Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
CATALINA
"I fucking hate hockey players." I flopped down onto the seat between Marley and Eden, my other closest friend in Opal Springs.
Marley pushed her glasses back in place on her nose, with her fingertip. "That's one hell of a declaration." As always, she was impeccably dressed. Today, in a white blouse and black pencil skirt. In heels, she was almost as tall as me.
Marley-Jane and I went to school together, all the way from preschool.
When I moved back to town, we rekindled our friendship.
Lucky for me, because very few people knew about the things we got up to.
Sometimes I worried she'd fill my father in, but she was always professional.
As far as I knew. I'd hate for him to learn the half of it.
"I'm sensing some sort of conflict." Eden tucked a strand of purple hair behind her ear. "What happened?" A florist, she worked out of the building beside my Dad's surgery. That was where we met. Around the same age as me, we hit it off immediately.
"You're sensing conflict all right." I placed my black tea on the table in front of me and tossed my keys down beside it. I told them about my run in with Cruz Brewer and his team.
"Ugh, Cruz Brewer." Marley fanned herself. "I've seen him around work a few times. He's smoking hot and doesn't he fucking know it?"
I hummed my agreement and picked up my tea to take a sip. I preferred my coffee with milk and sugar, so it was safer to stick to black tea while I was training. "What's his deal anyway? And the rest of them?"
Marley leaned forward eagerly. If there was something she loved, it was town gossip. If she didn't know it, it probably wasn't worth knowing.
"You don't know?" she asked.
"Know what? His attitude is overcompensating for the size of his cock?" I hadn't gotten a good look, but I could tell that wasn't the case, unfortunately. Not that I was even slightly interested. I had better taste than to fall for an asshole, even a hot one.
Marley giggled. "Not as far as I've heard."
It was Eden who filled me in. "The AIHL, the Australian Ice Hockey League, is expanding.
The Ghouls are hoping to be part of that expansion.
They've been doing well against other teams in their division, but if they can turn professional, the AIHL will support the building of an actual arena here in Opal Springs.
It'll be huge for the construction and tourism industries.
Not to mention supporting grassroots sports programs for children. "
"So they think that gives them the right to muscle in on my rink time?" I frowned.
Okay, an arena would be good for the economy of the area, but the team could have waited ten minutes. That's what polite people would have done. People who wanted to think of themselves as role models.
"They are becoming a bit of a big deal around here," Marley said. "I mean, Opal Springs is growing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we have teams in every sport you can think of. And a bunch we probably can't think of. Like, I don't know, tiddlywinks."
"I'd prefer to watch people play tiddlywinks than ice hockey," I said. "Especially after dealing with those pricks. I've met plenty just like them in Melbourne. They act as if they think they're better than everyone else because they play with a stick."
"They do some pretty incredible things with their sticks," Marley said. "All while on ice skates. Nothing you couldn't do," she added quickly.
The ability to skate didn't necessarily mean I could hit a puck for shit, but I appreciated the vote of confidence.
"It's normal for a bit of fame to go to people's heads," Eden said easily. "A place for the arena has already been picked out. A lot of local guys are hoping to work on building it. If these players can't sell their ability to the AIHL, that's a lot of dreams down the toilet."
"Are you suggesting I should have stepped right off the ice the moment they stepped on?" I frowned deeper. "I'm not the villain in this." Was I?
"Fuck no," Eden replied. "Someone needs to keep their egos in check. The last thing anyone in Opal Springs needs is guys who think they're above everyone else. You know how that ends."
I did. If there was anything Australians loved, it was bringing down someone who got too big for their boots. It was practically a national pastime, if not a healthy one.
Sometimes people were on top for good reason.
Like my father was in his day. He was the talk of the sporting community for some time after the collision that ended his career.
In spite of building an even more successful one after stepping off the ice, he always had that one missing thing.
That one 'what might have been' moment. The wish he'd ended on a high note, not slammed into the padding on the side of the rink.
"So you agree I should have stood my ground," I said.
"Would you have done anything else?" Marley said. "I can only guess what renting out the rink costs. Why shouldn't you get your full allotment of time? After having to take a year off with your knee, you need this."
"Yeah, I do," I agreed. "I've worked too long and hard to let assholes like that push me around. My knee has stood in my way for long enough. It's fine," I added before they asked. I didn't need them fussing over me, my father was more than enough.
Marley placed a hand over mine. "I'm glad you are. I remember how you looked when you first got back to town. Like you weren't sure if you were defeated or not. I know the vet clinic would be happy to keep you on so you don't have to go back to Melbourne." She looked tentatively hopeful.
I knew she would have liked it if I committed to staying in town until the end of time, but I wasn't ready to do that.
Not yet. Most of the girls we went to school with were married and had children, but I wasn't ready to do that yet either.
There were too many things I wanted to do, too many places I wanted to go.
And I wasn't going to settle for the first guy who wanted to marry me either.
If I did that, I would have gotten married instead of going to university.
"I know," I said. Sooner or later, I'd have to commit to working somewhere, whether it was the clinic here or one back in Melbourne. If I stayed here, that would mean giving up my Olympic dream, once and for all. I couldn't, not even if it was a sensible, adult thing to do.
Fuck that. I was only twenty-five. I still had time to be young and stupid. And stubborn and driven. I wanted to win a medal for myself and for my dad. Having ambition wasn't a bad thing.
"So," Marley said slowly. She pushed her glasses back up her nose.
I took in the expression in her bright blue eyes and groaned. "Is this where you tell me I should come and watch a hockey game with you sometime?"
They both smiled.
Yeah, I was done for.
"You absolutely should," Marley agreed. "I mean, you've seen those guys up close. You know how hot they are."
"I've seen them play and I'm also well aware they know how hot they are," I said dryly. "I have no intention of becoming a puck bunny. Especially not after that asshole, Cruz. Not if he was the last guy in town." Him and the other guy who glared at me for no reason. Hard pass.
"There are other guys on the roster," Marley said. "I'm sure they're not all bad."
"They might not all be bad, but I'm still not going there with any of them," I said.
"But I will come and see them play if you insist. Because we're friends and I like hanging out with you.
" And I liked being at the rink. It was my home away from home.
Skating was as natural to me as walking.
When I injured my knee and it looked like I may never skate again, I was devastated.
Medal or no medal, I needed to be out on the ice.
It was my happy place. The place I could work out all my frustrations and feel at peace.
If those assholes disturbed my peace, I was going to… I didn't know what. Raise hell, maybe.
Marley bounced up and down in her chair.
Her glasses slid back down her lightly freckled nose.
She pushed them back up and grinned. "Excellent.
You're going to have the best time. Although, it'll be better when they build the arena.
" Her eyes were wide, slightly glazed, clearly picturing something fancy like the ones in North America.
An arena like that would quickly become a landmark on par with the football stadium, which hosted rugby union, rugby league and gridiron matches. Not to mention the occasional concert.
I could hear my father now, talking about how he remembered the good old days of Opal Springs, when it was still small, and everyone knew everyone else. It was still small, but now, it was more than a former mining town. Ironically, I think more gold was found here than opals, but the name stuck.
"If," I said carefully. "It's not a done deal yet, is it? I mean, there are plenty of other hockey teams vying to join the AIHL. They might choose one of them instead."
"They might," Eden agreed. "It's not just the team, there are other considerations.
They have to be able to get bums in seats.
Opal Springs has to be able to deal with the traffic on game nights.
And they only take a certain number of teams per state.
If they choose someone else from New South Wales, then the Ghouls will be out of the running until the next expansion. "
I admit, that was conflicting. I wanted this for the area, but at the same time, I wanted Cruz Brewer to fall on his face. I'd have to decide whose side I was on. I was, after all, one of those bums in seats if I wanted to be.
"Give them a chance," Marley said as if reading my thoughts. "I promise you'll be entertained." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe you could suggest an ice race before the game?"
"Challenge some of the players to a few laps?" I asked. Nothing would be sweeter than kicking their asses. On the other hand, I might get my ass kicked, and that would be embarrassing.
"I'll think about it," I said finally. "It might be more fun to get some kids out on the ice for a race.
" Something smaller and slower than I was used to, since the rink wasn't padded and the kids wouldn't have slice proof padding and helmets.
Not unless I could get them interested in speed skating.
There were worse things than inspiring the next generation.
"I can see you thinking," Eden said. "If it would help you to boost your confidence after the last year, then you should do it." She should have been a shrink. She was never not going to psychoanalyse us. Who needed a therapist when you had Eden as a friend?
Fortunately, she knew how far to push before she was overstepping the friendship.
"I just might," I said. I'd speak to Rhonda the next time I was in the rink and see what she thought.
As long as she didn't tell me to run it by Cruz or anyone else in his team, then I saw no reason why we couldn't go ahead with it. She’d know which kids were up to a race and which weren't quite ready.
The last thing any of us wanted was for them to get hurt.
Not to mention that might end up with Rhonda and I being sued.
I could kiss my Olympic dreams goodbye if that happened.
The café door tinkled as it opened. I glanced up and groaned. Cruz and three of his teammates stepped through the door.