Chapter 8
Rowan
Traveling with the team was great, but it left me almost no time to practice any new routines.
I spoke with the marketing team and choreographers over the phone and via Zoom.
We could talk about new ideas and put tentative plans together, but I could never actually practice them.
Not that I got much ice time during the games while we were away, if any.
Some teams didn’t allow the visiting mascot any time on the ice, others only allowed me to do post-game stuff.
By then the crowd was shuffling out. They weren’t interested in the visiting team’s performance.
Home games gave us more time to be out on the ice.
Still, practice was very limited. The night that we got the most time in the spotlight was the annual kids’ night, which was one of our largest sellers, where we raised funds for the local after-school programs. The whole theme of the night was for the kids.
The crowd loved it, and it was where I really came to shine.
“Good, good.” My friend and current handler, Kier, clapped from the sidelines, and I skated over to him. I was in full costume, and I took off my head, rested it under my arm.
“Finally, I thought I’d never get that jump and keep myself upright,” I said.
“You did it! Now you just have to do it fifty more times, at least.”
I laughed and grabbed for my water bottle. The door that led to the locker room slammed, and I looked up to see Coach Garrison walking toward us, skates on his feet.
“Are we in your way?” I asked. “We can leave.” It was clear in the past few weeks that he wasn’t going to fire me, but I still tried to keep my distance from him. If only to save my own heart from making me do something stupid—like throw myself at him again.
He shook his head. “No, I think I’m actually here to work with you.”
“What?” Since the plane ride that lasted an eternity, Coach had warmed up to me. Or at least didn’t glare when he saw me. In fact, there were times I swore it was like he was watching me. But that was probably wishful thinking remaining from the stupid crush I had on the man.
Kier was flipping through his clipboard, not even listening.
Meanwhile, my heart thundered in my chest. Coach and I hadn’t spent much time together since the road trip.
Evan talked about him a lot. Apparently, Coach was the best thing that ever happened to the team, and he had high hopes for the future of the program.
Which was great, but also, the man was a constant reminder of all the things I couldn’t have and would never deserve.
“I, um, didn’t realize we had any, um, plans.” Great. Super articulate, Rowan. Way to go.
“Oh, did we not mention part of what we’re doing on kids’ night is having the coach come out to center ice and you and him are going to do a little routine? We figured it would be good optics to introduce the fans to the new coach,” Kier said.
“Oh,” I said, nearly dropping my head. Exhaustion weighed heavily on me.
I ran a hand through my hair, and sweat dripped off it.
We’d already been practicing for a while, and I’d been up half the night working on my final project for one of my classes.
“Okay. Um. Great. We can totally do that.” I licked my lips.
Reid hadn’t stopped staring at me. “So what is it that we’re going to do? ”
“It’ll be fun, I promise.” Kier handed the clipboard to me, and I took a look.
On there was the agenda for the game in a few days.
I would come out and skate around, wave to all the fans during first intermission.
I would walk the crowd while the game was going on.
Then during the second intermission, we’d invite a group of kids onto the ice and Coach would help them with their passing.
I, of course, would be there causing chaos and being silly.
I’d likely be taking a few falls that night.
Thankfully, since my last fall, the pants on my mascot costume had been refilled with some extra cushioning.
“After the kids leave the ice, the two of you are going to race down the ice,” Kier said.
“I’m going to win, right?” I said.
Coach snorted. “Fat chance. I think I’m faster than you.”
“Well, of course. I mean, I just meant like, for the crowd? I didn’t mean to imply… It doesn’t matter either way.” My palms were sweating and not just because I was wearing my paws.
He put a hand on my arm, and I swore I could feel the heat of him through my costume. “I’m teasing you, Rowan. I think they do have it written as you winning, but only because I let you. I’m fine with either scenario.”
Kier flipped the pages again. “Yeah, I think that’s the script we gave Les. He’ll be in the announcer’s booth.”
Great. This would be just great. All I had to do now was not make a fool of myself.
Well… more so than what was scripted, anyway.
At least if I was skating ahead of him, I wouldn’t be tempted to stare at his backside the whole time, not at all like I did at the away games when I had less time working and more time just sitting watching the game from behind the team’s bench.
There was nothing sexier than watching Reid Garrison coach his team. The man was mesmerizing as he watched the game, encouraged his team, and brought them to victory again and again. We had a real shot at the playoffs this year if we kept up this trajectory.
“All right, so you guys want to practice?” Kier asked.
“Sure?” I said with almost no confidence. “Do you mind if I do the flips a few more times while Coach warms up? I just want to make sure I get it right. I don’t want to fall again.”
“The crowd loved when you fell on your butt.” Kier winced as he said the words. “Josh and Jason spoke with the higher-ups; they mentioned more than once that it was a great skit. They had no idea the fall wasn’t planned.”
I grimaced. I’d worried that would happen. I was meant to be entertaining out there, but preferably not at the expense of my body.
“I think we can get through this skit with enough laughs without injuring our mascot,” Reid said.
This time he put a hand on my shoulder. I had to grip the edge of the boards to keep from swooning.
This was such a bad idea. “It will be more impressive if we keep our mascot on his feet and healthy. No amount of crowd engagement is worth risking his safety.”
“Of course,” Kier said, and he made a few marks on his clipboard, probably not really paying attention to anything we were saying.
My cheeks heated. I grabbed my helmet and put it back over my face, letting out a long breath when I was fully masked.
That was better. Reid couldn’t see the blush sweeping my cheeks, and he wouldn’t realize just how much having him close affected me.
Even better, I couldn’t talk at all, so I wasn’t going to say anything stupid.
Like how amazing his eyes were, or how I thought about him all the time and wished like hell he hadn’t been able to resist me all those years ago.
Those were dangerous thoughts. Ones I shouldn’t be having. I was an expendable member of the team, and one wrong move could result in Reid rethinking letting me stay.
I had to keep it together, keep it professional. No matter how tempting the alpha was.