Page 19 of King of the Crease

“It’s nothing against you and Tanner. We don’t want our personal lives to upend any team dynamics. It’d be the same thing if Tate decided to play for us, or Jack, or if Mitch had Charlie join the team, or Derek had Cary join the team, or…” Bill points around to all the guys as he goes through their partners, but when he gets to me, he freezes.

We realize at the same time that I’m the only single guy left on the team. Awkward. It makes me feel even more like the funny best friend of the team. The funny best friend helps the main character find their happily ever after. They don’t get one of their own.

“Look,” Bill says, trying to change tracks. “My original point is that this Nick guy is unvetted. Do we want an unvetted player on our team?”

“You do remember this is an amateur league, right?” Des, always cool and collected, claps Bill on the shoulder. He carefully hangs his designer winter coat on the hook. Unlike me, he’s rich in life AND rich in bank account. “We’re here to have fun. Oh wait, I forgot. You’re allergic to fun. My mistake.”

“Technically, our team is open for anyone to join,” says Derek, sipping the last bits of his iced coffee, an addiction he picked up from his boyfriend. He’s a big, burly fireman with a bushy beard. He changes next to Mitch, who’s also burly with a bushy beard.

“Is he a good guy?” Mitch asks me.

“Yes! He’s really nice. Friendly. Nice smile.” I bite my lip and blush, both at the admission and flashing back to Nick’s gorgeous grin. “I mean, he has all of his original teeth intact.”

“Then he can’t be that good,” Mitch jokes.

“He can’t just automatically join our team,” Bill says, stepping forward.

“I hate to ‘well actually’ you, but well actually…if there’s a player without a team, Marcy can put him anywhere,” I say. “She has more power than God.”

Marcy can be warm and maternal but also incredibly scary. The only woman who can intimidate a room full of grown hockey players.

“She figured Nick would make the most sense on our team. He’s about our age, and like all of us, he was looking to come back to hockey. Come. Back,” I say, pointing to two imaginary words in the air.

“What do we know about him? Can he play?” Bill asks me.

“He played in high school, just like us.” I leave out the part about Nick only having half a season of experience, as well as the part where I know zilch about his prowess on the ice. Griffin and I share a look, making sure we both stay mum.

“Where? St. Mary’s?” Bill asks.

“In Baltimore, I’m assuming.” Nick says he lives there now, but did he grow up there? It was hard to place his accent.

“You’re assuming?”

“He lives there now. He’s visiting family in Sourwood this month. He wanted a fun activity to do. There’re only so many festive markets a guy can attend.”

“So he’s just joining the team and then leaving?” The vein in Bill’s forehead protrudes with frustration.

“He’s allowed to do that.” I double-checked with Marcy before sending Nick her way.

“We’re excited to meet him,” Tanner says.

“He can take a hit,” Griffin assures Bill. “The guy got smacked in the head with a tree stump and was fine.”

Oddly enough, Bill seems to find some relief in that.

“He’s funny. He’s got a great sense of humor.” I smile at our conversation about sandwiches and tomatoes. Usually, my friends zone out while I go off on a restaurant-related tangent, but Nick soaked in every word.

“Hank, you’re going to confuse Bill. Funny? Sense of humor? He’s unfamiliar with these terms. You might as well be talking Mandarin to him.” Des beams with a sarcastic grin.

“Ha,” Bill deadpans. “Hank, if this guy sucks, I’m blaming you.”

“He’s not going to suck. He’s good! He has strong legs.” I feel a creep of blush fill my cheeks. I hadn’t realized that I clocked Nick’s legs in his tight jeans until just now. Again, the Lord’s artistry at work. I am simply a casual observer. That’s all.

Moments later, the locker room door swings open. Nick stands here in his puffy vest, flannel, and jeans, his hockey bag hanging in his hand, his hair mussed from wearing a hat. And those eyes…another turn of the kaleidoscope. I casually observe every inch of him.

“Am I in the right place?” he asks softly. Then I watch his whole face light up when he spots me.

“Welcome to the Comebacks!” I jump up from the bench and wobble over to him. I shake his hand. Smooth skin. Completely uncalloused. I’m inspired to use lotion. “Guys, this is Nick. Nick, you remember Griffin. That’s Des, Tanner, Mitch, Derek, and Bill our captain.”