Change On The Fly E-Book

Mary E. Thompson

• Herausgeber: BluEyed Press
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Lucy has never been on her own. Dumped, again, and unsure where she’s going with her life, she needs to make a change before her three brothers kick her out of the family business. Getting her crap together shouldn’t be that hard, as long as they don’t stick their noses in where she doesn’t need them. 
Chris has no interest in a complicated life. Work, women, and hockey keep him busy, and plenty satisfied. Until a sexy stranger kisses him in the bar and vanishes before he can find out who she is or why she kissed him. 
Lucy has an offer for Chris. Fake a relationship to get her brothers off her back and give her the chance to prove she can be who they need her to be. Chris agrees, finding Lucy impossible to resist even with work demands breathing down his neck, because he knows she doesn’t need a man to be the woman he sees. But as fake starts to feel all too real, Lucy can’t help but wonder if Chris might be the right one for her. 

Leseprobe

CHANGE ON THE FLY

A SMALL TOWN SPORTS ROMANCE

PARADISE PARK

BOOK 4

MARY E THOMPSON

Change On The Fly

Paradise Park, book four

Copyright © 2016 Mary E Thompson

Cover Copyright © 2023 Mary E Thompson

Cover Photo (man) from depositphotos, Copyright © nickp37

Cover Photo (hockey) from depositphotos, Copyright © Gomolach

Cover Photo (striped background) from depositphotos, Copyright © A-R-T-U-R

Cover Photo (wood background) from depositphotos, Copyright © Alexis84

Published by BluEyed Press, All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, businesses, locations, and events are either products of the author’s creative imagination or are used in a fictitious sense. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Ebook ISBN-13: 978-1-944090-16-6

Created with Vellum

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

About the Author

1

Chris Wiser sat at the bar of Hank’s nursing his beer. He’d planned to meet his best friend, Andy Taylor, there, but Andy bailed on him.

Again.

Chris wanted to be happy for his buddy. Andy had found a woman who even Chris thought might not be horrible. But Chris was cautious. Andy proposed to Chloe after only dating six weeks and had basically moved in with her at the same time. Andy was hopelessly in love with his fiancée, and had lost his balls in the process.

Chris knew the feeling, but unlike his friend, he wasn’t willing to go through it again. After falling madly in love with his college girlfriend, Mel, Chris married her and devoted his every breath to her.

Until she ripped his heart out and used it as a bowling ball.

Mel cured Chris of love, of needing someone. Hell, he was pretty sure she’d cured him of even wanting someone. In the seven years since Mel left, Chris only got involved with a woman on his terms. Terms that included sex only. No emotions. No connections. No dating.

It suited Chris just fine. He got his desire out and managed to keep his heart intact. Yeah, he knew he was only half the man he used to be, but in seven years he’d learned a lot.

Like love sucked.

Being a teacher he’d seen more than his fair share of women falling crazy in love with some guy only to watch her change the man into someone barely resembling a member of the penis bearing half of the human race. All women were the same as far as Chris was concerned. Either they wanted to change their man or they lied about wanting to change him.

In the end, they all wanted the man that would make their friends jealous, whether he was real or fictional. Most of the time he was a little of both.

Chris wasn’t playing the game anymore. He wasn’t willing to change and he wasn’t willing to pretend he was someone he wasn’t. Mel had wanted him to do that. Pretend he was the man she’d bragged to her friends about. Chris had tried. And when he’d failed, so had their marriage.

He shook his head to clear the track of his thoughts. Mooning over his ex never got him anywhere. He heard she’d gotten remarried a few years after she left him. He wanted to be happy for her, but all he could muster was pity for the poor sucker who’d been duped into playing her little game.

Chris sipped his beer and watched the game on the TV above his head. It was a quiet night, a Tuesday, so the pretty bartender didn’t argue about putting on the Buffalo Sabres hockey game for Chris. Of course he wasn’t the only one in Paradise Park, a town 30 minutes south of Buffalo, who loved hockey and cheered for the Sabres. Especially when they were up by two and playing well.

Chris had hoped to watch the game with Andy, but the gorgeous bartender would have to do. She was nice to look at, but too young for Chris and he knew better than to pick up a woman at his favorite bar. At least one who worked there. Jo was sweet and always nice to him. She was the bar manager but worked behind the bar a few nights each week when they were short staffed.

It seemed like they were always short staffed.

Chris nodded as Jo set another beer down in front of him, praising himself when he didn’t glance down the front of her low-cut black shirt. He wasn’t above checking out her ass in those tight jeans she always wore, but she never caught that. Peering down her shirt would definitely have caught her attention.

When Jo didn’t walk away as soon as he had his drink, he wondered what was going on. And then she glanced over his shoulder. His curiosity was peaked, but he wasn’t going to look back until he knew what she wanted.

Jo opened and closed her mouth a few times before she found her voice. “Are you single?” she finally asked him.

Chris grinned at her, ready to say he wasn’t willing to go home with her, when he changed his tactic. She wasn’t asking for herself, he knew that by how many times she looked at whoever was behind him. He knew better than to turn and see who she was making bug-eyes at.

“Why do you want to know?”

Jo heaved a breath and glared over his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m asking for my friend.”

“Who’s your friend?” Chris took advantage of the conversation and spun around to see who she was looking at. A table of three women sat directly behind him. All of them were gorgeous, but it was the one with the rich, dark hair the color of Guinness, eyes the color of every shamrock he’d ever seen, and the curvy figure that dipped in all the right places that Chris was drawn to.

Then he noticed Oakridge sitting a few tables over. He clenched his fist, but knew fighting the guy who’d been a thorn in his ass for the better part of twenty years wasn’t going to solve anything.

“She’s the one with the long hair,” Jo said from behind him, drawing his attention back to the stunning woman instead of the douchebag he’d been watching.

Without taking his eyes from the woman in question, Chris said, “Yeah, I’m single. But I don’t do relationships.”

“That’s okay, she’s not after one,” Jo said. Chris whipped his head back around to face her.

His eyes narrowed as he evaluated the pretty bartender. “Why does it matter if I’m single then?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

The words were ominous but Chris found himself anxious to see what he was waiting for. He let his focus fall back to the hockey game and sipped his beer, wondering about the gorgeous woman behind him.

“How’re they doing?” asked a man as he claimed the seat next to Chris. Chris recognized him, knew him a little, from their hockey league.

Chris nodded. “Doing good. Up by two. Skating fast and playing tough tonight.”

The other guy nodded. “Good. They need a few games like that. It’s been a rough season so far.”

Chris snorted in agreement.

The two men watched the game in companionable silence, smacking the bar when the other team scored and high-fiving each other when the Sabres returned the favor.

“I gotta hit the head,” the guy said, ambling his big body off toward the bathroom. Chris wondered if the brunette was still there and if she still wanted to know if he was single.

He didn’t have to wait long. Within a few seconds the sexy brunette was standing to his side. “Hi,” she purred.

“Hi,” he replied.

“I hear you’re single.”

“That’s right.”

“Good. Then you won’t mind when I do this,” she said as she dove her fingers into his hair and pulled his mouth against hers.

Chris spun on his barstool, keeping their lips together. His hands went to her waist, pulling her body between his legs. He responded to her instantly, wanting her with every last part of him, especially the part she was rubbing herself against.

Her hair tickled his fingers and he couldn’t take the temptation. Chris tucked one hand in the back pocket of her jeans and threaded his other hand into her long locks. He tugged on the strands and brought her closer to him, inhaling the scent of beer and sweetness that he couldn’t identify. His body responded to her more than he’d responded to a kiss in… hell, in ever.

She moaned softly into his mouth and nipped at his bottom lip. Chris couldn’t take it. He growled low in his throat and thrust his tongue into her mouth, showing her exactly what he would do to her if she came home with him.

He wanted her. He wanted her bad. The little sounds she was making were driving him slowly mad. As he got harder, she slithered closer, and he held her tighter. Her hands worked through his hair, tugging on the short strands, and he returned the favor with his hand in her hair.

He ached to touch the rest of her, to feel her come apart in his arms. His fingers danced over the edge of the tight shirt she wore over her painted on jeans. The fabric separated just enough for his fingers to brush warm, bare skin that ignited his need, both scaring and invigorating him. He blamed Andy and all his love talk, but Chris didn’t care at that moment. He just wanted to move from the barstool to the bedroom with the vixen he was holding.

“Luce, he’s gone,” a voice came from over his shoulder.

“Come on, Dee. Let’s go.”

Slowly the brunette pulled back from him. She was panting as hard as he was and her eyes were glassy and unfocused. Her green eyes looked at him and lit up. “Damn,” she murmured.

“Yeah,” Chris agreed.

She looked up at whoever the voices belonged to then back to Chris. “Thanks. You won’t be single long, sexy.”

She extracted herself from his arms, leaving his erection visible to the rest of the bar. She let her friends tug her away and headed for the door. Before she stepped through it, she turned back and winked at him.

“What the fuck was that?” Chris wondered aloud.

“That’s what I want to know,” said the angry voice of the guy he’d been talking to. “What the fuck are you doing putting your hands on her?”

“Whoa, dude, she kissed me. I don’t even know her,” Chris argued, hands in the air professing his defense.

“What the hell do you mean you don’t know her?” he growled at Chris.

“I’ve never seen her before in my life. The bartender said she’s a friend and asked if I was single. I don’t know who she is or why she just kissed me.”

The other guy swore under his breath. “I don’t know why she had to do that with me here. She knows I’ll tell her brother.”

“Want to clue me in on what’s going on?” Chris asked, baffled and curious.

The guy gave Chris a long look then shook his head. He slapped some cash on the bar, nodded to Jo, and stalked out the door. Chris watched him go and wondered what the hell just happened.

* * *

Kristina Thomas cackled as they climbed into the car. “He was so pissed, Dee. I can’t believe you actually did that. He’s gonna regret letting you go. Just watch, he’ll be begging you to take him back in no time.”

Lucy Davoli smiled and nodded at her friend. She accomplished her goal and made Derrick, her ex, jealous. The way Kristina and Jess were laughing Lucy knew the kiss was a success. But Lucy struggled to push the kiss from her mind and focus on the goal of the kiss.

She’d wanted Derrick jealous. She’d wanted him to want her back. So why was she only able to think of the sexy stranger with the dark hair that was still making her hand itch to be in it again and the deep, wounded brown eyes that made her want to find out all his secrets and heal his pain.

“Did you see him slam his hand down on the table?” Jess asked, laughing with Kristina. Lucy was only just getting to know Jess Easton, a friend of Kristina’s from work. She seemed like a good person, someone who would fit in well with their trio, Jo Marcinko, the bartender, being their normal third. Lucy was glad Jess and Kristina were rehashing the moment she walked up to Chris and kissed him, and the way Derrick reacted, because she was doing the exact same thing.

His lips were soft against hers, a contrast to the hardness of his erection throbbing between her legs. If her friends hadn’t dragged her out of there Lucy might have dragged him to the bathroom and found out if he felt as good out of his clothes as he felt in them.

Damn.

“Why aren’t you laughing, Dee?” Kristina asked. She’d taken to calling Lucy Dee, due to her last name and the notoriety Davoli’s had in Paradise Park. Lucy didn’t really care what her friend called her, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to answer the question she was asked.

“I’m fine. Just… planning my next move,” Lucy lied with a grin.

Kristina whooped and Lucy grinned. She knew lying to her friend wasn’t a great idea, but she couldn’t exactly tell her that she couldn’t get the stranger out of her mind. She knew she could confess just how badly the kiss impacted her, but Lucy didn’t want to share. She knew she’d never see him again, and it was her own secret pleasure that he’d kissed her until her toes curled, her breath vanished, and her brain turned to mush.

Too bad Derrick hadn’t ever kissed her like that.

“We need to celebrate. We should have stayed at Hank’s where Jo could take care of us,” Kristina said.

“How about Davoli’s? I could use some pizza,” Jess said, pulling out of the parking lot and turning toward Davoli’s.

“No!” Lucy shouted, louder than she should have. Kristina and Jess exchanged a glance and Lucy shook her head. “No,” she said softer, “let’s go somewhere else. The guy I kissed was talking to one of my brother’s friends. If he saw me kissing the guy Adam’ll be calling Mark. I don’t need that to spoil my good night.”

“Okay,” Kristina drug out. “How about Allendale? They’ve got good food and amazing drinks.”

Jess agreed and both women looked back at Lucy. She nodded and Jess headed that way.

The other two talked, leaving Lucy alone with her thoughts. She’d only kissed the guy. There was no reason to be so thrown by the whole thing. But she was. She’d never had a kiss like that. That instant passion. That sudden spark. That insatiable desire.

She wanted to tell her friends to go back so she could see where it would lead.

By the time they pulled up to Allendale Lucy convinced herself she was just sex starved and couldn’t stop thinking about the guy because he was mysterious and sexy, but not because she wanted him. At least not more than any other guy she’d met. It was just thrilling to have someone react that way so quickly to her and leave him wanting more.

Maybe she should kiss more strangers.

2

Lucy stumbled into Davoli’s the next morning. Her head pounded, her eyes itched, and her throat could have easily played double as a wad of cotton. She knew keeping up with Kristina was a mistake. The woman outweighed Lucy by about 20 pounds, but she could hold her liquor like she was twice her actual size. At 27, Lucy wasn’t as young as she used to be, a fact she was lamenting when her older brother, Mark, walked back into the kitchen. Lucy could tell by the flour on his jeans and red Davoli’s t-shirt that Mark had been there for a while.

“You look like shit, sis,” Mark said bluntly, pouring himself a cup of coffee then passing one over to Lucy. “Out late with Kristina again?”

Lucy nodded then sipped her black coffee, wincing as it scorched her throat. The caffeine did wonders for her throbbing head and fuzzy brain, but not enough to be prepared for the next words out of her older brother’s mouth. “So who was the guy you were dry humping at Hank’s?”

Lucy choked on her coffee, nearly spewing the hot liquid out her nose. She coughed and struggled for breath, glaring at her brother while he waited patiently for her to stop hacking. Lucy’s closed throat told her she was likely a nice shade of blueberry, which wasn’t good.

“What are you talking about?” she croaked.

Mark cocked an eyebrow at her. “You’re gonna have to do better than that, Luce. Adam called me. He was at Hank’s last night and saw you kissing some guy. The dude insisted he’d never seen you before and you were the one who kissed him. Wanna try to explain again?”

Lucy hated how over-protective her brothers were. Sure, there were benefits to having three brothers, but usually the benefits weren’t enough to outweigh the downsides.

“Shit,” she muttered, wishing her brother’s best friend hadn’t been the guy to sit down next to her mark at the bar. Lucy was too busy watching Derrick and the guy she kissed to care that Adam was there. She had a mission and wasn’t about to let her brother’s friend screw it up. Which was why Lucy jumped on the chance to approach the guy Jo had pointed out to her as soon as Adam walked away.

Instead Adam’s presence may have caused as much harm as the kiss did good.

“Yeah, shit,” Mark mimicked, crossing one ankle over the other as he leaned against the counter behind him and waited, patiently.

“Fine! Derrick was there. He was with someone else. I wanted him to be jealous,” she shrugged, “so I kissed some random guy. That’s all it was.”

Mark watched her carefully, his intense gaze making her want to squirm, but Lucy held still. She knew her brother’s interrogation techniques involved staying silent until the other person sunk themselves. She was determined not to let that happen to her.

“That’s all it was?” Mark asked carefully, his voice low and harsh like he didn’t believe any man would kiss her the way his friend had described and then let her go. Well, Mark was a player. Lucy knew her brother wouldn’t have kissed a woman and not had her in his bed, and out, within the hour. But not all men were like Mark.

“It’s not like I’m a virgin, Mark. I’ve had plenty of practice in bed. If I decided to go home with a random guy from a bar, it wouldn’t have been your business or Adam’s.”

Mark cringed but didn’t comment on her admission. At 27 Lucy wasn’t anywhere close to being a virgin, and she knew her brother was well aware of that. Mark and Lucy were only three years apart, but they weren’t really that close.

“I don’t want to see you hurt, Luce. Adam was worried about you, too. He nearly slugged the guy. Adam said the guy’s hands were all over you and his cock was trying to jump out of his pants.”

Lucy giggled, imagining her brother’s friend sitting down next to the guy she’d kissed and checking out his erection. Lucy was plenty pleased with the feel of it nestled between her thighs, but she didn’t get a good look at it.

“What’s she laughing about?” their younger brother, John, asked as he pushed through the back door.

Mark glared at Lucy before focusing on John. “She kissed some random dude last night to make Derrick jealous.”

John looked between the two of them then asked, “And why is that so funny?”

Mark shrugged and refilled his cup of coffee.

“Adam saw me kiss the guy and flipped out on him. Mark said he was checking out the guy’s cock.”

“What?” John shouted as Mark choked on his coffee.

“I didn’t say he was checking the guy out. Jesus, how do you twist everything?”

“I know I didn’t hear my son using the Lord’s name in vain, did I?”

“Sorry, Mom,” Mark mumbled shooting Lucy an evil look. She stuck her tongue out at him then turned to their mother.

“Where’s Dad?”

Their mom, Maria, waved a hand dismissively. “His knee is bothering him again. He’s just resting. I’m trying to talk him into taking a few days off, but you know how your father is. With his surgery coming up in a few weeks he’s already missing so much. He fought me on staying home today, but his knee was pretty swollen. I’m sure he’ll be in later.”

Lucy laughed with her mom, but inside excitement bubbled up. Their dad, Anthony, was always adamant that they didn’t change anything in the store. It took her oldest brother, Matt, years to convince their father that having a food truck down at the beach was a good idea. He finally agreed over the summer but told Matt it was all on him to make it work. It did, and their dad agreed to do it again the following summer, with more staff, but it was rare their dad would give in.

With him off for a few weeks, Lucy might get a chance to test out some of her ideas, to show her brothers what she was capable of.

“I could take over the marketing for Dad, you know, help out so he can rest,” Lucy suggested calmly, holding her breath, hoping her mom would take her up on the offer.

Lucy waited as her mom thought it over. It felt like it was taking forever for Maria to answer, but when she finally opened her mouth Lucy heard, “You’re not actually considering this, are you?”

Lucy blanched. It wasn’t her mom’s voice that sounded, but that of her brother’s. She turned to face Mark and saw fury in his eyes. “Mom, Davoli’s will go under if you let Lucy take over. She almost sunk the business last time she ran a marketing campaign. These days she can barely make it in to work. Ever since Derrick dumped her she’s a mess.”

Hurt and anger speared through her. Lucy knew her brothers wouldn’t be supportive of her taking over such a huge portion of the business, but she didn’t expect such anger from them. She glanced toward John and saw a similar expression on his face.

Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them back. Maria stroked a lock of her hair and gazed at her. She didn’t have to say anything. Lucy knew her mom didn’t want her to take over the marketing any more than her brothers did, but she was nicer about it.

The oldest, Matt, breezed into the kitchen, quickly taking in the tension in the room. Matt was engaged to a wonderful woman whose first husband was killed by a drunk driver. Matt adored Becky and her two daughters and couldn’t wait to make them officially his family. Lucy was grateful to her soon-to-be sister-in-law for turning her brother into a sweeter version of himself. He was still a hard-ass, but he was a whole lot more sensitive to women’s feelings since he started living with three of them.

Matt immediately went to Lucy’s side and pulled her into a hug. He kissed their mom on the cheek then asked what was going on.

“”Lucy thinks she should take over the marketing for a while,” Mark growled.

Matt narrowed his eyes at the four of them then asked, “Where’s Dad?”

“He’s resting,” Maria said quickly. “His knee is bothering him and I’m trying to talk him into taking some time off so he can rest before his knee replacement. If he keeps pushing it then he’ll end up missing your wedding.”

Matt glanced around the room before his eyes settled on Lucy. “You know Dad doesn’t give up control easily. Even if he’s out for a while he’ll insist on working from home.”

“Matt, we all know Dad’s marketing isn’t bringing in as much business as we could. We need to update things, reach people where they are. Just like your food truck. No one reads the paper anymore. We need to be on social media, update our website, stuff like that. We’re falling behind because Dad doesn’t want to bring Davoli’s into this century.”

Matt looked down at his sister with affection and pride, but also with skepticism. She knew what was coming and couldn’t stop the emotion from filling her throat.

“Luce, we all know you’re right. It’s insane to have a business without a social media presence or current website. We need to do those things, but Dad won’t step aside easily. Even if he does, I’m not sure it’s something you should be managing for us. It’ll be a big responsibility. And after last time…”

“I screwed up last time, but are you guys really going to hold it over my head forever?”

“Lucy, we know you’re smart, but something this big might be better handled by Mark.”

“Mark barely knows how to spell Twitter, let alone use Instagram or any other social media. I have followers online, people who would help promote the business and increase our reach. I have a degree in marketing. This is what I do, what I know. I’ve designed websites for other businesses. Why in the hell would one of you guys be better suited to do a job that I can do in my sleep?”

“Why don’t you tell everyone where you were last night and what you did?” Mark said with a smirk. God, she really hated her brother sometimes. As the two middle children, most people thought they got along, but they rarely did.

“Shut up, Mark,” Lucy growled at her brother, but the damage was done. She knew Matt and Maria wouldn’t let it go until they knew all the details.

“What happened?” Matt asked, focusing all his attention on her. He crossed his arms over his chest and stood with his feet wide. She knew that stance. It was his no bullshit, you’re not getting out without talking to me stance.

Lucy felt ashamed of what happened for the first time since she kissed the stranger in the bar. Her cheeks burned as her big brother, the man she’d always idolized, stared her down. Lucy couldn’t lie to him, she never could, and she knew he’d never lie to her either. They were close, and she knew he wouldn’t think highly of her ploy to make Derrick jealous to get him back.

“I just kissed a guy in a bar,” she confessed, downplaying the entire thing.

Mark snorted. “Dry humped him from what I heard. Just so she could make Derrick jealous.”

“Lucy,” Matt groaned. “Why would you do that?”

Lucy shrugged and tried to discreetly brush the tears from her eyelashes. Matt didn’t miss the gesture and wrapped her up in his warm embrace.

“I miss him, Matt. I don’t like being alone.”

“I know, sweetie. I think you need to be though. Give yourself some time to get over Derrick and find someone who’s better for you than he ever was. He’s a good friend of mine, you know that, but I don’t think you’re suited for each other. He made you a hell of a lot more responsible, but you don’t need a babysitter.” Mark snorted, but Lucy ignored him. “You like to play, we get it, but if you want Dad to give you a chance to run anything around here you’re gonna have to show him that you’re capable of the added responsibility. Hooking up with one guy to make another guy jealous is something girls did at 17, not 27.”

Lucy hated that her brother was right. Her face flushed, but she wasn’t going to let his words go to waste. Matt was right. She was more responsible with Derrick around. If she was going to prove to her family they could rely on her, she needed to get that back. She needed to get him back. Then she’d prove to them that her love of social media wasn’t a waste of time like they all thought, and that she wouldn’t screw up like last time. She could develop a strategic business plan that could launch Davoli’s to the next level. It could lead to more stores, maybe even one for each of them to manage eventually. A true legacy in Paradise Park.

Instead of telling them any of that, Lucy nodded in agreement with her brother then listened as Maria started the employee meeting.

3

Chris laced up his skates and grinned. Two hockey games in one week was rare in their league, but he relished the extra ice time. He loved getting out there and playing hockey, but he was especially excited about the game he was about to step into. His rival, a guy who’d pushed Chris’s every button over the years, was playing on the opposing team.

Their league was poorly monitored, which meant anything went most of the time. As long as no one was bleeding, play continued. They didn’t call a whole lot of penalties since they didn’t have refs on the ice. Each team policed themselves, or their opponent if necessary. All the captains were friends and weren’t willing to let arguments between individual players get out of control.

But Chris’s rivalry with Oakridge pushed that line.

His captain, Eric, walked over to him as he stood. “No funny shit tonight, Wiser.”

Chris nodded, but didn’t say anything. He knew better than to lie to Eric, but he couldn’t promise he wouldn’t retaliate once he got slammed into the boards or someone dropped their gloves.

“I’m not fucking with you. I mean it. You better not start anything,” Eric growled at him, menacing like a rabid dog.

“I’m not gonna start anything, Dad,” Chris joked, knowing the older man hated it when the guys on the team treated him like he was their father. He knew he’d pay for it, but he didn’t care. If Eric quit trying to treat them like his kids, they’d stop acting like it. Eric shouldered past Chris, knocking him onto the bench. Chris smiled at his back and shook his head.

With the rest of the team, Chris left the locker room and headed down the dark hallway toward the ice. They played in an older rink near the edge of town. The rink had been built by a rich family that wanted a place for their kids, four boys, to practice hockey. All four boys went on to play in the NHL so it’d clearly been a good investment for the family. A few years back they donated the rink to the town with the stipulation that it stays as a place for people to play hockey. A few leagues had already been established, including the one Chris played in, and more started up after the rink became town property.

Aside from his house, the rink was the place Chris felt the most at home.

He stepped out onto the ice, chills hitting him again that four guys he’d grown up watching play in the NHL had skated on that same ice more times than he could count. When Chris was little he’d imagined following in their footsteps, but he’d never chased the dream beyond college. He got his teaching certificate and gave up competitive play for coaching and teaching kids.