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Midway through the third period, Alicia noticed that Jack had already checked out of his brother’s game. Granted, it was the pre-season so these early matchups weren’t of major importance. But even so, did he have to read a text message for the third time?
“Did you see Kyle’s hat trick?” she asked, leaning close.
“What?” Jack straightened so fast he almost dropped the phone he’d been using. Frowning as he looked out onto the floor, he realized pretty quickly that she’d been messing with him.
Tough to score a hat trick when his skating line wasn’t even out on the ice. The players went on in shifts and Kyle had sat down about two minutes prior.
“Okay, you caught me in a fib. He still has two goals, not three. But your attention has wandered enough that it makes a woman doubt her appeal.” She nodded toward the phone resting on his knee while the crowd cheered a hard check into the boards nearby.
The players smashed into the glass, one guy’s face distorted as he slid down the barrier.
“I apologize.” Jack abandoned the phone screen in mid-message. “I can finish this up later.”
“I don’t mean to take you away from something important.” In fact, she really hoped it was urgent for him to spend time playing with technology instead of being with her.
Otherwise, what did that say about her level of importance in his life?
“It’s not a big deal,” he assured her, not realizing how that might actually be a more hurtful scenario. “I can only delay delivering Keith’s boat for so long, so I’d rather spend the remaining time with you than straightening out a business transaction.” He tapped the case of his phone for emphasis.
“Are you buying out another bar owner?” Curiosity got the best of her and she had to ask.
“You could say I’m helping a struggling business, yes.” And with that cryptic answer, he wrapped an arm around her as the crowd in the arena broke into shouts and catcalls.
“They’re fighting,” Alicia observed when she turned her attention back to the ice.
Sure enough, a mammoth defenseman on the Montreal team had one of Kyle’s teammates in a headlock. Gloves were coming off all over the rink as other players got involved.
The refs watched but weren’t pulling people off each other yet.
“Damn, guys. It’s only the pre-season. Can you imagine what this rivalry will be like by the time playoffs roll around?” Jack sounded disgusted as one player socked the other, backing him into the boards.
“I don’t mind hockey fights,” she admitted, knowing the comment would sound more bloodthirsty than how she meant it.
Predictably, his brows soared up to his hairline for a moment.
“Who knew you had a violent streak?” Jack grinned. “But you’re not alone in liking the fights. That’s why the league doesn’t outlaw it all together.”
Finally, the refs stepped in to slow things down.
“I don’t like it for the violence,” she clarified. “And I hate seeing anyone get hurt. But there’s something open and honest about admitting you’re pissed off and acting on it. It’s fast and primitive, but at least it’s genuine. In a world full of superficial sentiment, where we’re conditioned never to cause a stir, there’s something cathartic about occasionally acting on your feelings.”
As order was slowly restored on the ice, penalties were assigned to both teams so that play would continue four-on-four. Kyle came out again on the ice during a shift change, and Jack waved a towel with the Boston Bears team colors.
“Are you referring to your dad?” Jack sat forward in his seat for the face-off as the ref dropped the puck to re-start the game. “Because I never saw him as the superficial type.”
“He isn’t. My dad speaks his mind. The problem is that he doesn’t expect anyone else- especially someone who disagrees with him – to speak theirs.” She flinched as two players crashed into the boards right in front of them, their bodies slamming the Plexiglas so hard it shook. “Not that his preferences stop me from saying what I want, but I can disagree with him all day long, and he doesn’t really hear it. He forges ahead with what he wants anyhow.”
“No wonder you like my family,” Jack acknowledged. “It’s a non-stop mission to one-up each other. I always found it fairly juvenile, but at least we’re continually talking to each other – if only for the sake of running our mouths.”
“Youarea mouthy group.” She jumped to her feet as Kyle scored his third goal of the night.
The hat trick – three goals scored by the same player in a single game- prompted fans all over the arena to do more than “tip their caps.” They threw their hats out on the ice to honor the scorer, a tradition maintained even when a player was on a visiting team—though most of the hats were from Bears’ fans.
Alicia tossed her baseball cap in a slow-pitch softball arc so it would fly up and over the protective boards surrounding the rink. She’d bought the fan gear in a souvenir shop just before the game to show her support for Kyle anyhow, so it seemed only fitting to send it out to the ice now. Clean up crews would have to pick up all the headgear before play continued and the rink would donate them to a local charity.
When she cheered herself hoarse and found her seat again, she felt Jack’s palm envelop hers and squeeze.
