Page 19 of Offside and Off-Limits (Love in Maple Falls #2)
CADE
The ice of the arena is gleaming under the stark lights, my breath visible as I expel air from my lungs. Coach has already run us through a bunch of conditioning drills over the last hour or more, and my hair’s dripping with sweat, plastered to my forehead under my helmet.
This morning’s training has been tough, even tougher than I’m used to.
But then everyone on this team has got something to prove, Coach Hauser included, and I’m here for it, every last drill.
I want this team to be a success just as much as anyone, and I’m not afraid to put in the work to achieve that goal.
“I want everyone off the ice except Hayes, Simpson, and Crane in offense, and Lowe and Smith on defense!” Coach yells in his raspy voice, and I heave a sigh of relief, knowing I’ll be getting at least a couple minutes respite from today’s grueling training.
Always ready to lead, Jamie begins to demonstrate the three on two drill with Nate and Carson, up against the defensive pairing of Lucian and Weston. Coach yells out instructions, and we watch from the bench, analyzing the defenders’ positioning.
“That guy. He needs to improve his defensive stance,” Clément says in his French accent, catching his breath along with the rest of us.
“Who?” I ask.
“Lucian Lowe. Look.”
I watch Lucian as he rushes the offense, looking strong and quick out there on the ice as far as I can see.
I’m about to ask him what he means when Coach yells, “Next line! Lennox, Tremblay, go join Hayes. Simpson and Crane, you’re off. You’re up against Lowe and Smith. Get out there and show me something creative. Lennox, you’re leading the rush.”
“You got it, Coach!” I yell and spring into action despite my tiredness.
Man, I love it when I get to lead.
Quickly, we get ourselves into formation at center ice. We form a quick huddle to strategize the play.
“I’ve got an idea. Let’s run that cross-and-drop we've been working on,” I say, and my new buddy Asher nods enthusiastically.
“I'll take the high slot if you draw Lowe wide,” he says.
Asher spins his stick. “And I’ll be waiting at the backdoor, like a thief in the night.”
“Just be ready for the pass,” Jamie says.
Coach blows the whistle, and I glide back to the blue line, ready to rush as I notice Lucian and Weston pulling apart from their defensive play discussion.
I was brought into this team for my solid offensive skills, and I need to keep proving that I’m worth every cent.
Lucian is watching me with the intensity of a leopard watching its prey, and Weston taps his stick on the ice.
It’s on .
I burst into action, transitioning the puck from forehand to backhand as I build speed through the neutral zone. I'm flanked by Asher as Jamie creates some space on my other side as the defensive pair backs away, ready.
I pass to Asher who ploughs ahead toward the goal, receiving the puck cleanly before he returns it to me in the blink of an eye.
“Keep it tight!” Coach shouts.
Accelerating forward, I'm now in space with Lucian, with Asher positioned at the back, his stick ready if I can thread the needle. It's a classic textbook setup, the kind of offensive play that made me a star on the Blades.
Time seems to slow as I look for the perfect moment to shoot. I raise my stick just as the heavy doors to the players’ entrance swing open, and I spot a splash of red against the monotone of the arena.
It’s Clara, looking particularly hot in a red fitted blazer and skirt, her blonde hair in a bun catching the light.
And that's all it takes, one moment of distraction and the puck is stolen from me by Lucian with impeccable timing. He delivers a perfect hip check that catches me out and my body becomes momentarily airborne before I come crashing down to the ice, my stick sliding away from me.
Coach blows his whistle and yells, “Stop!”
“What the heck, Lennox?” Jamie says as he comes to a stop at my side, ice chips flying.
“You okay, man?” Asher asks, offering me his hand, pulling me back up to my feet.
“Yeah,” I reply, more humiliated that I allowed my concentration to slip than anything else .
From the boards, Clément calls out, “ Oh la la ! This man was annihilated!”
Helpful, Frenchie.
I push into a skate, trying to outrun my humiliation before the three of us huddle once more.
“What the heck happened?” Jamie asks.
“He decided to take a little nap mid-rush. Right, Lennox?” Asher says with a slap to my back.
“Something like that,” I mutter under my breath as I brush ice from my chest, sliding my eyes to Clara. She’s watching me with concern written across her face, and a fresh wave of humiliation rolls over me.
Jamie looks between Clara and me, his expression telling me he’s worked out this particular equation. “Save it for after practice, Romeo. ’Kay?”
“Got it, Captain,” I murmur.
Asher pats me on the butt as he skates back into position, and I throw him an embarrassed smile.
Clément skates past us, heading to the net. “Love makes fools of all of us, mon ami .”
Both Jamie and Asher bark out a laugh, Asher turning to smile at Clara.
Great. Now everyone on the team knows I’ve got a fat crush on the social media manager.
I steal one final glance at Clara. She’s now setting up her camera, and all I can do is hope she’s blissfully unaware that she’s the reason I just performed an unintentional aerial routine.
A few moves—and thankfully a goal on my behalf—later and Coach has us lined up dishing out individual feedback.
“Lennox, you need to be locked in every second you’re on the ice,” he says, and there’s a rumble of laughter from the team.
“Won’t happen again, Coach,” I say, not looking in Clara’s direction. Which is hard because she looks so dang good, this time her skirt hitting just above her knees, and man, her legs are long and slim and perfect .
But I can’t lose focus just because the girl I’ve got feelings for has walked in. That’s never happened to me before. Not even once. And I’ve had plenty of women I’ve been involved with watching my games.
But then I guess I’ve never felt this way about someone before, and I’ve got no clue how to deal with it.
The old me would have seduced Clara by now. Gotten her out of my system. But the thing is, I don’t want Clara out of my system.
And the thought makes something move in my chest.
“Clara here wants to film some trick shots for social media,” he says, gesturing at her. “Clara? What did you have in mind?”
“Thanks, Coach Hauser, and it’s great to see you all again,” she begins, a spot of feminine beauty amongst all the sweat and testosterone.
“Some of us are falling over, we’re so happy to see you. Isn’t that right, Lennox?” Weston says, winning laughs from the team—and a glare from me.
So not funny.
Clara’s eyes dart between me and Weston, but to her credit, she doesn’t bite. Hope springs that she doesn’t know I took a fall because of her.
“I’m here to film some trick shots, as you know, but first I want to take the opportunity to talk about the Drench for Defense coming up at the farmers’ market this weekend.
Thank you to Weston, Carson, Asher, and Cade for volunteering for it so far.
If anyone else wants to join, please let me know today.
The more the merrier when it comes to this kind of event, and the more money we can raise to save the town, the better. ”
“I guess I should do it as team captain,” Jamie says.
“Thank you, Jamie! Having the captain will be an amazing addition,” Clara replies. “Now, you’ll be glad to know I don't plan on taking too much of your time today, but I do have a full team trick shot series I've got in mind. It's called a domino derby. ”
“I know those. You start with one guy who does a trick shot and then passes to the next who does another until we've done the whole team across,” Lucian says.
“You got it,” Clara replies. “Sound okay to you guys?”
Some of the guys shrug, some grunt, and a couple reply with “sure.”
“Loving that enthusiasm,” she says with a dollop of sarcasm.
“Ms. Johnson isn't doing this for fun, men. This will help get new fans, and a new team in the League needs new fans. Isn't that correct?” Coach says.
“Coach Hauser is absolutely right, and trick shots are trending right now on social media, so I’d love all your help,” she says.
“You got it,” I say, knowing I’ll get endless ribbing in the locker room after. “Right, guys?”
My team murmurs their agreement, and Clara throws me a grateful smile.
Worth it.
“All right. Let's go ahead with the full team, and then if there’s anyone who would like to stick around to do some individual trick shots, that would be awesome.”
“I know one person who’ll wanna stick around,” Weston says, and several of the team snort with laughter.
“ Ah, l’amour ,” Clément adds, his hand on his heart, and I shove his shoulder.
To her credit, Clara glosses over it, acting totally professional as she organizes us into a line across the ice. For someone so small, she’s surprisingly skilled at bossing us big guys around.
We pass the puck between us, and she takes us through a practice run of her domino derby before she begins to film.
I start by shooting the puck to ricochet off Lucian's stick, who redirects it to Carson, who banks it off the boards, coming within inches of Weston's helmet, sending it careening toward Clément, who adds a dramatic flourish before Jamie catches it mid-air and flips it into the up before passing it to Asher.
The tricks continue until all the guys on the team have added their particular flair, and the mood shifts from post-practice exhaustion to an atmosphere of fun.
“That’s so great, guys!” Clara exclaims as she watches us. “I’ve got what I need with this one. Do I have any volunteers for some small group or singular trick shots?”
Several of the guys volunteer, excited to show off their skills, including Asher and Clément. I put my hand up, too, receiving knowing smirks from the team.
“Shocker,” Weston says under his breath, and Lucian snorts.