“How many you got? Three?”
He chuckled. “Five.”
I gaped. “Five? Jesus, you’re a better man than I am.”
Jacques shrugged as a kid of about eight or nine came bounding into the room. “Daddy, are we going skating now? Are we?”
“Comin’, buddy.” He turned to go. “Good to see you, Remy. Take care. And do me a favor—let me know what you decide to do about the rink. I’d hate to see some investor buy it for the land and tear it down to build condos.”
I hadn’t thought of that and mentally grimaced, but nodded as I said, “I will. Take care.”
Now I had another problem to consider. I definitely didn’t want the rink destroyed and replaced with a strip mall or something.
Shit.
* * *
There was a line out the door as people lined up to rent skates and buy tickets. It was only five dollars to get in and that included skate rental, popcorn, and hot chocolate. There were bleachers that ran along one side of the outdoor rink, and they slowly filled with parents and teenagers who were either watching their kids skate or huddling up for warmth since it was cold as balls tonight. Dwayne was handling skate rentals while Tandy took everyone’s money and Noelle was outside doling out refreshments.
She was a force of nature too, serving hot chocolate and popcorn without missing a beat. The wind had picked up once the sun went down and I frowned as I realized she wasn’t wearing a coat or gloves. Had I ever seen her in a coat? She usually wore several shirts and then a hoodie.
This was so frustrating to me because despite our deepening intimacy, she had secrets. I had no doubt about that, but it confused me because she had to know she could trust me by now. Didn’t she? It had only been a week, but damn, we were about as close as two people could be. Sure, it took time to truly trust someone, and I understood that too, but the fact that I’d never seen her in a winter coat bothered me. I had to tread carefully, though.
In my heart of hearts, I figured she was embarrassed. She rarely went home—wherever that was—and everything she owned was old or well-worn. From her car, that had to be more than a decade old, to her clothes, to the fatigue in her eyes. I loved watching her sleep because it seemed she didn’t do that nearly enough.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out curiously.
Trevor Gaines was the General Manager of the Knights, someone I’d hired last summer, and we kept in touch almost daily. We hadn’t talked much since I’d been in Garland Grove, but that was probably why he was calling. Except it was six-thirty in the evening here, which made it nine-thirty on the east coast, and that worried me enough to answer even though I hadn’t planned to.
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked.
“Sorry to bother you after business hours, but we need to talk before tomorrow and this is the first chance I’ve had to breathe today.”
“I’m sorry I’ve left you to handle everything,” I replied. “I’ve gotten a little caught up in this damn rink I inherited here in BC, but talk to me. What’s going on?” I walked back inside the arena, where it would be a little quieter.
“We’ve had two virtual interviews with Anatoli Petrov for the head coaching position, but we need a face-to-face. He has availability this week and the beginning of next, but after that he said he’s out until the start of the new year—family obligations.”
“Shit. I guess I could fly to Florida for a day, do the interview, and come right back.” I said, mostly to myself though I said it out loud.
“Remy, what’s going on with you and this rink? I thought you were going to go, hire a realtor, and get the hell out? We have a ton of shit going on, and while I’m happy to carry a bit of the load, we’re heading into the holidays and come January second, you’re going to need to be here.”
“I’ll be there by then, but it’s almost Christmas and my mom is in Vancouver, which is nearby, so I decided to stay. It also came to my attention that real estate investors might be interested in the land the rink is on, and that’s a big no. The people in this town need this rink. Not only do people work here, but there are also dozens of kids and men’s leagues, and no other rink for at least an hour. I’m not going to let a buyer tear it down.”
He grunted. “I get that, but opening night for the Knights is literally in ten months. After losing Reggie, we need a new head coach sewn up by the new year.”
Our original choice for a head coach, Reggie Banks, had a heart attack last month, and after surgery had said he couldn’t commit to the job. So we’d had to scramble to start the hiring process again, and a former player named Anatoli Petrov had thrown his hat in the ring. Toli had been an amazing player, someone I’d played with for two seasons, so I knew firsthand what a stellar human being he was. I’d reached out to him first, but he’d originally said he wasn’t in a position to move his young family. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to him since he’d started interviewing with my staff, but I figured I should call him.
“Let me give him a call,” I said at last. “And I’ll get back to you.”
“All right. I’d really like this sewn up before year-end.”
“Got it. I’ll be in touch.” I disconnected and went back outside. Noelle’s line had slowed down now that most people were skating and I suddenly got an idea. I went back in and headed to the skate rental booth, leaning on the counter.
“Dwayne, do you know what size skate Noelle wears?” I asked him.
“An eight,” he replied, grinning.
“You got a pair for her? I’m going to make her take a break and skate with me.”
He nodded, reaching under the counter and producing a pair of skates. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.”
I headed back to the outdoor rink and sank down on the bench next to Noelle, holding out the skates. “Put these on.”
She looked down in surprise. “I can’t. I have to—”
“There’s no line, everyone is skating, and you deserve a break. We’ll be able to see if people are lining up for hot chocolate.”
She gazed up at me for a second and then flashed me a little grin. “Okay.” She took off her sneakers and laced up her skates while I put on my own. I got up and held out my hand to her. She took it and we stepped onto the ice.
I couldn’t remember a time I’d ever skated with a girlfriend.
Noelle wasn’t technically my girlfriend, but we were involved, and skating together was nice. Actually, it was more than nice. I didn’t get on the ice very often these days, getting my workouts in at a gym, but I missed it. Having Noelle at my side made it that much better, and she had a big smile on her face.
“I didn’t realize how much I’d missed skating,” she said, all but reading my mind as her fingers twined with mine.
“Me either,” I admitted. “I’ve convinced myself I don’t miss hockey as much as I did when I first had to retire, but it’s a lie. I miss it every fucking day.”
“I’m sorry, babe.” She moved closer to me, squeezing my hand. “Is it too late to try again? Even just one season?”
I smiled down at her, though her words were like a punch to the throat. “My doctors all said it was too dangerous. My heart is in good shape now, after the surgery, but the kind of strain athletes put on their hearts makes it riskier than we’d like. I’d literally be chancing another heart attack.”