9. Cooper
CHAPTER 9
COOPER
F rom the moment I met Blair, I thought about what it would feel like to kiss her. Now I know, and it’s even better than I expected. There are so many things I like about this woman, and the feelings are magnified having her in my arms.
After our make out session under a blanket of floating lanterns, I wrap my arms around her, and we stare up at the sky. Neither of us has said a word, and I’m okay with that. Sometimes saying nothing says everything.
I know at some point we will need to address it, but I’m not in a rush to interrupt this moment.
Who knew this small town would be a place to ignite these types of feelings? It’s a far cry from Paris or Venice, but that just proves the location doesn’t matter when you’re with the right person.
The crowd breaks into loud applause once all the lanterns are released. And Blair and I finally separate as people start standing up to leave.
“That was so amazing,” Blair says, still watching the floating lights.
“Yes, it was.” I have a feeling we’re talking about two different things. The lanterns were cool, but the kiss we just shared was phenomenal.
“Maple Fest was as good as everyone said it would be,” she says. “I’m kind of sad it’s over.”
“Are you disappointed you didn’t make it to the corn maze?”
She gives me a coy smile. “Not at all. There’s always next year.”
“Next year? You think you’ll be back in Pine Falls?”
“ Maple Falls—yes. I might make it an annual event. That way I can see Keira and enjoy all the fall stuff.”
“They don’t have fall stuff in Dallas?”
She folds her leg under her and turns toward me. “Not like this. You must admit it was a fun day. In fact, I think you’re starting to really like this town.”
“Some parts of the day were better than others,” I reply. “I didn’t love the hours of socializing or the Puck Bunnies swarming the table for a moment with Dan the Man and the rest of us.”
She cringes. “They are intense.”
I stretch my arm along the back of the bench. “But I can agree the finale was impressive. I can’t think of a better ending to a festival.”
“You mean the lanterns?”
I grin. “Sure. The lanterns.”
Her face lights up, and I’m instantly reminded of the feeling I had at the airport as I descended the escalator to where she was waiting for me. That moment changed everything, and I haven’t been the same since. Suddenly I feel lighter, like a weight has been lifted off me. A weight I’ve carried for as long as I can remember. Everything is different now—I feel different. Meeting Blair has made this happen .
“So now what?” I ask.
Her smile fades. “I don’t know.”
“We could stay here for a while and wait for the crowds to clear,” I suggest.
That’s my way of telling her I don’t want this moment to end.
“I like that idea,” she says.
“Go Otters,” a man in a Roberts jersey shouts. He and his friend come over and hold up their hands to give me a high five.
I still can’t believe an otter was chosen as our mascot. Even Noah agrees with me. Who made that decision?
“So are you anticipating a sweep of all the games?” the man asks. “That’s what we’re expecting. Five wins to the ultimate victory.”
“Let’s hope,” I say with a shrug.
“A sweep should be easy with your lineup,” the second man says. “Especially with Dan Roberts as captain and Dawson Hayes at goalie. It’s a done deal.”
I just nod. I mean, I can’t deny both Dan and Dawson are great players.
“All the players on the team are superstars,” Blair chimes in.
Her eyes shift over to me and back to the men.
“Yes! We can’t wait to watch,” the man in the jersey says.
The men take off and continue to hype up the crowd with cheers for the Ice Breakers.
“Does it bother you that you’re in a sea of Dan Roberts-obsessed fans?” Blair asks.
I twist my mouth to the side and give a thoughtful look. “I don’t think anything could bother me in this moment.”
Blair’s face turns bright red. “Good answer.”
“On that note … should we talk about …” I pause .
She chews on her lower lip. “Probably.”
“Or we could wait,” I suggest. I really don’t want anything to interfere with how I’m feeling right now.”
“We could wait,” she agrees. “Because I don’t know what to do next.”
“Me either,” I say. “But maybe we can have dinner tomorrow night. I know it’s not on the itinerary.”
She beams. “No, it’s not, but dinner sounds good.”
She wraps her arms around my neck as I pull her toward me.
“I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“Okay,” she whispers as I move in to kiss her again.
I head to the arena before the sun comes up to get in some extra practice time. Of course kissing Blair was the last thing I thought about before I fell asleep last night and the first thing I thought about when I woke up this morning. Unfortunately there’s a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that we still need to talk about how to navigate things now that we’ve expressed what we’re feeling. She’s still my publicist, and while we could maintain a professional relationship, people will talk. Fans, critics, and haters will have a field day with any gossip they can get their hands on.
I lace up and make my way onto the ice. As I skate, flashbacks of last night swirl through my mind. Normally this is the one place I can push everything else out of my mind. We have five back-to-back games coming up and I need to be at my best. At least I have Blair in my corner. Dan the man can have his legions of supporters, but Blair is the best fan squad I could have.
It doesn’t take long for my teammates to start trickling in. Everyone is mostly quiet. I guess they all partied too hard at the Maple Fest.
Coach Strickland seems more edgy than usual this morning, and I’m sure he senses we’re all slow to get moving.
“The press is throwing out a lot of details about how these practices have been going. They are saying you guys can’t work together. It’s time to snap out of it and play as a team. You came here for an important purpose, and you’re all professional athletes—so act like it.”
He’s right. I’ve been frustrated with my own performance since our first practice.
It seems like Coach’s lecture really hits home because almost immediately things seem to flow for us. By the end of the day I feel like we made some progress.
After practice I head back to the lodge where I’m met by Ms. Hale in the lobby. She stands in front of me, blocking my path.
“Hey, Cooper,” she sings. “How has your stay been here at Hawk River Lodge? Is there anything we can improve on?”
“Not that I can think of,” I reply.
She claps her hands together. “I’m so glad. We’re all so excited for the games to start.”
The sound of my phone buzzing saves me from continuing this conversation.
When I look at the screen, I see Estelle’s number. I haven’t spoken to her since the day I came to Maple Falls, other than exchanging a few texts.
“I need to answer this call,” I say holding up my phone. “But I’ll let you know if I need anything. ”
“Hello,” I say as I jump on the elevator.
“Hi. I’m calling to check-in. How are things going there?” She sounds relaxed and carefree. I guess a few weeks away from me will do the trick.
She asked how things are going. Hmm … where should I start? I’m practicing like I’ve never been on the ice, and I’ve fallen hard for my new publicist. In other words—not good.
“Things are … okay,” I say when the doors open. I head to my room, shooting a glance at Blair’s room. I wonder if she’s in there.
“Oh, no,” Estelle says.
“What?”
“Cooper, I know you better than anyone. When you say something is okay , it’s not. Please tell me you’re not being difficult.”
“Estelle, don’t jump to conclusions. I told you things are okay.”
“Should I call Blair?”
The mention of her name reminds me of last night.
“No, you shouldn’t because you’re not my publicist anymore. You should be taking care of your family, enjoying your retirement, and playing pickleball.”
“I never said I was going to play pickleball,” she retorts.
“Golf? Tennis?”
“Why does it have to be a sport?”
“Hockey?”
“Quit deflecting,” she snaps. “I may not be your publicist anymore, but you’re still family.”
I smile because I feel the same way about her. “Are you trying to make me emotional? Stop that.”
“Cooper, tell me what’s going on,” she begs. “How’s the team? How are things with Blair?”
I sit on the edge of my bed and kick off my sneakers .
“It’s been a rough few weeks with the team,” I tell her. “Today’s practice seemed to be a little better, so hopefully we’re finally turning a corner. We’re so used to competing against each other, it’s been hard to get into a rhythm as teammates.”
“That’s understandable. And what about Blair? She’s great, isn’t she? She’s determined and spunky—I liked her from the first moment we met.”
I couldn’t agree more.
“She’s definitely been a surprise.”
“So, you two are getting along then? I had a feeling you’d be a good match.”
She has no idea.
“Yes.”
“Okay, please let her guide you,” she begs. “She’s brilliant, and I really believe she’s the right person to manage your career from here on out. Promise you’ll be open to her suggestions.”
I fall back on the bed and throw my arm over my face. I want to tell Estelle about Blair and me, but I’m nervous about what she’ll say. She might tell me to step back before I mess up a good thing, and I don’t want to hear that.
“Okay. I need to hit the showers. I have a dinner meeting.”
This isn’t a lie since I’m meeting Blair for dinner.
Estelle makes me promise to update her after the first game.
At this point she knows everything she needs to know. Now it’s time for me to get ready for dinner with the woman I’m falling for.