Page 27 of Puck Me

“I’d be prouder if you could vent your feelings in a healthier way.”

“I’m a work in progress.”

I was so angry with him before he came in. Now, my heart is softening like ice cream left out in the sun. Pretty soon it’s going to melt into a big, messy puddle. I know I shouldn’t let that happen – I have to maintain some level of professionalism here, but I care about him too much to pretend otherwise.

“I’m going to have to talk to Ryder, too. Just so you know. You guys really got the coach worried out there, and he wants me to get to the bottom of it.”

He shifts like he’s uncomfortable, which only confirms what I dreaded. This is about me, at least partly. “Is there anything else you want to tell me before I do? Is there anything I need to know?”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. That’s the point of me asking you.” He’s stalling. I don’t want to throw it in his face how obvious he is, but he’s definitely stalling. Avoiding the question.

“You would need to ask him, I guess. I’ve told you pretty much everything there is to know on my end. Seattle got me all up in my feelings and I didn’t know how to handle it. I still don’t.”

“We can work through that together, but I need to know you’re not going to get into another brawl out there.”

“It takes two to brawl.” He winces when he touches the ice to his wound. “Sometimes, three.” In other words,I’m not the one who started it.

Just when I think I have these guys figured out, they go and throw a curveball like this. I feel as lost as I ever have when I get up and he follows me to the door. “Are you going to be okay?” I ask with my hand on the knob.

“What, this? Please. I’ve been playing hockey my entire life. This is nothing.”

“I’m sure that’s supposed to make me feel better, but somehow it doesn’t.”

“Sorry. You really don’t need to worry.” There’s a sudden twinkle in his eye, and he takes a step closer. “Though I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit flattered.”

I see exactly what he’s going to do before he leans in. “Ash,” I whisper, craning my neck to hold myself away from him. “You know we shouldn’t.”

His face falls but he rebounds quickly enough, shrugging it off. “Hey, it’s been a while, and I needed my fix. You can’t blame a guy for trying.”

“You better get out of here before you have another cut to match the one that’s already there.” I hold up my clenched fist and arch an eyebrow. “I might not be super athletic, but I know how to throw a punch.”

“Message received.” At least he’s chuckling as he leaves my office. It could be a lot worse. He could be sulking. He has come a long way.

I only hope my meeting with Ryder will go as smoothly. Like Ash said, it takes two to brawl, and it was pretty obvious Ryder had a chip on his shoulder before they even started practice. We still haven’t smoothed things over since our last argument, when Ash came to spend the day with me. I hate to imagine that being the reason for the fight, but considering Ash has been out of town all this time, I can’t imagine another reason why they’d be at each other’s throats.

Now, it’s up to me to work things out. Once again, how do I get myself into these situations?

17

RYDER

I’m not proud of myself. She probably won’t believe me, but it’s true. She’s going to ream me out for what happened out there earlier, and I don’t blame her. For one thing, it’s her job. And for another thing, well, she’s supposed to care about us. At least, that’s what she says. I want to believe it’s true.

But I have to remind myself as I walk down the hall to her office that she reached out as a member of the team, not as my girlfriend. I can’t let myself get caught up in our personal connection. I’ll only end up more pissed than ever, and I’m already pissed off enough. There’s been a chip on my shoulder for days – no, longer than that. But something about Ash’s visit has lodged in my chest, burning like a piece of molten steel, searing my insides. It’s only gotten worse by the day. No big surprise I wanted to smash his face into the ice earlier.

She’s waiting for me, opening the door before I’ve even lowered my fist after knocking against it. “Just the man I wanted to see.” She’s not smiling when she says it. “Come in.”

“Is that how we’re playing this?” I ask as I step into the room.

“What is that supposed to mean? Playing? Do you think this is a game?”

“I’m just saying, are you going to give me a raft of shit? Is this all about the team, or is it about us?”

First, her eyelids flutter. She’s surprised, but she recovers and holds up both hands. “Okay, hang on a second. First things first. You are not calling the shots in this meeting. I asked you to come in for an impromptu session. It’s pretty obvious there’s something going on that’s affecting your gameplay.”

“Right.” I shouldn’t snicker, but I can’t help it.

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