Chapter 7
SEVEN
ALEX
During Monday morning’s early practice, I’ve decided I’m going to find Lainey on campus after we finish our ice time.
I’m here to work, so I should be focused on hockey and hockey only. Except that’s not the case.
Instead of envisioning connecting with the puck and putting it in the net, I keep thinking about Lainey instead. Her cute laugh. The way her dark blonde hair frames her face nicely. How she looked in my jersey cheering from the stands.
Rather than looking forward to going out with my boys or scoring the next goal against our opponents, I’m more interested in finishing the book so I can talk to Lainey about it.
Something warm stirs in my chest every time she opens up about the things she’s passionate about, and I want to know that side of her. She’s so lively behind the walls she puts up between herself in the world.
When I walked her home after the party Friday night, I got her talking about the dance she’s planning to raise funds that will keep Heston Lake’s bookstore family-owned. She grew even more animated and came out of her shell. I found myself smiling like an idiot.
Luckily, UConn didn’t have it together for our away game against them on Saturday after their loss the night before, because she occupied my mind more than I want to admit. Theo and Easton were the stars of the game, lighting the lamp relentlessly while I skated on autopilot.
Shaking my head to empty it, I peel off from the technical drill we’re practicing to get a drink.
I need to get my head back in it, or my name won’t show up on the prospects list for the draft.
I’ve worked too hard to lose sight of the level I need to be at to make myself an asset NHL teams want on their roster.
“Good hustle, Keller.” Our assistant coach, Cole Kincaid, gives me an approving nod when I skate up to the boards where he’s watching us practice.
He started as a new coach after our season was already underway.
He’s known to push us harder in practice than the head coach does, focusing on fine-tuning our skills to create a stronger foundation we can build on.
Some of our players have improved a crazy amount since he joined the Heston U coaching staff.
I duck my head, not feeling like I’ve earned his praise when I’ve spent the last twenty minutes on the ice with my mind wandering. All the guys are showing up to put their top efforts in and I should be, too. My teammates deserve my best whenever I’m out there.
That’s the kind of athlete I’ve honed myself to be. I shouldn’t let anything distract me from that.
Everything else off the ice doesn’t matter right now. It can wait.
Bracing my arms on the half wall circling the rink, I give myself a mental pep talk to get back in the zone. A phone rests at my elbow next to the row of water bottles. It pings, drawing my attention.
Coach Kincaid stiffens, snatching it off the boards before I read the lit up screen. He’s usually pretty chill. I lift a brow at the shift in his attitude, squirting another burst of Gatorade into my open mouth.
He hunches over his device, smothering a tortured groan. “Fuck.”
I clear my throat, edging away on my skates. Kincaid’s gaze snaps up to me as if he forgot I was there taking a drink break. He glances around, opens his mouth, closes it, then shoves his phone in the pocket of his zip up jacket.
“Never mind. It doesn’t have to do with hockey. Forget you saw this. Keep at it,” he directs in a clipped tone. “I’ll be right back.”
I move away from the boards to take up my position once again, exchanging a look with Theo and some of the others in our drill group.
“What’s up with him?” Theo wonders aloud.
I shrug. “Beats me. He got a text and didn’t want me to see it.”
“Bet it’s a booty call,” Brody crows, circling behind me with a hard stop that sprays ice.
“Gossip on your own time. Let’s get back to practice,” I say. “Theo, you’re up with Blake.”
“Time to dance.” Easton flashes us a grin, then takes off.
Theo follows him. “Not so fast, Blake.”
Folding my hands over my stick, I lean my chin on them and track their passing drill with a steady gaze, analyzing every move to apply to my own skill set.
A sharp focus is what will lead me to my goals every time.