Page 18 of No Rhyme or Roughing (The Golden Guardians Hockey Hearts #1)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

RYDER

The team was not happy.

Early this morning, we all got messages from Coach Frankie letting us know practice had been moved to the morning. It didn’t matter to most of the guys that we’d have most of the day off to rest. Many of them had gone out last night and gone hard.

Now, they leaned in their stalls, heads in hands, groans echoing through the room. We were not a team this morning—neither working hard nor happy to be at the rink.

And Griff was pissed.

He walked into the locker room with purposeful steps, sending a scathing look around the space. “Cassidy,” he barked. “My office.”

Sullivan gave me a sympathetic smile, but I ignored it. He wasn’t my chief worry at the moment.

Exhaustion dogged my steps as I headed for Coach’s office, dragging a shirt on as I went. I rapped on the door only once before he yelled, “Get your ass in here.”

He perched on the corner of his desk, dressed in his usual black sweatsuit with the team’s golden logo emblazoned on his chest. Arms crossed, he fixed me with a hard stare.

I’d always hated this office. Unlike Mr. Mac’s, it was cold. Less greenery, more hard lines and cool colors.

An eternity of tense silence passed before he spoke.

“What’s going on out there, Cassidy?” He sighed heavily, not letting me answer. “I’ll tell you; this team is rudderless. Tell me something—do you think that was a good practice?”

“No, Coach. It wasn’t.” There was no use lying. We’d done wind sprints, and pathetic was too kind of a word for how it had gone.

“So, what are you going to do about it?”

“Me?”

He passed a hand over his face, a telltale sign he was about to lose it.

“You’re the damn captain, aren’t you?” His voice softened.

“Look, son, I know it hasn’t been long since you got the C, and it’s a big adjustment.

But there’s a reason the coaches and I chose you. And no, it’s not your dance moves.”

I ducked my head so he wouldn’t see me flush. “About that?— ”

He waved my words away. “Oh, I know all about this team’s troubles, and I commend you for your… creativity in addressing them. I won’t bench you if you want to continue your experiment, but it can’t be the only thing you do for this team.” He pointed toward the door.

“Those men out there play to a mostly empty building night in and night out. That isn’t easy for any of us.

Your teammates need to be inspired, Ryder.

” He rarely called any of us by our first names, so I knew this was important.

“And you’re their leader. So, figure out how to keep them from half-assing their careers.

This might not be the NHL, but it still matters. ”

It matters.

When Coach dismissed me, I found Teddy waiting on the other side of the door. “You get a spanking?”

Griff stepped out into the hall, and Teddy shut up for once.

“Yep,” Griff said. “His ass might be sore for quite a while, Valentine.” Shaking his head, he swatted Teddy upside the head, though not hard. “Spanking, boy? Really? I’m coaching a bunch of idiots.”

Grabbing a fistful of Teddy’s dark shirt, I yanked him toward the locker room. “He thinks we’re rudderless. That we need to be inspired.” And that it was my job to do so.

Most of the guys had cleared out by now, probably trying to avoid Coach’s wrath. Teddy began stuffing his things into a duffel bag before slinging it over his shoulder.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” I nearly laughed at the frantic look in his eyes .

“I have an idea. It’s… No, I’m not telling you yet. Just wait. This will inspire the guys.” He rushed off, leaving me alone in the room’s silence. Trainers filtered in and out, picking up laundry and gear. Frankie offered me a solemn nod as she pushed through the door.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d been sitting there when Sullivan came in. “Oh, you’re still here.” He turned his dismay into a false smile. Sullie, always the jovial one. Hesitation wasn’t like him, but here he was, waiting for me to acknowledge him.

I sighed. “Did you agree with making me captain?”

A moment passed before he sat beside me on the bench. “Doubt isn’t like the Cassidy twins, bro.”

“Maybe not like you. Coach thinks this team needs me to do something to inspire them.”

“He’s not wrong.”

I looked sideways at him—the brother I wanted to hate deep in my gut. The one who was marrying the girl I thought I’d spend forever with. Yet, I’d known for a while now that she was right. We wouldn’t have made each other happy. “So, what do I do? Make a speech?”

“That would be a very captain thing to do, but not very Ryder. We didn’t choose you because you’re a smooth talker.”

“Then, why?”

“I’m not going to tell you that.” He shrugged. “It would be too easy, bro. You need to figure it out.” He stood. “Sam wants you to come for dinner soon.”

“Sam does? Just her?”

He didn’t answer me. “You can bring Sydney.” His hand tugged at the back of his neck—a sure sign he had more to say. “Is that serious? ”

I shrugged.

“Is she the same person she was as a kid?” He laughed suddenly. “I remember her as loud and honest, almost too honest.”

I looked down at my hands, remembering the way she’d taught me to move them last night while we danced.

She had such grace, a fluidity I could never dream of matching.

But no, she wasn’t the same kid. “I think… I’m not sure life has been kind to her.

Sometimes, she says whatever is on her mind, no matter how personal.

And other times… it’s like she only gives people what she thinks they want. ”

I didn’t know why I was talking to my brother about this. We hadn’t been close in a year—not since he admitted his feelings for Sam. But it felt right. He’d known Sydney just as well as I had, known what a bright kid she’d been. But now, she seemed dimmed.

Sullivan sighed and pushed to his feet. “Be kind to her, then.” He shook his head. “What am I saying? Of course you will. Sam still says you’re the kinder twin when we’re fighting.”

“You two fight?” I wasn’t proud of it, but I liked hearing that. Sam and I had an easy relationship. We rarely argued.

He laughed. “Oh, all the time. She likes to rile me up. It’s like a fire burning inside of her, and it can’t be put out.” He paused for a moment. “But I wouldn’t want to.”

As he left me to my thoughts, I couldn’t help thinking they’d been right all along.

Love was supposed to bring out the best and the worst in someone.

Had Sam and I not fought because we hadn’t cared enough?

Or maybe neither of us had felt safe enough in the relationship to know we wouldn’t break because of it.

Shit, I didn’t want to stop resenting them. My phone dinged with a text, saving me from spiraling.

Sydney: Meet me at Golden Gate Park in an hour.

It never occurred to me to say no.