Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
MATT
“First off, I know some of you are disheartened that we lost in Seattle yesterday, but we always knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game, and I think we put in a good showing. We had some excellent passing between the forwards, and the defensemen were coordinating well together.”
I nodded, leaning against my locker as Coach addressed the team. He was right. There was plenty we could improve on, but we hadn’t embarrassed ourselves in our game against Seattle. I couldn’t help but wonder what Rebecca Jansen might say in her inevitable article about it.
Coach Dunn turned to Davenport. “You can be especially proud of yourself. You may have let three goals in, but you blocked far more than that and that maneuver where you did the splits…” He shook his head. “Incredible.”
Davenport looked down and scratched his chin, obviously uncomfortable with the praise. He was a quiet guy: a little surly but well-intentioned. He didn’t thrive in the limelight.
Assistant Coach Willets stepped forward. “Those of you who were here last year know what’s about to come next.”
Beside me, Drew groaned.
Willets shot him a disapproving look. “We’re going to go around the room, and everyone will share one thing they did well and one thing they could improve on. Since McKinley so kindly volunteered, he can go first.”
Drew scowled but ducked his head a little sheepishly. “I tackled well,” he muttered. “But I should have kept a cooler head when that guy chirped Elliott.”
I hid a smile behind my hand. Drew wanted everyone to think he didn’t give a shit about anything, but whenever anyone targeted a person he was fond of, he came at them with his fists.
“Good,” Willets said encouragingly. “I’m glad you were able to recognize that yourself, and yes, your tackles were excellent. Young?”
We continued around the group until we’d all said our piece. I expected Coach to tell us to get ready to join him on the ice, but instead, he pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced down at it before speaking again.
“On Friday, animals from the Furry Hearts Shelter will be coming to the football field a couple of blocks over. We’ve assured them that some of our players will make an appearance so they can get photographs of you with the animals.
They’re raising funds and awareness for the shelter and, hopefully, generating enough public interest to rehome some of the animals. ”
Drew stuck up his hand and, without waiting for a response, said, “Is it a kill shelter?”
Coach Dunn referred to his phone. “No. It’s a no-kill shelter.”
Drew nodded as if satisfied.
“Are we allowed to adopt the animals?” Jesse asked, beaming from ear to ear.
Coach shrugged. “If you want to, but don’t forget that having a pet is a big commitment and those of you without roommates or significant others won’t have anyone to help you take care of them.”
I grimaced, reminded of exactly why I didn’t have the dog I’d always wanted. I was excited for the photo shoot, though. I’d love to spend time cuddling cute animals, and the fact that it was for a good cause only made it better.
Delacrue scoffed. “It’s such an obvious PR stunt. I mean, getting hockey players to cuddle kittens? Come on.”
Coach narrowed his eyes, and I got the feeling he wanted to give Delacrue a verbal smackdown, but he refrained. “Maybe so, but it’s for a good cause. It’s part of our mandated rehabilitation plan, and I expect everyone who can will attend. I’ll be making a note of who doesn’t.”
“It’s not going to ruin your tough reputation if you pet a few dogs,” I assured Delacrue. He just glared at me in response.
“We’ll also be debuting the new mascot, decided on by the PR staff after listening to your ideas,” Coach said. “It’s important. Be there. For now, get changed and get out onto the ice. I want you all warmed up and ready to go in twenty.”
I taped my stick and got into my gear, then headed out and skated a few laps of the rink to get moving. We played several mock games, practicing particular plays to improve the cohesion between the forwards and the defense.
I worked with Gauthier and we cycled through the different combinations of forwards, getting used to everyone’s style. I blocked and checked and tackled, taking on a more aggressive role while Gauthier focused on getting the puck to our forwards.
By the time we left the ice again, my muscles were pleasantly sore, and I was looking forward to a hot shower. I was trying not to think beyond that or else I’d start worrying about my plan and whether I might be about to overstep just a tiny bit. I supposed I’d find out soon enough.
I lathered my hair as water beat down on my back, soothing away the tension and making me feel almost drowsy. I lingered for as long as I dared before dressing in another blue shirt—because why not use every advantage I had—and carrying my offering up the stairs.
I’d put it in a backpack, so it wasn’t immediately obvious, and I was grateful for that as I crossed the office floor and sat beside Chelsey.
“Were the animals your idea?” I asked, setting the backpack down carefully so as not to jar anything inside.
She spun toward me, eyes wide. Perhaps she hadn’t heard me approach. “What?” She frowned. “I mean, yes, they were. Everyone loves hot guys with cute animals. Do you have a problem with that?”
I couldn’t help the grin that stole across my face. “It’s awesome. I’m excited about it. I think it’ll be a lot of fun.”
She looked disappointed by my enthusiasm. “Oh, that’s good, I guess.”
“Did you watch our game?” I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know. If she hadn’t, it would be bad for my ego, but my curiosity drove me to ask.
She sighed and rubbed her temples. “I did. You played well.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I knew they must be flaming red. My heart warmed, and I was more pleased than I wanted to admit. She cared enough to watch. Surely that meant something.
“Thank you.” I wanted to say more, but her expression told me that would be a bad idea. “I got something for you.”
She tilted her head to the side, her hair following the movement like a curtain of silk, releasing a sweet scent that must be from her shampoo. “You shouldn’t have.”
“Well, I did.”
I’d second-guessed myself a bunch of times since I’d made the order, but I had no use for the gift I bought her, so as soon as I’d paid for it, I’d pretty much committed myself.
I opened the backpack, pulled out a box, and placed it on the desk in front of her, then reached back in and withdrew another, and another, and another. Eventually, there were half a dozen boxes stacked on the desk and a very confused Chelsey, who didn’t seem to know what to make of this.
She slid the smaller boxes aside and stared at the top of the larger one. It was, as far as I could tell, Nikon’s top-of-the-line camera in terms of landscape photography. The lenses I’d chosen to go with it were all slightly different sizes.
She opened her mouth, closed it again, and then shook her head. “What is this?”
“A gift. For you. You said that you didn’t have the best camera for landscape photography. I’m hoping you still prefer Nikon, and if so, this is the best landscape kit according to the guy at the camera shop.”
She seemed completely nonplussed. “I can’t accept this.”
“There are no strings attached. If it makes you feel better, you can use it for your job. I checked and it’s also good for wide-angle shots of playing fields and stadiums.” I knew a little about cameras from my time with her, but I’d made sure to consult the experts for these purchases since I didn’t know nearly enough about the technical side of things.
She picked up the box, seemed about to open it, then set it down. “Why would you buy this for me? It must have cost a lot of money.”
“Only a few thousand dollars. That’s not much to me these days.” I didn’t say that to brag or to make her more comfortable with the gift. I wasn’t about to add that the cost of the additional lenses had been in the range of five figures.
“But why?” she persisted.
“Because I could tell you wanted it, and I wanted you to have it.” It was that simple and that complicated. I’d give her everything, if only she’d let me.
She shook her head again. “It’s too much. I can’t accept it.”
I wanted to push and insist that she take it, but I also didn’t want to make her any more uncomfortable than I already had. Instead, I just said, “Won’t you hold onto it for a little while? Just look over the features and think about it?”
“No.” Her lips were pressed together regretfully, but her expression didn’t waver. “I’m sorry, this is nice, even if I’m confused about why you’re doing it, but I just can’t.”
My stomach dropped to my shoes. “I understand.”
I packed the boxes back into my backpack, zipped up, and made for the door. Just as I exited, Stella came down the corridor toward me. An idea struck and I waved to her.
“Hi, Stella. I was just looking for you.”
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Why?”
“I’m having a cleanout at home. I have this camera I bought a couple of years ago and never used, along with a bunch of equipment to go with it. Selling it is too much hassle and it’s not like I need the money, so I thought it might be useful to the team.”
A brilliant suggestion, if I did say so myself. If Stella accepted the camera and lenses, Chelsey might get to use them, even if it wasn’t in the way I’d intended her to.
Stella frowned and made a “let’s see it” gesture. I took off my backpack, opened it, and pulled out the camera box. I didn’t know how much experience she had with cameras, so it was impossible to know whether she would see through my bullshit or not.
One side of her mouth curled in a smirk. “You just happened to have this lying around, huh?”
“That’s right.” I was committed to the story.
She laughed. “Well, I’m not about to turn down such a generous donation. Come with me, and I’ll show you where to put it.”
I went with her, relieved when she headed back the way she’d come instead of going into the open-plan office area, where I’d have to face Chelsey again. Hopefully, Chelsey wouldn’t be too angry at me for my workaround.
Once I’d handed everything over, I tried my hardest not to think about Chelsey and the camera for the rest of the day. Of course, I didn’t manage very well. But I tried.
The next morning, I was parked at the stadium and heading to catch the bus to go to our game when an angry blonde came rushing toward me, her eyes practically slits and her cheeks a startling shade of pink.
“You can’t buy your way back into my life,” she snapped, stepping between me and the sliding glass doors.
I stopped a few yards away, leaving space to dodge in case she decided to go for my balls. “I’m not trying to.”
“Uh-huh. Then why did the team receive a donated camera last night?” Her nostrils flared.
“I know you didn’t have that just lying around your house like you told Stella.
You told me you asked the guy at the shop about it, and I’m more inclined to believe you lied to her than me because only a serious landscape photographer would have that kind of gear. ”
I cringed. I’d really hoped she wouldn’t remember that, but I supposed that had been asking for too much. “I’m not trying to buy anything,” I insisted. “I just want you to have the things that make you happy.”
She folded her arms over her ample chest, and I did my best not to notice the way it lifted her cleavage. “Why?”
I stared at her, confused. “What do you mean?”
She rolled those pretty blue eyes. “Why do you want me to be happy?”
“Because I care about you.” I’d never stopped, not even when we’d broken up.
She stomped her foot. “But why? We’re not together. We haven’t been for years. I know what kind of lifestyle you guys lead. You’re probably with a different girl in each city you travel to, so why are you bothering with me?”
I reared back as if I’d been struck. Was that really what she thought of me?
That I was the kind of man who’d enjoy sleeping around?
It was laughable. In fact, it couldn’t be further from the truth.
I was almost certain that she’d been with more people in the time we’d been apart than I had, considering my number was zero.
I reached for her hand, but she yanked it away from me. I moved forward, determined that, if nothing else, she was going to hear me this one time. “You’re the only girl for me. The only one I’ve ever loved. The only one I’ve ever been with.”
Her mouth fell open and she stepped back, stunned. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do,” I assured her, hoping with every fiber of my being that she could hear my sincerity. “You were my first love, and there’s been no one else since you. Not in my bed, nor in my heart.”
Her mouth trembled, and she raised her hand to her lips. “Don’t lie.”
“I promise, I’m not. I’m telling you the truth. Ask anyone. I don’t date. I don’t have one-night stands. I’m yours. I’ve always been yours. And I want you to be happy, whatever that looks like.”
She backed away, shaking her head. “No, no, no. I don’t believe you. I—”
“Matthews!” Assistant Coach Willets shouted, cutting her off. “The bus is about to leave!”
My gut flipped over. I didn’t want to go with this hanging between us, but I didn’t have a choice. “It’s the truth.”
I left her standing there, staring after me, with her mouth hanging open.