11. Noah
CHAPTER 11
NOAH
“Come on, you guys,” Coach Strickland yells, his voice reverberating around us. “Are you going to play like this when the time comes?”
Standing at one end of the rink with me is Ted, the other defenseman on the ice besides me, who rolls his eyes. “Please,” he grumbles. “What does the man expect—our team mascot is an otter, for Pete’s sake.”
“Now you sound like Cooper,” Dawson calls out as he leaves his spot in the safety of the net and glides to a stop beside us. “You guys gotta give the good otters of Pine Falls a break, man.”
Chuckling, I scan the stands, hoping to see Willa sitting there. She has snuck in the last few days taking pictures for the magazine, but had to leave almost immediately each time. I forget she’s not just here for me; she’s got other contracts and clients who want their photos delivered, and she has deadlines she needs to stay on top of. And, of course, there’s also her quest around that elusive bird.
“Beaumont, are you paying attention?” Scotty calls out as he skates over to huddle with our trio.
“Yes, sir,” I say, nodding my head.
“Okay, good.” Keeping his eyes drilled into me, he inclines his head toward Dawson. “Since you’re the senior here, what are your thoughts for the three of you if you wanted to give Dawson some sage advice and help your game?”
Choosing to overlook the senior comment, I lean into what Scotty’s asking. “First, I’d say that Ted and I need to play the bodies coming at us and not the puck, and if we’re two on one, we take the passer so Dawson can get the shooter.”
“Good,” Scotty says, encouraging me. “What else?”
“Clear the trash in front of the net, please,” Ted interjects.
Scotty holds up a hand to stop him. “Don’t worry, I’ll quiz you later. It’s Beaumont’s turn.”
I slug Ted’s arm jokingly, eliciting a growl, before I continue, “I’d remind myself, and Ted the Bear here, that if we aren’t one hundred percent certain we’ll back the shot, then get outta the way so the goalie can do his thing. He doesn’t need us running away at the last second or accidentally deflecting the biscuit into the net.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Scotty yells out, patting me on the shoulder. He moves away from us, glancing back to point at me. “That’s coach material right there.”
I watch as he skates away, heading toward Dan and Cooper. Probably instilling more sage advice ahead of the night’s first game against the Canadian Lumberjacks, but leaving me to chew over his parting remark.
“I’m going to hit the showers, then go back to my rental and change into my suit for tonight’s entrance. I really want those Lumberjacks to rue the day they said yes to playing us,” Ted jokes, skating off to the edge of the rink.
“I’m right behind you,” Dawson agrees, taking his face mask off and cocking his head to one side as he looks at me. “Coming, Noah?”
Shrugging, I skate in a circle around him. “Sure. I feel like I need more time to do some drills, but I’m probably overthinking things.”
“We’ll warm up when we get back and hit the ice,” Dawson assures me. “It’s our first game, man. We’re gelling a lot better than we were, so tonight we’ll be on fire.”
“From your lips,” I say with a snicker, skating behind him to the edge of the rink. Standing on the side, waiting for us to come off, is Zach, the man who put all of this together. I can’t call him just a man, though—this dude is a flipping billionaire, and the fact he helped his brother put all of this on to raise funds for a local charity still blows my mind.
“Hey, guys, good work.” Zach slaps Dawson on the shoulder as he marches past to the bench, but then holds a hand out, signaling for me to stop. “Good to see you again, Noah. Can’t say it enough, but I’m really glad we got you on this team. Thanks for taking part.”
“Thanks for having me.” I watch as he puts his hands on his hips and looks around the arena.
“I can’t believe it’s all coming together for tonight,” he murmurs, his eyes sparkling with excitement, “but that’s not why I stopped you.”
Leaning against my stick, I wait patiently for what the man has to say. He may be a billionaire, but I’m in need of a hot shower and something to eat before this game kicks off. “What’s up?”
An amused grin twists across his lips. “I heard you met a certain local junior league player, Charlie, the other night?”
His tone makes me chuckle. “She’s a spitfire. Heard she petitioned your brother and his wife to get a women’s team here. That true?”
“Apparently they were planning on one anyway, but Charlie beat them to it. I swear, the stories I hear about that kid; she could be our next president and the country would be all the better for it.” He crosses his arms as he looks me up and down. No small feat since I’m still in my skates and towering over him at the moment. “Look, she called and asked Troy and Kelly if there was any way we could get you to come back and do a special skills course with our junior leagues, like an intensive training camp for the players who are serious, like she is. I know it’s a big ask considering your schedule, but I promised I’d touch base on it.”
A tap dance of excitement begins making its way from my feet all the way up my spine, a tickling sensation that reaches the top of my head. The fact that this excites me throws me off, but I also can’t deny the fact that … I want to do it.
“So, I’d come here and do a hardcore training course?” I’m already picturing early morning workouts, drills for hours, finishing the team off with a run after a full day of practice.
“Not hardcore, like your kind of hardcore.” Zach laughs as if he can read my mind. “We’re thinking of a two-week camp, staying at the Lodge for bonding, team activities, and of course, lots of time on the ice. I even want to put them through some ice skating lessons with a local teacher, Ellie, just to add more layers to what they get out of it.”
“Wow,” I say, nodding my head. “You make a good case.” Do I want to do this? Is it something I think I could do well? Yes, and yes, but … timing. “When are you thinking you’ll want to schedule the first camp?”
“Since my brother owns the rink, we can block out dates any time. If you say yes, we’ll work with your schedule to get it on the books and fast, but summer is actually ideal since kids are out of school. We can float some ideas and maybe talk about it further before you leave Maple Falls?”
“I’d like that,” I say as Zach claps me on my back.
“Awesome. It would be great to have you head up the camp. You’ll be compensated for it, but again”—he winks, his face going a little more serious, a little sign of the businessman he truly is starting to come to light—“those things we can negotiate once the time comes.”
“Deal.” I quickly glance at my watch and realize if I want to have enough time to myself and to get ready for tonight, I need to go now. When I look at Zach, he inclines his head toward the tunnel to the locker room .
“I’ve kept you long enough. Thanks for the talk.”
Giving him a tiny salute, I start my way back. Behind me, Zach calls out, “And, Noah? Have fun tonight. It’s the first game—it’s all about you guys and the ice, that’s it. It’s a walk in the park for pros like you.”
As I make my way down the tunnel, the smell of sweat and shower gel beginning to assault my senses, I can’t help but grin. Coaching Charlie and the other kids would be such a challenge, and something I’ve not done before. Both of these are things that make my heart beat a little faster … kind of like thoughts of a certain photographer do.
As Willa pops into my mind, the first thing I think is that I need to talk to her about this, get her opinion. Which is also surprising, as surprising as being asked to lead a hockey camp. Shaking my head, I’m beginning to realize that this whole trip to Washington has been one surprise after another, from realizing that I’m on a better path, and that those around me see it, to the insanely gorgeous woman who lets me kiss her.
Those kisses. Willa’s lips are forever tattooed in my memory ever since that first kiss after dinner with the Arnolds. I mean, it’s been a week and a half since then, or thereabouts, I don’t know. Time has no meaning for me at the moment. I’m here, and so is Willa, and we’ve been participating in this experimental make-out bubble in Maple Falls forever as far as I’m concerned.
One where we meet for coffee some mornings before I go to practice and she heads off to do her work, and then if I’m lucky—really lucky—she allows me to spend time with her in the evenings. Whether it’s dinner or sitting with her and talking as she’s editing her photos or finding a way to sneak a kiss in. But the nights always end with her leaving or pointing me toward the door and shoving me out of it. If I’m lucky, I’ll get that to change one day, too, but I’m in no hurry. I want to savor each moment I have with her.
The thought of Willa sitting across from me and sipping on a hot tea while we talk about this offer makes me ridiculously giddy. Like life is about to come full circle in its own crazy way.
But, I also know that sometimes life has other plans and likes to play tricks on us.
Doesn’t it?