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“Stop messing around,” Dad shouted at them. His jaw ticked a rapid rhythm, and he slapped his hands together in a loud clap that reverberated across the ice. “Lennox, get on him.”
Lennox nodded and skated back to his position.
Justin screamed across the ice, skating with a flawless perfection I found fascinating. He stole the puck right out from under an opponent’s stick and whacked it toward the goal. The goalie lunged… and missed.
The buzzer sounded and the players around me leaped to their feet. We’d made the first score of the game.
Three hours later, Lennox scored the winning goal and every player on the benches shouted as they poured onto the ice in celebration. The noise around me grew to a fever pitch. I hugged Dad and shouted a congratulations in his ear before pushing him out onto the ice to join his players. “I’ll be around after they shower to check for injuries.”
He nodded and waved, indicating he understood. Hopefully, he’d tell the guys so they knew to expect me. Not that I’d be barging into the locker room unannounced or anything. The thought of it sent heat up my neck and into my cheeks. I blamed it on the adrenaline of the game. It really got the heart pumping.
My phone rang and I backed out into the hallway where it was quiet to answer. “Hey, Mom. How’s Abigail?”
“She’s great. We’re about to start making cookies. How’d the game go?”
“We won.” Man, it felt good to say that. Dad had wanted a winning team. He deserved a winning team to carry him through to the championship. This might be his year. I hoped it was his year. For all their sakes.
Mom laughed into my ear. “You hear that, Abigail. Gramps’s team won.”
My daughter screamed happily in the background. The sound warmed my heart. “Do you want me to come pick her up?”
“No, honey. I just wanted to check on your dad. I knew he wouldn’t hear his phone ring and we were dying to hear. He’s so excited about this year’s team.” The sounds of pots and pans banging together rattled through the phone.
I imagined them there in the kitchen, gathering up all the ingredients for my mom’s famous cookies. Abigail loved baking, and I was a menace in the kitchen. Mom made up for my lack by helping Abigail every chance they had together. “Well, you can congratulate him soon.”
“Sounds good, honey. Congratulations.” Mom said her goodbye, then gave the phone to Abigail.
“We’re going to make you a cookie.” My daughter sang into the phone. “Did anyone get hurt?”
“No, baby. Everyone is fine.” Well, as far as I knew. I hadn’t seen any altercations that looked like they’d led to an injury. Still, I should check Justin’s leg again. The thought caused another rush of heat that spread further than my face.
I tried to push the thought aside, but it lingered. I was attracted to him.
“Okay.” Abigail’s voice rose higher. “Bye, Mama.”
“Bye, baby.” I ended the call and stopped to lean my back against the wall. Adrenaline from the game continued to pump through my system. I needed to get it under control before I checked on the guys. My mind needed to be clear so I wouldn’t make any snap judgments that might end up getting one of them hurt.
The locker room door at the end of the hall opened and Dad waved me over. “They’re ready.”
Great. Work face, Lucy. I schooled my features and strode toward Dad with my chin high. “Any complaints?”
“Nah. But you know what to look for.” He stepped back for me and then closed the door.
Twenty pairs of eyes stared at me from around the room. Whew. I was not expecting the nervous bubbling in my stomach. “Great game, everybody.”
Cheers and stomping feet kept me from saying anything else for several minutes.
Dad whistled when it became evident they were not going to calm down on their own. “Pay attention. Faster you get through this, faster you can go celebrate.”
Justin cheered the loudest at that and draped his towel around his neck. They were all fully dressed, and I was grateful I didn’t have to walk into the stench of your average locker room. This one smelled of cologne and musk. Not a bad smell at all. If anything, it made me want to curl up and bask in the smell for an hour or two while I gave my little vibrator a workout.
Focus, Lucy. I jerked my attention back to the men standing around me and clasped my hands together. “Alright. Everyone is anxious to get out of here. Trust me, I get it. But first I need you all to understand that I need to know about any injuries you might have sustained. Lennox, you took a couple of hard hits. Now there’s nothing I can do for a broken nose, but how’s your arm?”
Lennox rolled his shoulder forward, then back, and completed a full range of motion exercises. “Right as rain, Doc.”
“Good.” Great. Thank goodness. I continued around the room until I could clear all of them. “If you start to notice any discomfort, come see me tomorrow. I’ll be in my office all day.”
“That’s it.” Dad clapped. “Get out of here and have some fun.”
