Page 20 of Breaking the Pucking Rules (LA Vipers #1)

CASEY

B uzzing drags me from a deep sleep.

“Stop it,” I mumble, not ready to wake up yet.

I don’t know what time it is. I refuse to open my eyes to check, but it’s definitely too early to be awake on a Saturday.

I just begin to drift back off to sleep when it starts up again.

“Ugh.”

I reach for it on my nightstand, but instead of grabbing it, I knock it off and it hits the floor with an obnoxious thud.

“For fuck’s sake,” I complain before forcing my eyes open to search for it.

It continues buzzing across the floor, Dad’s name lighting up the screen.

A memory from last night hits me.

That’s why I went outside.

He called me, and it was noisy as fuck in that bar.

Panic hits me, and my eyes jump to the clock. But I sigh in relief when I realize I still have an hour before he’s meant to be picking me up for breakfast.

Definitely too early for a Saturday morning.

“H-hey,” I croak when I finally lift my cell to my ear.

“Ah, good morning to you to, Care Bear.”

“It’s too early.”

“Did you go out drinking with Parker last night?” he asks, a teasing lilt to his voice.

Guilt knots my stomach as I think about being in the same bar as the team. Sure, I only really spoke to Linc and Kodie; the others kept their distance. But still, it goes against everything he used to tell me.

That was years ago, though .

“Maybe,” I answer coyly.

“Sorry I interrupted your night. I just heard something you might be interested in.”

“Oh?” I ask, my curiosity piqued.

“Are you still good for breakfast?” he asks.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Perfect. I’ll pick you up in an hour.”

“Wait,” I cry before he has a chance to hang up. “What’s the thing I might be interested in?”

“You’ll have to wait and find out. See you in an hour.”

“That’s not fair,” I complain.

He chuckles down the line before hanging up.

I humph as I drop my cell to the bed.

Such a tease.

With no other choice, I throw the covers back and pad to the bathroom to attempt to make myself presentable enough to step out of the building.

After two coffees and a shower, I feel a little more alive.

I didn’t drink that much last night, just enough to have a nice buzz going, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling like I pulled an all-nighter.

I know why I feel hungover.

It’s him.

The effect his touch has on me. His almost kiss.

I tossed and turned all night, my head full of filthy dreams of what I want to do to him.

Getting myself off only scratched the surface.

I need his hands, his tongue, his cock.

“Fuck,” I hiss as I stand at the kitchen window, waiting to see Dad’s car turn into the lot.

It was hard enough to put Kodie out of my head when he didn’t know who I was, when I thought I’d had my one shot.

But that all changed when he learned the truth.

And after he almost kissed me last night…

shit. I don’t stand a chance of putting that night behind me.

My crush on him is burning hotter than ever.

The thought of not seeing him again until the Vipers’ next home game doesn’t sit well with me.

They’re out of town for road games at the end of the week. They’re not playing here again until next Sunday.

That’s too long.

Watching him through a screen isn’t going to cut it.

But what am I meant to do? Stalk him wherever he goes in case I get a chance to continue what we started last night?

That’s crazy.

Let it go, Casey.

But as solid as that advice is, I’m not sure I can take it.

The second I spot Dad’s car, I grab my purse from the side and make my way down to meet him.

“You look better than I was expecting,” he says, chuckling to himself as I drop into his passenger seat.

“Thanks,” I mutter as I strap myself in, although a small smile plays on my lips.

I love my dad so much. He’s always been my number one. I have just as much fun hanging out with him as I do with Parker.

“Did you have a good night?” he asks as he pulls back out of the space.

Guilts twists up my insides.

“Yeah, it was okay. We had a lot to celebrate.”

“It was a good game,” he muses before we dive into a deep dissection of everything that happened.

It’s always been this way. Even when he was playing. I used to live for the morning after a game where I’d get my father’s undivided attention as we critiqued the game the night before. It didn’t matter if it was a win or a loss; we’d do exactly the same.

He’d ask my opinion on things, and it would mean the world to me that he cared about what I had to say.

Those mornings we spent together and the analyses we did made me a better player. He used to tell me that it helped him, too. I really hope it did and that he wasn’t just saying that to make me feel good.

We’re still in the thick of it as Dad pulls up outside our favorite diner, and we head inside.

Sylvie’s face lights up as we walk in, and after grabbing two menus and the coffee pot, she races over.

She’s been serving us here since I was a little girl, and she’s just as excited to see us—okay, Dad—as she was back then.

“Good morning, how are you?” She beams at us as if our presence has made her entire week.

“Good morning, Sylvie,” Dad says as we slide into our usual booth. “I’m good. This one partied a little too hard last night, so she’s going to need extra special treatment.”

I roll my eyes and groan.

“He’s just jealous he’s too old to have the same kind of fun,” I say, glaring at him across the table.

Sylvie chuckles, her cheeks blazing red as her eyes flick between me and Dad.

“Great win last night,” she says, focusing on him.

“Thanks. Hopefully, we’re set for a good season.”

“Oh, I do hope so,” she says while filling our mugs. “Did you need the menus, or are you ready to order?”

She asks this every time we come despite the fact we haven’t looked at the menu in years.

“I think we’re good to go,” Dad says before we both give her our usual orders.

She knows exactly what we want, but she still writes it down and double checks if we’d like anything else.

Dad watches her leave, and I study him with a smirk.

“You could just ask her out, you know,” I point out.

His body tenses and his eyes snap to mine.

Sylvie is hot. She was barely an adult when we first started coming here, but now, she’s a woman. A woman who clearly has a crush on my father.

Dad waves it off. “She’s not interested in an old man like me.”

“Sure,” I say with a smile.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” I ask when there’s a break in our conversation. It’s been bugging me since he mentioned it.

He smirks. He knows what his comment has done to me.

“You can be mean when you want to be,” I tease.

He chuckles before resting his elbows on the table, his eyes on mine.

“There’s going to be a position opening up for an assistant coach for the girls’ under eight team.”

Excitement jumps in my stomach a beat before the anxiety hits.

For a long time, I dreamed of coaching and guiding young girls to become the women of the future. But years have passed, and while I might still think about it at times, I’ve mostly let the dream go.

I chose a different path.

“You should apply,” Dad states with all the confidence in the world.

I shake my head. “I don’t have any experience or training. I can’t?—”

“Casey, you have a lifetime of experience and training. You’ve talked about this for years. This is your chance.”

Butterflies flutter wildly in my stomach as possibility begins to overtake my initial fears.

Dad’s right. Hockey runs through my veins. It always has.

I do think I could be a good coach, and the idea of watching the girls grow and improve lights me up inside.

But am I good enough? Or will they take one look at me and laugh, knowing that I’m riding on the back of my father’s career and success?

“Just apply, Care Bear. What’s the worst that can happen?”

They can tell me that I’m not good enough.

Able to read my thoughts, he reaches over the table and takes my hands in his. “Fear is good, Casey. It’s what pushes us out of our comfort zones and allows us to achieve things we never thought possible.

“Maybe this isn’t your time, and that’s okay. But what if it is? ”

What if it is?

“I’ll send you all the details, then leave it up to you,” he says, trying not to push me too hard. “For the record, though, I think you’d be an asset to the league.”

Sylvie returns to fill up our barely touched coffee, and our conversation changes to our upcoming week and the Vipers’ next exhibition games.

As always, the food is amazing, and we leave with full bellies and smiles on our faces.

As we step into the late morning sun, my cell starts ringing.

Dad goes ahead and climbs into the car. I pull it free, finding Parker’s face smiling at me.

“Hey,” I say, lowering my ass to a bench.

I don’t dare get in the car for fear of what will fall from my best friend’s lips.

“How are you feeling?” Parker asks.

“Good. Just been for breakfast with Dad.”

“I was referring to last night. I’ve been worried about you,” she confesses.

“It’s fine. I…I just need to put it behind me and move forward.”

“But what if?—”

“Dad just told me about a coaching position for a girls’ team,” I blurt.

“Oh shit, for real?”

“Yeah.”

“You’ve got to apply,” she encourages, just like Dad did.

“They’ll want experience and?—”

“You’ve got experience, Case. You did that summer camp, remember?”

“I just helped out. I wasn’t a coach.”

“You have to do it,” she says again, ignoring the roadblocks I put in place. “You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

I squeeze my eyes closed.

She’s right.

Not knowing will be far worse than being turned down. Wondering what if would haunt me.

“Promise me that you’ll apply,” she begs.

I nod despite the fact she can’t see me.

“Casey,” she warns. “Apply, or I’ll do it for you.”

“Okay, okay.”

“Good. Perfect. I’ve booked us mani-pedis and an ice bath for this afternoon.”

“U-ugh,” I stutter, not expecting her to say that.“I am not getting in an ice bath, you Satan.”

“I want to cheer you up, and I noticed last night that your nails need a refresh, so…”

A smile curls at my lips.

“Sounds great, thank you.”

“I’ll pick you up at two.”

“Okay, but can you…can you pick me up from the arena?” I ask, making a spur-of-the-moment decision.

“Of course. Any reason, or are you just going to watch Kodie skate?”

My mouth opens and closes as I try to find an answer. “No, I’m going to write my application. I figure the surroundings might inspire me.”

I’m also hoping to sit in the shadows and watch practice, yes.

Parker chuckles, seeing right through me.

My phone pings with an incoming message.

“Okay, well, I hope inspiration strikes. I’ll see you soon.”

She cuts the call before I get a chance, and I find a message from Dad on my screen.

I open it, and the coaching position details appear before me.

My stomach knots and my hands tremble.

What if this is the right time?