Page 41 of Playoff (Toronto Blaze #4)
This last game was against Montreal. They had already clinched their playoff spot, but they had a chance to be the top seed in the division if they won tonight and Boston lost. This wasn’t going to be an easy game.
It wasn’t. As the Canadian anthem echoed through the arena, the expressions on the Montreal players were focused and set. It was a hard-hitting, close game from the moment the puck dropped. The refs didn’t call many penalties, letting us work it out on our own.
The score was tied, late in the third, when a Montreal player was called for an egregious high stick. Coach put Deek, Oppy, Cooper, Crash and me on. We needed to get a goal on this power play.
Montreal gave no quarter. Twice they managed to clear the puck down to our end of the ice, forcing us to reform and come back into their zone. With two minutes on the clock, and twenty seconds left on the power play, it was now or never.
Deek carried the puck over the blue line, with Oppy and me crossing almost simultaneously. He passed to me, but I was quickly swarmed and slid it back to Crash.
With seconds counting down, Crash found Deek in front of the net.
Their goalie blocked the shot, but Cooper was at the side of the net to get the rebound.
He shot the puck to me just as one of their defenseman crashed into him.
I slipped the puck in and the red light lit up.
I’d raised my stick in one hand to celebrate when the whistle blew.
Cooper had hit the boards behind the net and was lying on the ice. The crowd’s celebration quickly hushed as everyone waited for Cooper to move. The trainers skated out, but Crash, Deek, Oppy and I saw him blink open his eyes.
“Fuck,” he muttered.
“What is it?”
“Broken bone. Left leg.”
We skated back to give the trainer space to check.
Cooper pushed to his feet with their help and the crowd cheered. He managed to return to the bench on his one good foot, but it was game over for him. Season over.
We didn’t have time to dwell on that, and what the repercussions would be.
We still had more than a minute to play, and a one-goal lead.
Coach put our shut down line on, and for the last minute and a half I watched Montreal try to score.
Our guys were sharp on D, but after the injury to Cooper, Montreal had lost their momentum.
Injuries to a player of Cooper’s caliber were rare.
Our team was determined not to lose the lead he’d paid for, and when the final buzzer went, we’d won. The Blaze were in the playoffs.
But without our top two defensemen. The hockey gods weren’t with us this season.
I got first star as the player of the game, and skated out for a short acknowledgement, but the mood in the arena was quiet, even though we’d clinched our playoff spot. I returned quickly to the locker room. No one had started changing. We waited till Coach came in to hear about our captain.
He looked around at all of us, sweaty, tired and grim. “Good game, men. But costly. It’s a clean break, but he’s out for weeks.”
More than one guy muttered Fuck. Our chances hadn’t been good after the team’s poor start, but we’d come back strong from Ducky’s injury. With the loss of JJ, we were definitely the underdogs. Without Cooper? No chance at all.
We were a somber group as we cooled down and changed. The team had brought out champagne to celebrate making the playoffs, but no one felt like partying.
JJ stopped by the locker room not long after Coach left. “Anyone still coming to the Top Shelf?”
Most of the guys agreed. We did have something to celebrate.
We’d clinched our spot, despite long odds.
Cooper didn’t need us, and would have his girlfriend nearby to keep him company as they dealt with his leg.
We might as well enjoy this victory, since it would be our last celebration for this season.
As the lowest-seeded team in our division, we’d be playing the top-seeded team next week.
I wasn’t sure about joining though. JJ had apologized, but if he was back, Jess was probably here too. She didn’t always join the team after games, but she might if her girl group was there. I wasn’t ready to face her.
“Not sure I should be there,” I muttered to Fitch. We’d driven over to the arena together. “I can call a ride—you go.”
Fitch frowned, but it was someone else who spoke over my shoulder. “Please come.”
I turned, surprised JJ had spoken. And to me.
“You sure?” In case he’d meant to ask Fitch to show up, not me.
He nodded. “I would take it as a personal favor, Alek, if you let me buy you a drink.”
I tipped my chin to indicate his hand. “You don’t owe me. You came out the worst on that one.”
He frowned at his cast. “Yeah. But I’d like to.”
That must mean Jess wasn’t around. Maybe she wasn’t back yet. I ignored the disappointment. “Okay. I’m riding with Fitch, so I’ll see you there.”
As Fitch and I walked out, he asked quietly. “What was that about?”
I held up my hands. “No idea.” Maybe JJ was feeling extra bad about missing the playoffs, especially now that Cooper was out as well.
The Top Shelf was full when we arrived to cheers and applause. Our fans appreciated that game. It had been a difficult year, but it wasn’t over yet. Their hopes shouldn’t be too high, but hope was a resistant thing. It kept springing up, despite reality. Case in point, how I looked for Jess.
JJ crossed over to meet us. “Thanks for coming.”
A fan nodded at JJ, said he hoped the hand healed quickly. Then he glared at me, as if I might slug JJ right now to even things up.
JJ grimaced at the fan. “I’m sorry I did something so stupid.” He held out a glass to me.
“What’s this?”
“Bourbon.”
I stared at the dark liquid and my mind went back to the night I met his sister, and I was tempted to chuck the drink. I closed my eyes for a moment to push back the memories.
“I don’t think you were properly introduced to my twin, Jessica.”
My eyes snapped open and locked on the woman who moved out from behind him. There were shadows under her eyes, and her smile was tentative, but she still looked like everything I wanted.
I checked back with JJ. “Properly introduced?” I fucked her the night I met her. He probably knew that now.
He nodded, then stepped back, leaving the two of us staring at each other. I had no idea when Fitch vanished. The crowd noise muted and I couldn’t see anyone else.
“I’m sorry about your grandmother.” I’d never had the chance to say that. I’d been tempted to send flowers, but expected JJ would have tossed them.
“Thank you. She was an amazing woman, and we’ll miss her.”
My brain was coming back online, thinking instead of just reacting to seeing her again. I had no idea what was going on here. “I didn’t expect to see you here. And I definitely didn’t think your brother would be okay with us talking.”
She bit her lip. “Things in BC were…eventful. I’d really like to talk to you, if you wouldn’t mind?”
For a moment, I wondered if I’d been hit in the game. Had I gotten a concussion and not realized? JJ putting Jess and me together? Jess wanting to talk? “Pinch me.” I held my arm up.
“What?”
“I’m not sure Cooper is the one who got injured tonight. I might have a concussion.”
A hint of a smile played around her mouth. Then she reached out, ignored my arm and pinched my waist.
I flinched back, looking down at where she’d touched me. “Felt that.”
“I guess you’re not injured. Could we go somewhere quieter? Please?”
I had no idea what was going on between the twins, but the two of us being somewhere quiet usually ended up with sex. Even if JJ was turning a blind eye, I didn’t think I could keep this up. I was already too involved with this woman.
“Not sure that’s a good idea.”
She bit her lip. “To talk. Just to talk, I promise.”
So that was what this was about. Closing things between us, keeping everything nice and neat.
Not sure why it was so important. Nothing about us had been nice and neat, and Jess telling me that we were over, really over, was not the way I wanted to end this day.
I wanted to say no. Throw the bourbon down my throat and disappear.
I didn’t need a roadmap—I knew how this was playing out.
But there was an anxious frown on Jess’s face, and I couldn’t refuse her. If she needed this, I could do it.
“Fine.” I tossed back the bourbon in one gulp. “Where do you want to go?”