Page 81 of Slots & Sticks
“Coach Shaw!” Knight shouts. “Thought we’d have to send a search party!”
“You’d get lost without me,” he fires back, grinning as he parks the scooter beside the bench. His voice carries that rough edge from the accident, but his eyes are sharp. “Alright, show me what you’ve been doing while I was out. Prove Viktor didn’t run you into the ground.”
“Correction,” Viktor says, skating over, chest puffed out. “I improved team morale, work ethic, and general hotness.”
“You improved your tan,” Bowen mutters.
Coach chuckles. “Let’s see it, Captain Sunshine.”
The guys run a quick sequence inspired by Viktor—passing drills, a couple of breakouts, then a scrimmage shift that actually looks decent. Even from the bench, I can feel the old rhythm coming back. Coach watches quietly, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, nodding when someone makes a smart play, barking a correction when a pass goes wide. The scooter’s humming motor doesn’t make him look weak—it makes him look like a general with a new throne.
When the whistle blows, Viktor circles back toward him. “So? Not bad for an off-season, huh?”
Coach tips his head. “You didn’t crash them into the boards, which I appreciate. But let’s keep the Comic Sans off my ice next time.”
Laughter ripples across the rink. Viktor presses a hand over his heart. “Coach, I was motivating the troops!”
“Motivate yourself to the blue line,” he shoots back. “You’re lagging.”
Viktor groans but takes off, and the rest of us follow. For a moment, everything feels normal again—like the season never paused.
When practice ends, Coach is perched at the boards, pride and exhaustion mixing in his expression. “Good work, boys. It’s good to be home.”
“It’s good to have you back,” I tell him—and I mean it.
Viktor corners me in the locker room after practice. “What the hell was that, Cam?”
I frown at him. “What are you talking about?”
“Get your head out of Coach Shaw’s ass.” Viktor claps his hands between words for emphasis.
Tristan peers around the door of his locker and snickers. “It wasn’t in his ass. It was in the clouds. Look at him.”
Adler makes kissy faces at me. “Somebody’s in luuuurve.”
Knight wraps an arm around my shoulder and gives me a shake, while punching me lightly in the arm with his other fist. “How’s Dot?”
There’s no fighting back the grin that spreads across my face. “She’s great. Her father is home. The house has pets again. And thanks to you guys… Coach Shaw can recuperate on the main floor. It’s good.”
“Ooh, so you have a whole floor of the house to yourselves? Ooh-la-la.” Knight flutters his eyelashes at me. “Don’t break the bedsprings, Romeo.”
Viktor waves him off. “If things are so great, what’s the distraction?”
“Well, I, uh.” I gulp audibly. “You guys can keep a secret, right?”
“Totally.” Viktor thumps his chest. “You know me. As team captain—”
“Oh, fuck off.” Bowen rolls his eyes. “Yes, Camden, we’ll keep your secret.”
“Even from your wives?” I point two fingers at my eyes, then gesture around the cluster of guys. “If this gets back to Dot before I can tell her, I swear, I’ll figure out who spilled the beans. And put Icy Hot in his jock.”
A general swell of agreement passes through the group, which is good, because I don’t think I could keep this to myself for more than a couple of days.
“Coach gave me permission to propose. And I have no idea what to do.”
“Ooh, damn, you’re serious about wifing her up!” Adler offers me a high five. “Nice.”
Knight releases me at last. “If you’re asking for my advice, you could buy her a jewelry store.”
