Page 11 of Slashed By You (Chicago Steel #5)
Chapter 11
Josh
W ith only a month left in the season, our main goalie, Rusty Simmons, who suffers from severe arthritis in his joints, retires. Management suspected it was coming and had already started looking for another goalie earlier in the season. They looked high and low. They investigated all plausible options and finally struck gold when they found a goalie who was being underutilized in the league. New York has an exceptional starting goalie, and because of this, their backup, who was also a force in his own right, was stuck riding the pine.
In February, Jersey transferred to the Steel, reuniting with Lucas, his former teammate. They played together during Jersey’s rookie year and became instant friends. Jersey fit seamlessly into the Steel organization. Not long after he arrived, Rusty’s arthritis got worse, causing him to miss several games. Because of that, Jersey got ice time. With his impressive record, they promoted him to main goalie weeks before the playoffs began. He’d proved both in practice and during games he was superior to Swindle, our rookie backup. Because of his efforts, we managed a playoff spot.
Playoff games started in April, and after six games, we come out on top, winning the first bracket against the Los Angeles Raptors. Those were some tough games, and we barely made it to the next bracket.
This round we’re playing the Las Vegas Stars, and it has me worried. They swept their bracket, maintaining the same intensity they had the entire season. Predictions that the Stars would win the Cup are rampant around the league and media, and I’m hoping we don’t embarrass ourselves. I mean, I’m confident about our level of play, but in the last bracket, we lost one of our defensemen to a knee injury and he’s out for the rest of the series. We also have a few other players who are nursing injuries and have been playing on borrowed time. Considering we’ve won the last two Cups, expectations are high, but I have doubts we’ll pull it off. The pressure is mounting, and it’s starting to feel like we’re in a pressure cooker. All eyes are on us.
Showing up in Vegas, my nerves are shot. I know as the captain, it’s my job to keep the energy up, and I’m going to try my best to do that. Before the first game, looking around the locker room, I see I’m not the only one who’s anxious.
“Listen up,” I shout after I stand up and slap my hands together, getting my teammates’ attention. They all focus on me.
“We know this bracket will be a tough one to win. Vegas has had an outstanding season, winning everything with ease. But we aren’t planning to make this easy for them, are we?”
A chorus of no’s surrounds me, and I can feel the energy building. “Let’s fucking do this! Show them why we’ve claimed the Cup the last two years.”
Being the away team, you never know what to expect when you take the ice. As the defending champions for the past two years skating in enemy territory, you expect some heckling. But these Vegas fans take it to a whole new level. At every turn, we are booed and yelled at, and let me tell you, it’s hard to maintain your energy and positivity when in an environment that hostile. Not only are the fans aggressive, but the players are too. Coach Tristan addresses that in the locker room between the second and third periods.
“Guys, I know this has become a clusterfuck. The Stars are being chippy and making poor plays. Since the refs aren’t calling them on it, and we have no guarantee they will, we need to take advantage of the vulnerabilities they’re revealing.” Coach looks around the locker room, making eye contact with every single player before he continues. After giving us his new strategy to gain an advantage, he releases us. Sure enough, not even a minute into the new period, Rocco is cross-checked into the boards and he goes down. Their defenseman, Tyler Adams, is called for the hit and given a two-minute penalty. We take advantage of the penalty, and Ace scores the only goal for the game. It’s a beauty. He has a breakaway and beats the goalie in a one-on-one through his five-hole.
Following our game, we meet with the press, then we head back to our hotel for the night. I want to text Kenzie and see how she is, but I know she’s already asleep because she has to get up in a few hours to bake. It boggles my mind how she gets up at three every morning. She’s just passionate. I guess it’s like all the things I do for hockey. She’d probably find some of what I do for my love of the game unique. I know some of my teammates do. Things like drinking a glass of chocolate milk and eating a ripe banana right after a game. Or taping my stick a certain way, and listening to the same song on repeat on the way to the arena. Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” is my jam right now. It might not make much sense, but it works for me.
When I finally reach my room, I’m wiped. I strip off my suit, brush my teeth, and crawl into bed. Waking up the next morning, I see I have two hours before I have to show up for a light practice. I head down to the conference room where they’re hosting a team breakfast and I see Coach and some of my teammates are up. “Morning guys,” I say.
“Morning, Cap,” Mika and Lucas holler from their table. They’ve spread themselves out, monopolizing an eight-person table. With the way they’re sitting, it would only comfortably fit four. Guess it’s a good thing not everyone is up yet.
I head to the line to place my order of an egg white, ham, onion, mushroom, pepper, and cheese omelet. I grab oatmeal and sprinkle brown sugar on it. Before I head over to a table, I load up a bowl of fresh fruit. Coffee and water are on the table. Sitting away from the guys, I pull out my phone, hoping Kenzie might be free to text.
Me
Good morning.
Sitting there, waiting for her reply, I wonder why I’m so drawn to her. Girlfriends aren’t really my thing, so it baffles me I’m actively pursuing her. It’s beyond her beauty. She’s different from most of the women I interact with, other than maybe Samantha, Shiloh, Monica, or Stephanie. Kenzie doesn’t spend time with me because she’s after something else. In the short time we’ve hung out together, I’ve already discovered she’s down-to-earth, genuine, and so fucking real. Because of that, I want to spend more time with her, getting to know her better. She intrigues me. Before I can give it too much thought, my phone dings. Looking down, my heart skips a beat and a smile spreads across my face.
Kenzie
Morning. How are you?
Me
I’m good but tired.
Kenzie
What’s that like? laughing emoji
Me
Sorry, forgot who I was talking to. You must always be tired.
Kenzie
It’s really not that bad if you stick to a schedule. I know that in order to be productive, I need to get at least seven hours of sleep. In order to do that, I have to be in bed by eight. Man, I sound so old.
Me
You don’t look a day over twenty-one.
Kenzie
Is that your way of asking how old I am?
Me
Maybe? Are you one of those women who hates to say her age?
Kenzie
No.
Me
Then I’ll go first. I’m twenty-seven.
Kenzie
I’m twenty-three.
Me
Cool. What else do I need to know about you?
Kenzie
You already know I’m a baker and I have my shop. I don’t have any siblings, and I grew up here in Chicago. My parents live in Seattle because when I was in culinary school, my dad’s job transferred him there. How about you?
Me
Let’s see… You know I play hockey professionally, but before I played for the Steel, I played in Arizona, which is where I was born and raised. I also don’t have any siblings. My parents still live in Arizona, though I’m not very close to them. I was really close with my grandparents until they passed away.
Kenzie
I am so sorry for your loss, Josh. Was it recent?
Me
It’s been a few years since my grandfather died. My grandmother was before that. I really don’t like to think about it. But, I miss them a lot.
Kenzie
Okay. I saw you won your game last night. Congratulations. When is your next?
Me
Thanks. It was a tough game. Our next is here, and it’s tomorrow night. During the playoffs, we do two games with a night in between, rotating the two cities. So, after this next one, we’ll return home for two. It’ll be nice to be at home, in my bed.
Kenzie
Hotel beds aren’t comfortable?
Me
Not really. Over the last almost ten years of playing in the NHL, I’ve yet to find one that’s really comfortable. Do you like hotel beds?
Kenzie
Can’t say I’ve slept on too many. I haven’t traveled much.
Me
If you could go anywhere, where would it be?
Kenzie
That’s tough. I can’t really answer that.
Me
Why not? You don’t have a dream vacation?
Kenzie
Not really. Because there are so many places I haven’t been to, my list is incredibly long. And since I have CakeStop, I don’t see myself free to travel for a while.
Me
Yeah, I guess I understand. I really didn’t think about that.
Kenzie
So, where’s your dream vacation?
Me
I’ve never been to Alaska. They say it’s the land of the midnight sun.
Kenzie
My parents went there for their thirtieth wedding anniversary. The pictures they showed me were incredible. I’d like to go there one day too.
Me
Maybe we can go together.
Kenzie
…
Minutes pass without a response from her, and dread weighs heavily in my gut. Shit, did I come on too strong? I like Kenzie. She isn’t just gorgeous; she’s funny and kind too. In the short time I’ve known her, I’ve already discovered she’s someone I enjoy being around. I want her as a friend, if not more. But that’s up to her. Did I ruin things with my vacation suggestion? It isn’t like I’m going to drop everything tomorrow and schedule tickets, rentals, and lodging.
Another few minutes pass, and I need to get to the team bus to head to the arena for practice.
Me
Kenzie? Are you there? Sorry if what I said made you upset. I have to go to practice now. I would love to talk later if you’re free.
I wait another minute for any response, and when nothing comes through, my heart feels like it’s being squeezed by a vise. I hope I haven’t ruined things between us already.
P ractice is light, as we have another playoff game tomorrow. Despite that, I struggle to get engaged. I’m distracted by the lack of response from Kenzie. About a third of the way through drills, Coach pulls me to the side.
“Josh, you seem off today. Is everything okay?”
Hanging my head, I struggle to make eye contact. “Yeah, I just have something on my mind,” I admit.
“When I find it tough to focus, I ask myself a question. If the answer is no, then I force myself to move on temporarily. However, if the answer is yes, I have to accept that no matter what I do until I’ve dealt with whatever it is, I’m useless to myself or anyone else.”
“What is the question you ask?”
Coach laughs. “It’s simple… Can you do anything right now to make things better?”
Leaning on my stick, I let the question sink in. I know there isn’t anything I can do. I just need to be patient. Maybe something came up and she had to put her phone down. What Coach said makes sense, and I prepare myself to wait for Kenzie’s response. She isn’t ghosting me. She’s not like that.
Stamping down the desire to check my phone when practice ends, I march myself to the weight room and take out my uneasiness on the machines. After a workout that was supposed to include light cardio and weights, I’m exhausted. I pushed it harder than I should have. But with my mind racing and my anxiety making me edgy, I didn’t really pay close attention to weight.
The team boards the bus and returns to the hotel for the night. My brain is whirling with uncertainty as I head to the conference room for the prepared buffet, but I’m not hungry. My worry stole my appetite. I force myself to grab grilled chicken, a baked potato, and broccoli. I know I need fuel so I’m ready for tomorrow. It’ll be another tough game, and I can’t afford to be distracted. Hopefully, Kenzie will text me back.
After shoveling down my plate of sawdust, I mean dinner, I head up to my room for the evening. I’m not very good company and I don’t want to bring anyone else down.
Flopping onto my king-sized bed, I pull out my phone and I see a text message I must have missed during the afternoon.
Kenzie
Sorry, I got pulled away for a baking emergency. I’d love to go to Alaska, but with the shop, I’m not sure how I’d be able to. I hope practice goes well and you win your game tomorrow. See you when you get home.
I let out a deep breath and roll my shoulders to release the tension I’d been carrying all day. I’m relieved. Kenzie wasn’t ghosting me. She was busy. I look at the clock and realize that she’s already gone to bed, so I shoot off a quick text that she’ll see in the morning. Smiling, I think of the perfect thing to say.
Me
I hope you slept well. Thank you for the good wishes for our game. I can’t wait to see you when I get back.
The inclination to write more is strong, but I don’t know exactly how I feel, and I don’t want to scare her off by my jumbled emotions. I like Kenzie, but I feel in limbo, like I don’t want to say it and jinx anything that could happen between us.
Now that I’ve heard from her, I’m able to calm myself enough to fall asleep.
Early the next morning, I head down to the hotel’s gym and get in a run. We’ll do a team skate after breakfast and then return to our hotel for a mid-day meal and nap. Tonight, we need to bring our A-game to get an advantage over Vegas for this series. I’m ready to get this game over and get back to Chicago to see Kenzie. Although I barely know her, I’ve missed her and I can’t wait to spend more time with her.