Page 19 of Love in Overdrive

“Hell yeah.” He followed his friend out of the locker room. As the rink came into view, his anticipation grew.

Cade shook out his hands and stepped onto the ice. The feel of the blades cutting through the smooth surface radiated through his body. With each lap of warm-up, his nervous energy converted into excitement—for the game, the competition, the freedom it gave him to focus on something that wasn’t himself or his troubles.

It wasn’t long before the movements became like breathing as he moved the puck over the ice.

The referees stepped onto the ice. After a few preliminaries, the whistle blew, and the puck was dropped.

With each shot and check Cade took, his mind soothed even more. But after the third time being slammed into the boards in the first period, Cade realized number forty-four was an asshat. The guy needed to be taken down a peg.

Cade passed the puck to Nash and circled back to defend the goal. As the puck zipped down the ice in his direction, he smiled around his mouth guard. Number forty-four was in full pursuit. Cade intercepted and went in for the check.

“Oof!” He got a face full of plexiglass. His mind barely registered all the people in the stands as he pushed off the boards. Game on.

Hoisting the oversized blanket in her arms, Laney searched the bleachers for her friends.

Addison waved from the second row.

“Sorry. Excuse me,” Laney apologized as she bumped people on her way to her seat. By the time she’d gotten to the arena, there were only three minutes left in the first period.

“Hey, guys. What did I miss?” She wrapped her sasquatch-sized blanket around her like a burrito and settled in.

“Not much. The Devils are down by one, and Marti and I just started our running commentary on the crowd.”

“Here, I brought some of my grandma’s special hot chocolate.” Marti winked as she handed travel mugs to Addison and Laney.

“Whoa. What’s in there?” Laney bit back a cough, but couldn’t stop her eyes from watering after one sip.

“Fireball.” Marti took a drink. No cough. No rapid blinking.

“Damn, girl. You drank that like it was afternoon tea.” Addison shook her head.

“Dad was stationed in New Mexico when I was little. My tastebuds are used to spice.” Marti took another swig.

Laney sat back and watched her brother work the puck down the ice. The Gray Duck Grove Adult Hockey League played every Monday. They always drew a fair-sized crowd. Nothing else to do in the dead of Minnesota winter.

“Oh, there, puck bunny. Four rows up, behind the Blades bench,” Addison whispered. “Who wears a crop top to the arena? It’s like thirty degrees in here.”

“Brrr.” Laney pulled her blanket tighter around her legs.

“She’s been trying to get number twenty-four’s attention all game.” Marti opened a bag of popcorn and offered it to Laney.

“Who is that? I don’t know her.” Laney squinted, trying to identify the mystery woman.

“No clue. I don’t think she’s from town. Then again, I don’t know all the players.” Addison shoved a fistful of popcorn into her mouth.

Laney only came to the occasional game and didn’t know them all, either. The league pulled members from the surrounding towns.

The players slammed the boards in front of them, and Laney jumped. The motion pulled her back into the game.

“Come on, Ref. Open your eyes.” Marti flipped off the referee as Sawyer skated to the penalty box.

“I love when they get physical.” Addison licked her lips.

“And the way their hair curls around the edge of their helmets.” Marti wagged her brows.

“You two are obsessed.” Laney shook her head. But as she scanned the rink, she had to admit they were right. Her gaze locked on number twenty-four on the Blades. Tall and an inch of dark hair curling around his neck. Mmm.

“Like you aren’t. I saw you with that guy on Friday.” Addison blew on her cocoa. “You had a little obsession going for him.”