Page 4 of Time to Shine

He also couldn’t look at Casey’s dimples anymore, so he focused instead on the floor. Casey’s famous pink skate laces gleamed up at him. They clashed horribly with the tomato-red uniform socks, but Landon was sure Casey didn’t care.

“Here we go, boys!” someone yelled from near the front of the line.

Casey let out a scream like a hawk in reply, and Landon hoped he didn’t have permanent hearing damage.

A few minutes later, Landon was seated at one end of the bench, watching an NHL game. It was fucking awesome. Even if he was only in Calgary for one night and he never again returned to this league, he’d have this. He’d have gotten to watch Antton Niskanen shut down the Los Angeles team in a way that seemed effortless, but Landon knew was pure unmatched skill. L.A. was a good team; they’d taken Calgary to game seven in the first round of the playoffs last season, but just like in that seventh game, Antton wasn’t giving them an inch tonight.

Calgary’s top line of Lee Ramsay, Clint Noseworthy, and Casey Hicks was incredible to watch this close as well. The crowd was obviously in love with Casey in particular, cheering every time he had the puck, and exploding in celebration when he scored the first goal of the game. Landon spotted a ton of jerseys in the crowd with Casey’s name and number on them.

Casey’s father, Dougie Hicks, was in the Hockey Hall of Fame after a long, outstanding career. He hadn’t played for Calgary—he’d started his career in Toronto and then played for Tampa Bay for his final eight seasons—but he must be an Outlaws fan now. Landon’s dad, a lifelong Toronto fan, had loved Dougie Hicks.

Dougie’s son was almost as impressive already, but had a very different style of play. Where Dougie had been intimidating and physical, Casey seemed to have fun, skating around opponents and making them look bad.

Calgary had a great team. It was an interesting mix of players who gelled well together. Lee Ramsay had played his entire career in Calgary. Ross MacIsaac, the most senior defenseman on the team, had joined the Outlaws on a two-year contract after an incredible fourteen seasons in New Jersey. There were a bunch of young, talented players, which, added to the fact that the farm team in Saskatoon was currently at the top of their division, boded well for Calgary’s future.

Landon wondered if he would be a part of that future. Obviously that was the dream, but it didn’t seem very likely. He was a star in Saskatoon, though, so if he never truly made it past that level, well. There were worse things.

But when Niskanen made an unreal save, and the crowd of over twenty thousand Outlaws fans roared their excitement, Landon couldn’t help but think there were better things too.

Chapter Two

Casey wedged himself between Clint Noseworthy and West Ackerman, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. “I don’t know about you guys, but I could use a beer.”

West stepped away from him. “Not tonight, Case.”

“Gotta rest up for the roadie,” Clint agreed.

“I’m wired, though,” Casey said. “No way am I getting to sleep anytime soon. Come on. One drink. I’m buying.” He pointed at Clint. “We can go to that country bar you like.”

Clint shook his head. “I’ll let you buy me a beer another night.”

Casey would not be defeated. He turned to Ross MacIsaac, who was shrugging on his coat, ready to leave the locker room. “How about you, Mac? Beer, wings?”

Ross laughed. “The night before a road trip? Mandy would kill me. I promised the kids I’d make pancakes in the morning, and they get up fucking early.”

“Yeah, okay,” Casey said, trying not to sound too dejected. The locker room was emptying fast. He made a last-ditch effort and raised his voice so the whole room could hear him. “Anyone want to come to my place? Have a beer? Hang out for a bit?”

The only response was some assorted muttering, none of which sounded enthusiastic about his offer. Things were looking bad for Operation: Avoid Going Home Alone.

He spotted the new guy, Landon, standing in one corner, frowning at his phone. He was wearing a long, black wool coat that accentuated how tall and slim he was. He had a backpack slung over one shoulder, obviously about to leave.

Casey was walking toward him before he’d bothered to think about it. “Hey, Stacks. You got plans tonight?”

Landon blinked at him. His eyes were huge and dark brown, framed by long lashes. Pretty. His thick, straight eyebrows bunched together as he said, “Plans?”

“Yeah. You wanna go out, get a beer or something? Or we could go to my place. I’ve got all the movie channels. Or we could just, y’know. Chill.” Whoops. He laughed and held up his hands. “Sorry, not, like, chill chill. I’m not saying we should have sex. That’s not what this is. Not that you’re not—fuck. Okay. I thought you might want something better to do than go back to that hotel room. We could go to a bar.”

He forced himself to stop talking because Landon’s cheeks had turned pink. He was clean-shaven and had very pale skin, giving his blush nowhere to hide.

“Thank you,” Landon said after a weird few seconds, “but it’s been a long day and I need to sleep.”

Damn. “Cool,” Casey said as cheerfully as he could manage. “Totally get that. Forgot that you woke up in Saskatchewan this morning. You’re probably zonked. Did you get one of those chicken parm subs?”

“No.”

“Shit. You should have told me I would have made sure. Unless you don’t eat meat. Or dairy. Or bread.”

“I eat all of those things,” Landon said seriously. “I need to eat a lot. Can’t afford to be choosy.”

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