“Life took us in different directions. It was a long time ago.”
“And now you're working on his team's account?” Avery says. “That's wild.”
I shrug once. “Small world.”
“Is it weird seeing him again?” Olivia asks.
“It was at first. But we've talked, and it's fine. We're friends.”
Natalie nods, and the conversation moves on to Theo's obsession with a new protein powder that makes everything taste like chalk.
The teams take the ice for warm-ups, and the crowd noise swells. I scan the Renegades players as they skate in lazy circles, stretching and shooting pucks at the net. Cole is at center ice talking to Liam. Theo is near the boards doing some kind of stretching routine. Blake is firing wrist shots from the blue line.
And then Logan comes out of the tunnel.
He skates to the far end of the ice and starts his warm-up alone, working the edges, moving laterally, testing his back. His focus is total. He doesn't look at the crowd or even acknowledge the fans calling his name from behind the glass.
He's already in game mode, locked in, sealed off from everything that isn't the ice underneath his skates.
The game starts, and it's fast. The Renegades are playing the Nashville Sinners tonight. Cole scores in the first period, and the building erupts.
Liam sets up the second goal with a pass through three defenders that makes Harper grab my arm. Natalie is explaining the offside rule to Avery, who nods politely and clearly doesn't care about the technicalities as long as Liam keeps scoring.
Logan plays for twenty-two minutes. He's physical, shutting down the Nashville forwards with clean hits and smart positioning. He blocks a shot in the second period and limps back to the bench. My stomach clenches, but he's back on the ice the next shift like nothing happened.
The Renegades win 4-1, and the crowd files out buzzing.
Harper is on her phone as we push through the concourse. “The guys are going to Gordy's Pub. Cole just texted. You in?”
“I'm in,” Avery says.
“Me too,” Natalie says.
Olivia shifts Maya onto her hip. “I need to get this one home. You girls have fun.”
She hugs us goodbye and heads toward the parking garage with Maya already half asleep on her shoulder. The rest of us walk out into the cold and flag a cab.
We stop at a diner a block from the bar and grab fries and sodas while we wait for the guys to shower and change. By the time Harper's phone buzzes with Cole’s message, I've eaten enough fries to undo every spin class I've taken this year.
Gordy's Pub is all dark wood and soft lighting, with deep booths along the walls and a long marble-topped bar. It's upscale enough to attract a crowd that minds its own business, which I guess is why the guys love it.
Half the team is already there. Cole has claimed a corner booth. Liam and Jake are at the bar while Theo is squeezed into a booth with Blake and his girlfriend, Mia.
Logan is at the far end of the bar. He's changed into jeans and a dark sweater with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, leaving his muscular forearms on display. He’s holding a beer and listening to something Ryan is saying with a hint of a smile.
I force myself to look away.
We make our way inside, and Harper steers us toward Cole's booth. Hugs are exchanged, drinks are ordered, and the noise of the bar swallows us. Liam appears with a tray of shots and announces that everyone is doing one whether they like it or not.
Natalie declines, and Avery takes two. I take one and throw it back. The tequila burns a line down my throat.
I don't look at Logan, but I know exactly where he is.
He's still at the bar. He's moved from Ryan to Blake, and they're standing shoulder to shoulder. Blake's girlfriend Mia hasjoined them, and she's doing most of the talking while Blake and Logan drink and nod.
He turns, and our gazes meet. Logan raises his beer an inch off the bar. I raise my glass back. Neither of us looks away for a long second. Then Mia says something to him, and he turns back.
It happens again, twenty minutes later. I'm laughing at Liam doing an impression of Coach Mercer when I feel the pull, and I look across the room. Logan’s eyes are on me. My pulse rate goes up.
