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“And it’s flat, so I can pack it easily when I go home.” Her smile slipped.
Dan’s spirits sank. He wasn’t ready to think about her leaving yet. She’d changed her flight to New Year’s Day, but even that felt way too soon.
Sarah read the photograph’s nameplate aloud. “Muskoka Mist.” She glanced up. “You chose well. I’m sure all that crying I did contributed to some misty conditions in Muskoka.”
“Sar, I didn’t—”
“Hey, it’s okay. When I’m home I’ll look at this and remember how much I ‘miss’ Muskoka.” She laughed at the silly pun, and Dan smiled with her.
“Look at it and remember me too, sometimes.”
“I will. Sometimes.”
Her cheeky look drew his chuckle.
Later, after kissing her goodnight at John’s parents’, he drove home to his apartment, his thoughts turning to the coming weeks. Training camp, then five preseason games back-to-back. Practice and travel wouldn’t allow much time to be together, let alone dates like this. But at least she’d finally get the chance to see what his job entailed. He couldn’t wait to hear Sarah’s opinions on the sport he loved.
* * *
“And he scores!”
Loud music thumped through the Air Canada Centre, the Friday night crowd dressed in blue and white loudly cheering the Maple Leafs’ first goal to tie the game. Sarah looked around at the crowded stands, the charged atmosphere. She knew something about crowds and fans from her Heartsong Collective tours, but this was next level. Imagine if Christians worshipped God the way these hockey fans cheered on their team.
The game continued, and she kept her gaze on Dan’s number sixty-seven jersey as he defended his team’s goal. All his off-season training now made sense. The sprints, the weights, the stamina-building bike rides. The puck slid from the Vancouver stick but was intercepted by Dan’s fellow defenseman, who passed to him. After a swift look, Dan shot it to a forward who was already skating toward the Vancouver goal.
John shouted in her ear. “See how Dan cleared the puck? That’s one of the things that makes him so good, his ability to read the play.” He stood and cheered, then turned to her. “See that?”
Sarah nodded even as her stomach tensed. Sure, there were skills on display, but mostly, she saw a bunch of guys crashing into each other while she wondered about potential injuries. Dan’s role as a defenseman meant he was often in the thick of it, barging into skaters from the opposite team, slamming them into the side as he worked to prevent them from getting near his net. Those big shoulders and strong chest that made her feel so protected when he hugged her were being used to inflict damage on others. Pride in him mingled with concern. She wasn’t sure how she felt, nor could she understand half of what was done or said.
“Go Dizzy!”
Ange leaned closer. “That’s Dan’s nickname.” She smiled at Sarah’s raised brows. “Walt from Walton, Walt Disney, now Dizzy. Or maybe it’s something to do with how fast he skates. I can’t remember.”
Sarah turned to look at the girl who’d called out. She was wearing a tight blue-and-white midriff top, holding up a large sign with—her phone number on it? How wrong was that?
The siren blew, and the crowd dispersed for further refreshment. “How are you finding it?” John glanced over.
Best aim for diplomatic. “It’s nothing like what I’m used to.”
“There’s a lot to take in.”
That was for sure.
She focused on Dan as he skated back on for the start of overtime. John was right: Danwasskilled, with a focused intensity so unlike the easygoing Mr. Wilderness she’d known in Muskoka. She rubbed her forehead as if she could press these new revelations into place.God, please keep him safe.He wasn’t in the boards as much as some, but still, how many bruises would he have at the end of a game? Did he ever get concussions? She watched Dan block a shot, then reverse into an opposing forward, who tumbled over Dan’s back in a cartwheel. The crowd stood to their feet and roared. “Hip check!”
Sarah gasped. Dan flicked a look back at the forward, who was moving gingerly. “That poor man! Will he be okay?”
“Sure. Zac Parotti is tough.” Her uncle stood. “Come on, Leafs!”
Dan picked up the puck, passing it to a teammate who shot and scored, but the siren didn’t blare, and the referee denied the goal, much to the vocal dismay of the crowd. Sarah cringed at some of the comments, especially about the referees. “They take it so seriously. It’s only a game, isn’t it?”
Ange laughed. “Don’t say that too loudly here. Hockey is what many Torontonians live and breathe.”
Scoreless overtime led to a shootout, which was pretty nerve-racking, as was the post-game crush as the disappointed crowd exited. Dan had already explained he had an away game tomorrow and would catch up with her after church on Sunday. But after tonight’s events, Sarah wasn’t sure what she’d say when she finally saw him.
“Hey, Sarah.”
“Patrik! Hi.” She gave the Swedish student a hug, offered Boyd a smile.Be nice. “How are you, Boyd?”
