Page 101 of Breakaway Hearts

“Gee, Cap, you’re making me blush.”

“It’s late, I’m tired, and it’s your word against mine.”

“Thanks Noah.”

“Anytime, Captain.”

Chapter Forty

Owen

Forced proximity

“Road trip!” Colt exclaims, dropping his bag into the compartment under the team bus. It’s six a.m. and no one should be that chipper, but Cassidy Clarke just dropped him off in last night’s clothes, so I guess he had a good night.

When we get to the hotel that evening after winning 1-0 in the last minute of play, everyone is exhausted and utterly defeated. We should have owned them, yet we spent almost the entire sixty minutes fighting them off in our zone, because we couldn’t get our shit together long enough to score in theirs.

Ben is handing out the keys and no one is paying attention, until Holden and Cormac go up together and get different room numbers.

“Did we spring for solo rooms?” Holden asks.

“Nope.” I step up. Coach said he’d back me, but this was my project. “We’re switching up the room assignments.”

“Why?”

The only guys who don’t look upset or confused are my roommates, because I ran the idea by them to make sure I wouldn’t be murdered for it.

“Because, to paraphrase a classic, ducks fly together, and a team is something you belong to, something you feel, and something you have to earn. We should have obliterated them tonight, but the only reason we didn’t lose is because Gravy apparently doesn’t need defense to get a shutout, but we fought fifty-nine minutes to scrape out one fucking goal. This team is divided, and if we can’t fix it on the ice, we’re going to work on it off.”

“A little forced proximity?” Donovan chuckles to himself. I also listened to the audio of Savannah’s latest book during my runs this week, so I get how this would be the perfect setup for a rom-com…but it’s a cliché because it works.

“Team bonding,” I argue. “From now on, we’re rooming with new friends,” I say, like Rachel when she’s trying to convince Emmy to play with a strange kid she doesn’t know. “Sitting on the bus with our linemates, working out with them…we’re even doing those fucking annoying ice breakers to melt our cold black hearts.”

Danny looks to Coach like he’ll stop me, but Coach Benson just shrugs.

“If you know they’re annoying, why are you putting us through them?”

“Because college is the last chance most of you will have to play on a team like this, and I promise you’ll regret it if you waste it being a dickhead,” Coach tells him. “Pardon my French.”

“A few assholes can’t play nice so the rest of us need to make new friends?” Danny asks.

“Get to,” Coach and I both say at the same time. It’s his mantra whenever his granddaughter asks if she has to stay and watch practice, yet again.

A lot of them would keep arguing if it was just me, but no one is going to fight Coach.

“What do we do if he slits your throat in the middle of the night?” Colt asks me as we make our way to our rooms, letting the others go and get settled first. According to my sisters, if the new guys think we act like we own the team and they’re just playing on it, letting them be the ones who go in and pick the beds or whatever first might switch the dynamic up. I doubt a five-minute head start will lead to any lasting change, but I’m open to anything.

“It’s too early in the season. He kills me now, we’re definitely not making it to the Frozen Four.”

“See, I’m expecting a cold shoulder, maybe awkward silences and waiting for the bathroom…but Danny? Should I leave the adjoining door open, just in case?” Dave offers.

“At least unlocked,” Mike teases, but he’s with Jason, which won’t be a problem.

Most guys aren’t actually upset about their roommates, just disappointed they’re not with someone they know and like better. Pretty sure I’m the only one I put with someone who actively hates them.

But it’s time I figure out why.

Danny looks over when I come in, but goes back to his phone just as quickly, muttering, “Figures,” under his breath.