AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I clear my throat. “She’s too fast and skilled to be spending her days on accuracy shooting and stick-handling drills. Those are things she can work on with her current team.”
“You’re right,” he replies without preamble. I don’t pick up anything but pure agreement in his tone.
I double blink. “I’m right?”
His lips tug into a smile before growing into a full-blown grin. “Yes. It’s a good call, Scarlett. My lesson plans didn’t fit her specific skill set.”
Willow starts cracking up, and I look at her, confused. My scowl will be permanently etched on my face at this rate.
“He was testing you, Scarlett. Come on.” She laughs.
I consider that and feel like an idiot when I realize she’s right. My eyes narrow on Adam.
“I take it I passed, then?” I ask, fighting back the snark that’s desperate to taint my words.
He smirks. “With flying colours.”
Willow’s eyes bulge when she looks at the time on the scoreboard. She pales. “Is that the time? Crap.”
Adam’s smile falls. “Everything okay?”
“We’re done now if you need to go, Willow,” I add cautiously.
“Yeah, I do. I’ll see you guys Friday. Thank you, Scarlett.” She sucks in a long breath before tightening the tie in her hair and rushing away from us, off the ice.
“That was weird, right?” I lift the stick in my hand toward Adam. I’m sure I look just as confused as he does.
“Definitely.” He takes the stick from me, tucking it under his arm. “I’ll keep this in my office tonight. Just get her to grab it Friday morning.”
I hum my agreement and start skating to the exit. When I sense Adam following after me, I say, “She never did tell me if she was okay with changing her training plan.”
“Write it up tonight. She didn’t seem opposed to it at all, so I would say that’s an approval.”
He settles beside me, and his arm brushes mine. Even through the thick fabric of my sweater and his jacket, my skin tingles at the contact. I tense my jaw.
“Do you have to be so close to me?” I snap when his knuckles brush the top of my hand.
A burst of laughter escapes him, but he lets himself hang back a hair. “My apologies, Scarlett.”
With a roll of my eyes, I shuffle in front of him, push the swinging door in the boards open, and step off the ice. There’s a clang as the door shuts, and Adam sidles up beside me, our skates digging into the squishy rubber flooring.
My steps don’t falter as I leave him standing by the boards and make my way to the stands to collect my clipboard and water bottle. It’s been a very long morning between physiotherapy and training, and I’m not sure I can make it much longer without scarfing down some sort of sustenance.
“You’re being a creeper right now,” I mutter when I turn back around and find him already staring at me.
He makes a sound that sounds like a mix between a laugh and a cough before sputtering, “A creeper?”
“Yes. Don’t you know that it isn’t polite to stare?” My stomach grumbles, making me wince.
Adam tilts his head, amused with me. “I wasn’t staring.”
“Sure. Okay.” Another unnecessary noise comes from my stomach that makes me want to shrivel up and die.
“Do you want to keep arguing with me or go get some food?” he asks, nodding to the exit.
“Like, with you?” I inwardly cringe at the stupid question. It’s unlikely he would want to get lunch together. I don’t know if we’re even technically friends.
“Sure. Why not? We’re both hungry, and Brielle is already back from her lunch break. My favourite sub shop is right on the edge of town.”
