“How do you think ownership will handle it?”
Ramsey leans back in the chair, considering the question carefully.
“The old man’s been passing off more and more duties to his granddaughter, and I think she’ll take it well. I’ll tell her first, and let her decide what to tell Gramps?”
We agree with the plan, and Coach starts to pack up his things.
“Now that this is taken care of, I can go back to my real office.”
We laugh, and Ethan holds out a hand to shake.
“Thanks again, Coach.”
“For what?”
Ethan looks over his shoulder at me and smiles.
“I never could have done it without you.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
ETHAN
In the blink of an eye,it’s time to return to work. We have mandatory practices on Sunday and Monday, with a home game against Tampa on Tuesday. Usually after the All Star Break, the locker room is abuzz with the latest gossip – who broke up, who got engaged, how were the beaches.
To some extent, that’s still true. Gagnon broke up with his flavor of the month, a girl none of us remember ever meeting outside Instagram. Mac didnotget engaged to Hailey – and frankly, doesn’t seem eager to talk about it. And according to Price, the only thing hotter than the beach in Cabo were the girls in the hotel room next door.
Gross.
But over it all, there’s a blanket of awkwardness. I catch a few glances from the guys, and somehow no one asks howmyAll Star Break was. Of course not – they all saw it play out in 4K. I debate whether to bring it up, but decide to focus on hockey instead.
It’s good to get back out on the ice, to feel my skates cutting into the fresh surface. It’s also clear that for some of the guys, the weekaway from the ice has mostly been spent drinking – Price is particularly slow this morning, going a little green during some of the skating drills.
But Carter doesn’t miss a step, his footwork just as crisp as it was a week ago – crisper, even, now that he’s not so in his head about our relationship. He’s making passes and finding lanes and I think back to that table of veterans at the All Star Game, thrilled with the knowledge that they’re terrified ofthisJamie Carter. Not because he’s gay, but because he’s a fuckingmenaceon the ice.
Koskinen, in particular, seems frustrated to have Jamie back in peak shape. In one drill, he continually finds himself on the back foot, never quite able to get to Jamie in time to stop the play. I can tell it’s getting to him, his face going hard and his shoulders tight. He makes adjustments, but they’re the wrong adjustments; now he’s committing too soon to his path and Jamie knows exactly what to do with that. He sees the tell and immediately shifts the other way, skating a clean circle around Koski.
It only takes two attempts for Koskinen’s frustration to boil over, throwing his stick across the ice. Coach blows his whistle, calling us all to center ice.
“Alright, boys. I think that’s enough for today. You’re looking good, generally. Don’t forget your nutrition and hydration; it’s time to lock in for the last part of the season. Okay?”
A series of nods go around the circle.
“Okay. Koski, stay back for a second.”
We skate off the ice, but just like a bunch of middle schoolers whose friend got called in to see the principal, our eyes don’t leave Koskinen. His shoulders are hunched and even though Coach’s body language saysJust talk to me, it doesn’t seem like he’s listening.
In the locker room, we proceed with showers, although the room is even more subdued than it was before practice. Eventually, Koski comes back in, taking off everything but his base layer before sitting in his stall with his head in his hands. The boys have started to headout – Lindy to an ultrasound appointment for Astrid, Mac to a charity appearance at a local non-profit.
No one approaches Koski, and I realize it’s probably going to fall to me as captain. I’ve known the kid for a couple of years, and I’ve never seen him like this. I sit in Lindy’s stall, just next to him.
“You okay, kid?”
He grunts, and I’m tempted to let it go. Still, to make this team a real contender, we’ve gotta deal with stuff like this.
“If you wanna get back on the ice, we can run some drills. Work on path selection. Everyone’s a little rusty after the break, it’ll be fine.”
He looks up at me, the look in his eyes not one I’ve ever seen before. It’s almost…hateful.
