Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
Natalie: Just a reminder, I have to be at hockey practice tonight. But then I’ll be home if you need me to watch Jace.
Mom: Thanks! I might try to do some GrubHub runs after you get home with the car, or I might fall asleep on the couch lol.
Leaning over the boards, I get some decent footage of the Griffins during practice. They execute a passing drill that’s as smooth as butter and then amaze me with their balance and speed as they skate. I make notes about captions to add, what music to pick, and how to edit the clips. When practice ends, I head back through the stands to my tiny office.
“Hey, Natalie.”
Turning, I catch a face full of ice as Hunter skids to a stop in front of me. Wiping the cold spray off my cheeks, I glare.
He winces.“Sorry about that. It was an accident.”
“If you say so.” I clear my throat and fiddle with the hem of my sweater. “What’s up?”
“Oh, um.” He shifts his weight from skate to skate and fiddles with his hockey stick. “I thought maybe you would need me for a social media feature. Coach mentioned something and…”
He trails off, and I narrow my eyes.
“Excuse me, who am I speaking to?”
Unstrapping his helmet, he glances left, then right. “Uh, Hunter. Remember me?”
“You can’t be Hunter. You’re cooperative and helpful. Hunter, on the other hand, does an Oscar the Grouch impression every time he sees me.”
“I stepped out of my trash can to see what I think.”
“And?”
He flips his sweaty hair out of his face, then shrugs. “It’s okay.”
I roll my eyes. “Wow, high praise. But I’ll take what I can get.”
Hunter smiles, and I can’t help it, my knees wobble. His dimples are unfair. To cover, I slide my phone out of my back pocket and open my camera.
“Okay, let’s take a few pictures.” His smile dims, and I reach over the wall to put my hand on his forearm. His corded muscles are hard beneath my fingers and a shiver of desire runs through me. “No, no, keep smiling like you were before.”
“Are you cold?” he asks, frowning. “Because we can move away from the ice if you’re uncomfortable.”
Biting my lip, I shake my head and force myself to keep it together. “No, sorry. I’ll make it quick. Uh, a trend I’ve seen on TikTok lately is to—”
“Nope.” Hunter holds up his hands. “I want to help, truly, but the minute I hear TikTok, I’m out. I won’t review books, dance, or lip sync.”
I stifle a giggle. “Fair enough. But you know a suspicious number of things I was going to suggest.”
“Research.” He gives an innocent whistle, and this time my giggle escapes into full-blown laughter.
Am I having a fun, lighthearted moment …with Hunter? Maybe he’s developed a more positive outlook. He’s being voluntarily helpful, he was kind to Jace, and he hasn’t been a jerk to me lately. He put me at ease when I returned his sweatshirt yesterday. I don’t think he’ll ever be a teddy bear like Cooper or Evan, but maybe that’s okay. So I tap my chin.
“How do you feel about a classic Top Ten list?”
Hunter looks thoughtful and doesn’t immediately reject my idea. “Like, the late-night show kind? If it’s a topic I know about, I could make that work.”
“Top Ten hockey movies?” I suggest.
He opens the door to the bench and sits. “You’re in luck.” His crystal blue eyes light up as he pats the spot next to him, making my stomach clench, and I slide onto the shiny, varnished wood. It’s smooth beneath my fingers. “We did a hockey movie marathon last year as a team. It was a blast.”
He shifts, and his knee bumps mine. Instead of moving away, I lean closer and hold up my phone, pressing record.
“All right, Mr. Captain. Gimme your list.”
With another flash of his blinding white teeth, Hunter tosses his hair and stares straight at the camera, making my heart speed up in my chest.
“Coming in at number ten, I’m going with Goon. Not the most intellectual of hockey movies, but it’s funny.” Holding up his hands, he counts on his thumb. He clears his throat and continues to look past my phone and right at me. “Number nine is Mystery, Alaska. Cute and funny.” He displays his index finger, then all the rest on his right hand. “Numbers eight, seven, and six are the Slap Shot movies. Maybe it’s cheating to lump them all together, but it’s my list, I’m doing it.” He shrugs, then smirks. “If you don’t like that, you won’t like numbers five through three: the Mighty Ducks franchise.”
I can’t help it, I giggle, and the sound echoes in the empty arena. I can edit it out of the video, but it’s adorable that he picked Disney movies for his top ten list. He narrows his gaze at me, and I gesture for him to continue.
“Okay, my number two hockey movie is The Cutting Edge. Maybe I’ll get made fun of for this one, but the chemistry sizzles. And the number one hockey movie of all time…”
He pauses and taps a drumroll on his thighs. “Is Miracle, the story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team! It has everything—an underdog story, a lot of heart, and the best ending ever.”
Laughing at his antics, I stop recording and set my phone down. “Wow, you were a natural. I’m impressed.”
“What can I say? I’m impressive.” There’s that smirk again. It’s a good thing I’m sitting down.
I roll my eyes. “And humble, too.”
“Hockey players are known for that.” He gives me a solemn nod, and I want to scoot closer. The intense blue of his eyes draws me in, and I swallow, blinking. Clearing my throat, I break the spell he has over me.
“And here I thought hockey rhymes with cocky for a reason.”
This sends Hunter into a coughing fit. Eyes watering, he shakes his head. “Different kind of cocky. I’d elaborate, but that would be unprofessional of me.”
Oh. My cheeks heat, and his gaze dances with mirth. Wait a minute. Is Hunter flirting with me?
“Obviously, we want to be professional.” I smooth down my sweater.
Standing, he holds his hand out to help me up. The rough calluses of his fingers caress mine, sending shivers through me that have nothing to do with the ice. Instead of pulling away, I keep my hand in his.
“Thanks for the interview. That was really nice of you.”
He glances down at his skates. “It’s no big deal.”
“It was to me.” I have the weirdest urge to brush a kiss across his cheek, which of course I don’t do, because this is my work environment. Instead, I clear my throat again and take a step back, waving my phone. “Don’t worry, I’ll make you look good before I post it.”
Hunter scoffs, plucking at his white practice jersey. “Uh, I already look good.”
“Cocky.”
“It’s not cocky if it’s true.”
I shake my head and smile. The grin he gives me back confirms it. He’s definitely flirting with me. And I kinda like it.