Callan grinned. Elias shot a look over to him, his gaze narrowing when he saw the smile.
“All right, guys,” a deep voice called out.
Everyone stopped skating and turned towards the bench. Head Coach Marty Belanger, Assistant Coach Tony Powell, the goaltending coach, Victor Johansson, and, sadly, Knox, all stood there.
“With so many of you here today, I want to run through a kind of mini-camp,” Marty said. “I’m pleased that you’ve made this effort to show your commitment to The Siege and your desire to be a part of my team.”
Callan may have been imagining it, but with the coach looking at him when he said that, it felt as though he was speaking directly to him.
“I’m going to turn things over to Coach Powell and Coach Donaghy. No pressure here today, okay? Let’s just see what you’ve got.”
Callan’s attention shifted to the assistant coaches. Tony’s specialty was defense and the penalty kill unit whereas Knox worked with the team’s forwards and the power play unit, which meant he would dictate what Callan and the other forwards practiced. Beside him, Tony read off a clipboard.
“Let’s start with some two on two,” he said. “Bell and Sundberg, get us started on defense.”
“Murphy and Williams, you’re up,” Knox called out.
Callan hesitated for a moment before skating into position. Bass and Matts Sundberg were both first line defensemen. Jerry Williams was a rookie right winger who was likely going to, at best, make the fourth line if he wasn’t sent down to the minors based on what Callan had seen of him so far. Why was Knox pairing them together?
Bass seemed just as confused by the matchup but, like Callan, followed the coaches’ instructions. The coaches then got other pairings lined up to keep the drill moving. The goal of the drill was to gauge puck handling and passing for the forwards and gap control and net protection for the defensemen. The forwards would start with the puck at center ice and advance towards the net where the defensemen tended their zones.
When they whistled for the drill to start, Callan took the puck and headed for the net. He read the play in an instant, familiar with the defensive styles of Bass and Sundberg. He determined the best path to work around them, glanced over to Williams and got his nod, and passed the puck.
Williams missed it, blowing the play.
Callan shook that off and lined up behind the other players to await his next turn. Three tries later, he and Williams had gotten no closer to the net, each time because of mistakes on the rookie’s part.
The next drill went much the same way. Knox paired Callan up with one of the least experienced players, not allowing Callan to show off any of his skills and resulting in him and his partner both looking inept.
That was what clued him into what Knox was doing. His former teammate was deliberately trying to make him look bad in the eyes of the other coaches in a further effort to get him placed on waivers. Judging by the frowns Callan was seeing from the coaches, it was working, too.
Mother fucker.
He couldn’t say anything without coming off as an uncooperative asshole, the complete opposite of the team player The Siege wanted to see. That meant he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, something Knox let him know when he cornered him in the locker room after the practice ended.
“Have fun out there, Murph?” he asked with a smirk.
Elias issued a loud snicker from his position on a nearby bench. “Sure looked like it.”
Callan wasn’t about to rise to the bait, aware of the other people milling around who could overhear them. “I did, Coach. Seems as though you have some interesting strategies for the upcoming season.”
“Not really. Just one.” Moving closer to Callan and lowering his voice, Knox said, “Helping the other coaches realize how useless you are.”
“Great,” Callan said in his normal voice. “I’m sure that plan is going to reflect well on your ability to coach in the eyes of management.”
Knox’s smile dropped. Callan reached out and patted him on the back much firmer than necessary.
“Enjoy your afternoon, Coach.”
After walking by Elias and staring him down until he looked away, he waved at his other teammates and left the locker room. He did his best to put his lingering anger behind him as he got into his car and headed to Roxy’s. Hopefully his pointed comment made Knox rethink what he was doing. If it didn’t, he would deal with it later.
For now, he had some making up to do.
Chapter Twenty-Three
In the parking lot.
Roxy’s heart lurched over the simple text. She hadn’t been able to focus on a single thing that entire morning as she awaited Callan’s arrival. Between considering what to say to him and stressing about what he might want to say to her, it was a minor miracle she managed to get herself dressed and ready for the day. She had even been too anxious to eat, fearing the food wouldn’t stay down. The nerves were so unlike her that she hardly knew what to do with herself.
She took a long, deliberate breath before heading from her apartment to the door leading to the parking lot. She took another one before opening the door.
And lost her breath completely at the sight of him.
God, he’s so sexy, her brain computed.
It didn’t matter that he was wearing a simple short-sleeved cotton shirt and shorts. He looked at her with those deep brown eyes and made everything in her yearn.
Come on, Rox. You’ve got some serious stuff to discuss.
She plastered a smile on her face and held the door open for him so he could pass. He used his hand to brace the door and waved her inside instead.
“After you,” he said.
The gentlemanly gesture got her pulse hopping. “Okay.”
She led him into her apartment, closing and locking the door behind him. While she still had her back to him, she took another long, centering breath. Then she turned around to face him.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked.
He leaned against her counter and replied, “Would that help ease any of the tension between us right now?”
Her forced smile faded. “I guess not.”
“Then let’s try this instead.” He pushed off the counter and stepped closer to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Roxy, I’m sorry for the things I said yesterday. I was angry over what happened to you and frustrated that there was nothing I could do to help. I should have listened to you when you said you needed time alone, and I shouldn’t have tried to interpret any of your feelings about me.”
He had been right to take this approach. Her tension immediately eased.
Lifting her hands up to frame his face, she said, “Callan, I’m sorry for the things I didn’t say yesterday. I was angry over what happened to me and frustrated that there was nothing I could do about it. Instead of pushing you away, I should have had a reasonable, mature conversation with you so neither of us got hurt. And I should have made my feelings for you much clearer before now, because I most certainly do care about you, and I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done to show how much you care about me.”
He released a sigh and leaned down to press his forehead against hers. “Thanks for that. Last night was absolute shit. I didn’t sleep more than a couple hours.”