The crowd is going crazy, and I can even feel the floor vibrate. Fuck, it’s times like these I love what I do.
He skates over to me. "Good play," he says, smiling.
"Good shot.” I point at him as we skate to the bench, high-fiving everyone, and with a minute to go, they pull their goalie.
Miller gets it on his stick and sends it down the ice to score the empty netter. The horn whistles, and we get off the bench and skate to Mika. We congratulate him and then skate to the middle, holding up our sticks to thank the fans.
Going back to the dressing room with a win is always a good time. The press is there, and one of them comes straight for me as I take off my gloves.
"Hey, Cooper," he says, the camera behind him. "Good play out there to tie up the game," he starts, and all I want is to take off my things and jump in the shower. "You are on a seven-game point streak."
I look at him and smirk. "I didn’t know that."
"Your game is only growing stronger and stronger. What do you think the chances are of you guys getting the Cup?"
I put my hands on my hips. "I’m sure everyone wants the same thing. We have a good bunch of guys. Only time will tell, I guess."
"Thanks for your time," he says and heads off to interview Manning.
Fifteen minutes later, they are ushered out so we can shower and get moving. I grab my towel going to the shower, and when I come back, half the room is already gone. "Where the fuck did everyone go?" I ask Manning, who slips on his pants.
"It’s Saturday night. People want to party.” He laughs, shaking his head. "Why don’t you have big plans?"
I laugh. "I usually have the girls when I’m home, but Julianne's mom is in town, and they wanted to spend time with her." I shrug, missing them. "Why aren’t you going out?"
"As a matter of fact," he says, grabbing his white shirt while I slip on my black dress pants. "We are going out to dinner."
I look at him, shocked. He never goes out, and if he does, no one knows about it. "You, Mr. I Don’t Go Out And Talk To People?" I point at him, and he laughs.
"Yeah, aren’t you coming with us?" he says, and I tilt my head to the side, confused by his question.
"Why would I come to dinner with you? Um, I’m not going to be the third wheel.” I slip on my own white shirt and buttoning it all the way up. "That’s fucking sad."
"You won’t be the third wheel. It’s a team thing. The invites were sent out to everyone." I look over at him and vaguely remember the team dinner that Nico was putting on. I also remember saying no before even reading the details. It’s not that I didn’t want to. It was just when it came in, I wasn’t even in the right mind to want to go out with everyone.
"Shit, I said no because I thought I had the girls." I shrug. "Next time," I say, grabbing my Rolex and putting it on. I grab my belt and put it on and then grab my suit jacket. I tuck my tie in my pocket, opting to leave the two top buttons open.
"Doubt anyone will care," he says. "It’ll do you good to get out."
I sit down and think about it. "Yeah, why not. I was going to go home and watch television," I agree, slipping my phone into my inside jacket pocket. I think about texting Erika, but I know she’s forty minutes away, and I would feel guilty about her driving so late. Manning and I walk out together, and I follow him to the restaurant.
I can hear the music from inside when I close my SUV door. The parking lot to the restaurant is full. I look over at Manning. "I must be really fucking old if I dread going in there." He points at the restaurant, and I laugh. "If my wife wasn’t in there, I would turn around without thinking twice."
"I’m not as old you are, and even I think I should go home," I say pulling open the front door to the restaurant.
The sign at the entrance says closed for a private party. The hostess is standing there with her blonde hair curled and perfect and smiles big. "Welcome."
"Hey.” I smile at her, while Manning just nods at her, his hands in his pockets as he looks around the place. "We’re here for the party." I point with my thumb while Manning just walks past her, making me laugh. I put my head down and follow him in.
The place is packed, and I look around to see the team is here. The tables are packed with my teammates and their family members. The bar against the wall is full also. I look around and see Nico talking to a couple of people. "Remind me never to do this again," Manning says and then spots his wife, Evelyn, sitting at a table with Miller and his wife, Layla. "You coming?" he asks.
"Yeah, I’m going to get something to drink," I say, looking at the bar. "Say hi to some people." He nods and walks away toward the table.
Nico spots me right away and comes over to me. He holds his hand out to shake mine. "Cooper, great to see you here," he says, smiling.
"Thanks," I say, looking around. "Not sure it was okay since I said no."
"Hey," he confirms. "You are welcome anywhere.
"How are things going?" he asks, and I nod.
"Good," I respond, and he just looks at me. When he found out I was served papers at practice, he was furious. He made it known through his lawyers that they crossed the line. No one is allowed to enter the building without having a written approval of management. "I’m doing better."
"You look better. There is a fire under your ass," he jokes. "I like it."
"Me, too. I’m going to get some water."
"You need anything," he offers. "You don’t hesitate to call me."
"I know." I look at him.
"I told your father I would take care of you like you were my own," he reminds me, and I nod at him. "See you later."
Walking to the back of the bar, I see some of the guys from the team. "There he is," Mika says when he sees me, clapping me on the back. "The one who saved the game." He holds up his glass of beer.
I laugh and shake my head. "Nah, just in the right place at the right time." I lean against the bar and hold up my hand and order a water. I turn and see her walking toward me, but she doesn’t see me.
She looks over her shoulder and laughs at something. Her hair is loose, and she is wearing black leather pants with a black long-sleeve shirt that ties at the waist. A champagne lace thing under the top peeks out. The whole outfit is sexy, but the sky-high shoes she is wearing make it extra sexy. I smile as I see the men turn to catch a glimpse at her, and she doesn’t even notice.
She is coming close to me, and she finally sees me, the shock fills her face. "Holy cow," she says, coming to me and putting a hand on my arm and leaning in to kiss my cheek. "I did not know you would be here." The smell of her perfume hits me right away. "Good game."
"What are you doing here?" I ask, looking around, and it suddenly dawns on me that she might be here with a date. It’s closed for a private party, so she has to be here with someone. My stomach flips, wondering who it could be. "Are you here on a date?" The words escape my mouth before I can stop them, and she throws her head back and laughs at me.