Page 64 of The Big Puck

“He kissed me. Now, I’m his.”

Her eyes widen, and then she laughs. “I never pegged you for the dramatic type.”

I shrug. “It’s what happens when the man of your dreams kisses you…then wants nothing to do with you. Sort of.”

“Sort of? I’m trying to picture how that would work.” She squeezes her brows together.

I laugh, but not at her, at myself. “Hey, don’t say anything. This is between you and me, okay?”

“Of course. I may not seem like it, but I’m a very trustworthy person—in spite of my dad. Mom raised me right.”

“How come you’re here in Portsmouth, Tina?” With your horrible dad. I can’t say it, but I can think it.

She shrugs. “I promised myself I’d spend this year giving dad a chance, get to know him, and let him try to make up for missing most of my childhood. But at this point, I’m kind of convinced he did me a favor by being an absentee parent.”

I laugh then give her a one-armed hug, still keeping an eye on Spence.

“No one has a perfect life, Tina. You didn’t miss out. Your path was different is all.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

Catching the action on ice, I watch as Jason flicks the puck past his defenseman at the blueline and skates like crazy to the net. The crowd roars to life, and we jump to our feet, this time for good reason. The bench goes crazy, too. Spence is shouting, and when Jason beats the goalie over his left shoulder into the far corner of the net to score, Spence smiles. An actual grin splits his face.

I clutch my heart as it pounds in excitement as if his smile were somehow mine. But I don’t care that he didn’t smile at me, or that I had absolutely nothing to do with it, because his moment of joy is mine. I must be crazy, but the way I feel, I’ll take crazy any time. When Jason returns to the bench, Spence throws an arm around him in a half-hug, and I almost cry my heart squeezes so tight.

Watching the way they bond turns me into a certifiable giddy lunatic—almost like when I watch Spence bond with Krissy. In fact, Spence is bonding all over the place, isn’t he? Even with me—sort of.

Maybe I shouldn’t be so worried about him after all. Maybe it’s me I need to worry about.

* * *

“The Whalers win the game and look good doing it,” a sportscaster says to his camera in the tunnel after the game where he’s doing an interview with Spence. “What do you say, Coach?”

“I say we’re just getting started—and it’s a good start. I’m pleased with it.”

“What is it about this team that gives you such confidence?”

“We have heart. We’re all stroking the oars through the rough waters in sync.”

“Good analogy.”

“Glad you like it.” The sportscaster laughs, and Spencer smiles at the camera. He’s actually enjoying his interview. Oh. My. God.

“Did you see that?” I elbow Tina. We’re standing at the end of the tunnel against a wall, waiting for Jason. Her dad is in the locker room swaggering around giving the players pats on the head like they’re his pets. I’ve seen the way he treats them like possessions.

“What?” She’s watching the locker room door where some guys emerge. One of them is Jason. He’s accompanied by Sabien and Chase. They’re turning out to be like the three musketeers. I wave, and they head in our direction.

“I have to go,” Tina says. “Dad’s taking me to dinner.” I see Gavonza come out of the locker room, adjusting his suit jacket like someone is about to take his picture, except no one is paying him any attention. She gives me a hug and takes off. I want to say something, but it’s not like I can ask her to ditch her dad, right?

Jason’s trio finds me, and he slings an arm over my shoulder.

“What a goal,” I say, smiling. “Wish I got it on film—but I guess your professional film crew takes care of that. And I remember when all you had is little old me to catch your greatness.”

Predictably he ruffles my hair. Not that a person could tell since my style is messy mop of curls.

“You can take my picture any time.” Sabien sets his lids at half-mast and propositions me with his eyes that tell me he’s talking about the naked kind. It’s not my dirty mind talking, I swear. That’s reserved for thoughts of Spence.

I snort a laugh. Can’t help myself. To his credit, he grins. Jason flicks his head, playing big brother and giving me a pang for missing our little brother Peter.