Icing on Top (Love in Overtime #1)

Chapter 1

Jeremiah

“Daddy, can you lace me up?”

Charlie had learned to tie her shoes years ago, but she always insisted that I was the best at lacing up her hockey skates, and who was I to deny such an adorable face?

She always suckered me in with those big brown eyes of hers.

It wasn’t a surprise; they looked just like her mother’s, and Sadie had gotten whatever she wanted the second she batted those gorgeous eyes at me.

The familiar pang of loss hit me, and I shifted uncomfortably in my hoodie, rolling my shoulders back before focusing on the task at hand. Sadie had been gone four years now, and the grief still made itself known at the most random—and often inconvenient—times.

I finished the last skate off with a secure knot before patting the sides. “How’s that, Tot? Not too tight?”

Charlie’s beaming smile made any lingering sadness disappear instantly, a bright light banning the shadows back to their corners.

“It’s perfect. Thank you, Daddy.”

I glanced at my watch and then looked around for the new coach.

Practice was supposed to start any minute, and most of the kids were all geared up and ready to go.

Our previous coach, Calvin, had retired after having hip surgery, and while everyone had been disappointed when he announced it at the end of last season, we all trusted him to find a quality replacement.

“Hello, everyone. If I could have your attention.”

The murmur of conversations died out as a woman who looked to be about my age stepped forward into the group.

She had her blonde hair tied back into a low knot underneath a navy baseball cap, and I could just make out her hazel eyes in the shadow of the brim.

I wondered if they were more green or brown.

A glint of silver drew my attention to her nose ring that fit right in with the multiple piercings in her ears.

I’d been known to rock a couple piercings in my college years and had always found girls with nose rings attractive. She was no exception.

“I’m Zoe Daniels. I’ll be your new coach this season,” she announced. “Coach Calvin has told me lots of great things about this team, and I’m excited for the season ahead of us.”

Charlie latched onto my sleeve and gave several sharp tugs. Any thoughts of Zoe’s attractiveness were quickly batted away. She was my daughter’s new coach, and I didn’t have time for those sorts of things.

“Our coach is a girl?”

Charlie looked as if she’d just seen a unicorn, and in a way, she had. Female coaches weren’t common, especially in more male dominated sports like hockey. Even Charlie herself was a rarity. There was just one other girl on the Puffins team and very few girls that they played against.

Personally, I was excited for my daughter to have a coach she could look up to and see herself reflected in. While we closely followed the Professional Women’s Hockey League, seeing a female hockey player on TV and seeing one in person were two completely different things.

It didn’t seem like the other parents shared my enthusiasm, though, exchanging skeptical glances. There were even some mutterings as they sized her up. Zoe, however, was unfazed, her attention completely on the kids now.

“Hockey is fun, but it’s hard work, and I promise to work just as hard as you guys. So, I’ve got one question for you. Are you all ready to shred some ice?”

The kids cheered as they eagerly followed her into the rink, oblivious to the tension from the adults. Right away, Charlie skated up to her new coach, staring up at Zoe as if the woman had hung the moon herself.

“Hi, I’m Charlotte. But you can call me Charlie. I play goalie like my dad.”

Zoe smiled, clearly amused by Charlie’s forwardness, and then squatted so they were at eye level. “Goal tender is an extremely important position. You definitely look like someone the team can count on.”

Charlie’s chest puffed up with pride, and she looked as if she might levitate off the ice. Her smile was so radiant, I could see it through her face mask all the way across the rink.

“Yes, ma’am. I am.”

Zoe laughed gently. “Call me Coach Zo or just Coach.”

“Yes, Coach.”

She turned to join the others at center ice, her expression now serious and focused. My girl knew when it was time to lock in.

Since it was only the first practice, Zoe kept the drills simple, most likely trying to suss out the children’s skill levels.

Overall, the Puffins were a solid little team.

A good chunk of the kids had been playing together since they were toddlers scrambling across the ice after the puck.

Albeit, that had only been two years ago.

But now they were at the age where they were starting to really understand the game.

While I watched Charlie, I kept finding my gaze wandering to Zoe.

She moved around the rink effortlessly, clearly an experienced skater.

Her tone was kind but still firm as she gave redirections she quickly followed with genuine praise.

The kids seemed to be responding well to her coaching style so far.

“Let’s take a water break, and then we’ll finish up with a scrimmage,” she announced, skating over to the bench herself. “Charlie and Zack, switch into your goalie gear for me.”

Charlie barreled over to the door. By the time she made it to me on the bleachers, awkwardly toddling along on the rubber mats, I already had her pads and new goalie mask dug out of her bag.

We were a well-oiled machine by now, and had her gear switched out in mere minutes.

Poor Zack was still struggling to get his right leg pad on, rolling around on the floor like a turtle stuck on its shell.

I’d seen his mom rush off to get his little brother to the bathrooms right before Zoe had called for a water break.

“All set, Tot?” I lightly tapped the hard plastic of Charlie’s goalie mask and she nodded. “Good. I’m gonna go help Zack really quick. Remember—”

“Watch the puck, not the player,” she recited.

I smiled proudly. “Go get ‘em.”

Pushing myself up with a groan—metal bleachers really were not made for backs like mine—I made my way to Zack. He’d managed to get the other leg pad on, but now he couldn’t get up.

“Here ya go, bud.” I bent down to hook my hands under his arms and lifted him back up onto his skates. Once I was sure he was steady, I reached for his blocker and catcher gloves and helped him slide them on.

“You excited to try out playing goalie this year?”

“Yes, sir,” he said with a big grin. “My mama says you played goalie in the NHL. Is that true?”

“Yeah, but that was a long time ago.”

Or at least, that’s how it felt.

Zack looked at me the same way Charlie had looked at Zoe. “That’s so cool.”

“Zack. Are you ready?” Zoe asked, leaning against the wall.

I was old news at the prospect of getting to be in goal. “I’m ready, Coach!”

He did his best to ‘run’ to the door, which wasn’t the easiest in goalie gear. It was extremely amusing to watch, though.

Charlie was already in her goal, mucking up the crease like I’d taught her. Jeez, the little tot was gonna make me tear up at a damn kids’ practice.

Stepping up to the boards, I cupped my hands around my mouth. “Let’s go, Charlie!”

She gave a quick nod of her head in acknowledgement, the goalie mask bouncing a little, and then crouched into her ready position, focused now on the game at hand. I made a mental note to tighten her mask after practice.

The kids were rusty, and understandably so; for the majority of them, it was their first time back on the ice after months off for the summer.

Not everyone had full-time access to a hockey rink like Charlie unless they wanted to pay exorbitant amounts of money on private rink time and personal trainers.

There were a handful of parents that did, though.

Those fully committed to hockey being their child’s life and—hopefully—future career.

While I would love to see Charlie go pro, I would never push her in that direction.

She could play hockey for as long as it made her happy.

And right now, she was utterly obsessed.

Which, of course, made me pretty damn happy.

If anything, her dedication to the sport is what kept me going when I started to question whether running a hockey rink was worth all of the effort.

I’d do whatever I could to stay competitive with other rinks if it meant Charlie always had a place to play.

One of the newer players broke away with the puck, the defensemen scrambling to catch up to him. Charlie made minuscule adjustments as he swerved back and forth, looking for an opening before finally taking a shot.

Smack.

Right in the glove.

“There ya go, Tot! Nice save!”

I smiled to myself when she shimmied her shoulders in a little victory dance, but then it was back to business.

The rest of the scrimmage followed in a similar pattern. I called out words of encouragement whenever a puck made it past Zack, and cheered just as loudly whenever he blocked the next three. Charlie didn’t let in a single goal.

Zoe blew her whistle to signal the end of the game and called the team to center ice for a chat.

Parents and siblings began to shift, gathering their things and prepping to help their players remove gear.

I was organizing Charlie’s regular mask and gloves to one side of the bag when one of the other dads, Tom, approached.

“Hey, Jeremiah. A couple of us fathers are gonna try to get together Friday night for a beer and to watch the game. You in?”

I pressed my lips together as I sat upright. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m afraid I can’t.”

While I liked the idea of spending time with the other dads outside of games, it just wasn’t feasible for me.

There was no way I could spring it on my parents or Sadie’s mom at the last minute to watch Charlie.

Besides, I doubted I’d be much fun if I was just thinking about my daughter all night and counting down until I got to leave and be with her again.

No, it was best to just have a night in with my little girl.

“No worries, man.” Tom waved his hand. “We’ll catch you another time.”

I smiled politely, even though I knew the chances of that were slim, and waved him off as he returned to his wife.

The kids began to file out of the rink, and I quickly got to work helping rid Charlie of her equipment.

“Don’t take your mask off yet, Tot. I wanna get your chin strap tightened.”

I tossed her leg pads into the duffle and then attended to her mask, lightly lifting it so she’d tilt her head back. It was a quick and easy adjustment, the chin strap not too far off.

“Okay, there.” I sat back so I could see her. “Give it a good shake and see if that’s better.”

Charlie shook her head so hard it made me dizzy just watching her, giggling the entire time. But the goalie mask stayed put, not swaying an inch.

“Looks solid to me,” I said with a chuckle.

She quickly discarded the mask, her hair a wild, sweaty mess despite my attempts to keep it tamed in braids.

With everything packed away, I handed Charlie a Gatorade and then hefted the duffle onto my shoulder.

Uninhibited by the bulky bag, Charlie took off running to one of her friends.

How she still had the energy for it was beyond me. That child was an Energizer Bunny.

I spotted Zoe near the boards, tucking away the cones she’d used for drills into a net bag. She looked up when I approached and sent me a smile, albeit a tired one.

“Hey. I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Charlie’s dad.” I tilted my head in the direction she’d run off in.

Zoe stood up straight and took my outstretched hand in hers, giving it a polite shake.

“Nice to meet you, Charlie’s dad.” The corner of her lips quirked up in a hint of a grin.

Did she just dad-joke a dad?

I could feel a flush of embarrassment creeping up the back of my neck. “Sorry. Jeremiah. I’m Jeremiah.”

“Are you a big Seattle Cascades fan?” she asked, nodding toward my chest.

I glanced down at my hoodie, momentarily forgetting what I was wearing. Sadie had bought it for me right after I had been drafted to the team. I was surprised Zoe could even make out the faded graphic.

“Oh, uh, I used to play for them. I retired a couple years ago, though.”

“Ah, that’s right. Charlie said you were a goalie.” She tightened the net bag shut. “Well, at least you’re not one of those dads who thinks he knows everything because he played in high school on a tier two team.”

I let out a mix between a scoff and a laugh, which just made Zoe laugh, too.

“I know that kind very well, but no. You’re the coach, not me. So I’ll be keeping my mouth shut.” I squinted one eye and tilted my head back and forth. “Except for when it’s my daughter. I can’t say I won’t coach her from the sidelines, because I one hundred percent will.”

“I get that,” she allowed.

She hefted the bag over her shoulder, doing one last double check of the bench to make sure no one had left anything behind. I took that as my signal to find Charlie and head out.

“Well… I better get the kiddo home and fed.” I tapped my knuckles against the top of the boards. “Glad to have you, Coach.”

I turned and walked away before she could respond, inwardly cringing at how awkward of an introduction that was. God, I really needed to get out more. Maybe I should have taken up Tom on his offer after all.

Thankfully, Charlie was a quick distraction, colliding into me hard enough that I stumbled back a step.

“Daddy, that was the best practice ever. I love Coach Zo,” she sighed, face buried in my stomach, but I could still hear the smile in her voice.

“She’s a good coach,” I agreed, giving her a tight hug before pulling back quickly. “Whew! We need to get you home and in the tub. You stink, girl!”

Charlie laughed and just rubbed her head even further into my hoodie until I playfully pushed her away.

“Get away from me, Stinky.”

Once I was free from her grasp, I made a dash for the door. Her little feet pounded on the concrete as she chased after me, giggling the entire way.

“Come back! I’m going to make you stinky, too!”