Another fact I like about her. “I was only there for a minute,” I lie to make her feel better. “Had to get ready for practice.”
She nods, shifting her weight from one foot to another. Puck is sitting calmly beside her, looking between the two of us.
I flex my hand. “So…” She lifts her gaze. “I heard you got hired as the new Mackenzie. Congrats.”
Her lips twitch—not up, but down. “Does the team think it’s bullshit that their coach’s daughter got hired for the role?”
Is that what she thinks? “Nah. I don’t think anybody thought much about it. Coach said you had experience, and that was all we needed to know.”
I leave out the part where people started asking a million questions abouther, since most of us had no clue she existed until now. But I doubt that would do much for the already strained relationship between her and her dad.
“Good,” she says quietly, looking down at the ground before taking a deep breath. Her feet readjust again, telling me that she’s either uncomfortable or nervous. I don’t like the idea of it being the first.
Then she says, “I need a favor from you.”
I blink, taken aback. “What kind of favor?” I pry with interest.
Honor rubs her arm before letting out the breath she’s holding. “This is going to sound ridiculous, but…”
I wait as she pauses, wincing at whatever she’s about to say. Is it a naked favor? I could only be so lucky.
Groaning, her shoulders slump. “I need you to teach me about hockey.”
CHAPTER SIX
Honor
He stares atme for what feels like forever, and I quickly regret my decision to ask him for help. What was I thinking? I go from having the warm and tingly sensation around him on day one, to embarrassment the next when he doesn’t recognize me, and then irritation over the attraction I very much still feel regardless of those other factors.
It seemed like asking for help was a good idea twenty seconds ago. Is it possible for somebody’s hotness to strike a person stupid? I could be a case study, because I’m definitely not processing things thoroughly.
But Bodhi is the only one that I know here outside of my father, and asking my dad for help wouldn’t instill a lot of confidence in me for taking this job.
I blame Max and his love for hockey and my parents for their ugly divorce for the distance I put between me and the sport. If they’d stayed together, maybe I’d know how many quarters are in a game. Wait, is it quarters or periods? I’m going to need to make a list of important questions to ask if he agrees.
I almost forget that Bodhi is standing in front of me until I register the amused smile that crinkles the corners of his lips as I start thinking of all the things I don’t know about hockey.Damn. I forgot he had a dimple. Only one, on the right side of his mouth. How could I forget? I’d stared at that mouth for longer than I should have at the bar. It’s a nice mouth. The bottom lip is fuller than the top and—
God, I’m pathetic.
The warm and tingly sensation is back, but I refuse to acknowledge it as Bodhi studies me. Planting my feet on the ground, I force myself to stand straight make eye contact with him without squirming.
I’m not going to give away that his attractiveness makes my skin buzz or my heart do that weirdthump, thump, thumpthing in my chest like it’s at a techno rave. Nope. I’m sure he gets that a lot from women. Maybe even men. What he probablydoesn’tget often is awkward women bombarding him in the hallway of the MSG Center asking for help figuring out how the hell ice hockey works. Because, seriously, I have no clue. There’s a puck and a goal and men on ice skates in matching jerseys that skate around to earn points. Beyond that, I’m clueless. How many points is a goal? How does the scoring system work?
