everyone got hurt.
He turned the opposite direction from her and headed toward the locker room. Malory stopped walking as he tapped the player who had scored on the shoulder.
“There is an entire team out there. Are you aware of that?”
“We won.”
“That’s not my point. My point is the showboating has to stop. You took that puck off the stick of one of your own players. You didn’t pass once in the whole game.”
“But four of the six goals were mine.”
“And did you notice the rest of the team? They didn’t even move toward the net. There wasn’t a reason to. You start playing like a team player or you can find a new team. Everyone on this team deserves to be in the play. It’s not just all you.”
The player unsnapped the strap of the helmet and pulled it off. Her long hair fell from beneath it, and Malory smiled from a safe distance.
“Fine. You’re a good one to talk. Without me there’d be no team.”
“Then you can watch from the bench next time.” Christopher crossed his arms and the player stormed off. “Trust me on this. When they shut you out, you won’t have a team to play with,” he called out after her.
Malory walked toward him. “You were kind of hard on her, weren’t you?”
“That? Trust me that was a pat on the back.”
She watched him follow the player with his eyes. She’d seen that same fire in her father’s eyes when he’d come down on Christopher. And just as with her father there was compassion and love in his actions and words. Each of them wanted the best for each player and the team. And each of them had been that show-off player who went on to bigger and better things, like teaching younger players to play.
“It seems I’ve heard those words before. Showboating. Team player. Watch from the bench.” She inched closer to him.
“I’m the best kind of coach. I’m the one who has walked the walk.”
“What are you doing now?” She let the smile that was itching finally settle on her lips.
Christopher regarded her and took a step back. “I have some planning to do for the Christmas pageant.”
“Oh.” She stiffened her shoulders. “I was thinking . . .”
“C’mon.” He tugged her down the hall toward the kitchen and shut the door behind them.
“What’s wrong?”
“Showboat’s parents were headed toward me. Not what I want to deal with right now.”
The room was dark, but the light from the rink filtered under the door and gave the room a dim glow.
Malory swallowed hard. She wanted back away from him, but was trapped between him and the door. She wanted to celebrate her day with someone, but she needed to be mindful of taking the necessary steps to avoid the intimate situation in which she was finding herself. She took a step, but only ended up closer to him as he stood there with his hand on the doorknob. She sucked in a breath. She could sense the instant she decided to let the moment unravel. She rested her hands on his broad chest and felt him stiffen then relax.
“What did you want to tell me?” His voice had gone husky and in the dark, she smiled. She was getting to him and she hadn’t even started.
“I just bought myself a bakery.”
“Did you?” His hand slipped from the knob, and he slid it over her hip, resting it on her waist urging her to move in closer to him.
“Uh-huh. My new partners and I, that is.”
“I see.” His other hand rose, brushing her side and stopping on her waist.
She felt his fingers tighten into her skin and she knew he was vying for control. Christopher Douglas wasn’t synonymous with the word.
Malory lifted her hands to his shoulders and then wrapped them around his neck as she pushed even closer to him. In the dark, every one of her senses took over when her eyes couldn’t. She felt the pounding of his heart beating against her chest. The scent of his woodsy cologne filled her nose as she stretched up on her toes so their mouths would be closer. Her mind told her to step away.
He turned the opposite direction from her and headed toward the locker room. Malory stopped walking as he tapped the player who had scored on the shoulder.
“There is an entire team out there. Are you aware of that?”
“We won.”
“That’s not my point. My point is the showboating has to stop. You took that puck off the stick of one of your own players. You didn’t pass once in the whole game.”
“But four of the six goals were mine.”
“And did you notice the rest of the team? They didn’t even move toward the net. There wasn’t a reason to. You start playing like a team player or you can find a new team. Everyone on this team deserves to be in the play. It’s not just all you.”
The player unsnapped the strap of the helmet and pulled it off. Her long hair fell from beneath it, and Malory smiled from a safe distance.
“Fine. You’re a good one to talk. Without me there’d be no team.”
“Then you can watch from the bench next time.” Christopher crossed his arms and the player stormed off. “Trust me on this. When they shut you out, you won’t have a team to play with,” he called out after her.
Malory walked toward him. “You were kind of hard on her, weren’t you?”
“That? Trust me that was a pat on the back.”
She watched him follow the player with his eyes. She’d seen that same fire in her father’s eyes when he’d come down on Christopher. And just as with her father there was compassion and love in his actions and words. Each of them wanted the best for each player and the team. And each of them had been that show-off player who went on to bigger and better things, like teaching younger players to play.
“It seems I’ve heard those words before. Showboating. Team player. Watch from the bench.” She inched closer to him.
“I’m the best kind of coach. I’m the one who has walked the walk.”
“What are you doing now?” She let the smile that was itching finally settle on her lips.
Christopher regarded her and took a step back. “I have some planning to do for the Christmas pageant.”
“Oh.” She stiffened her shoulders. “I was thinking . . .”
“C’mon.” He tugged her down the hall toward the kitchen and shut the door behind them.
“What’s wrong?”
“Showboat’s parents were headed toward me. Not what I want to deal with right now.”
The room was dark, but the light from the rink filtered under the door and gave the room a dim glow.
Malory swallowed hard. She wanted back away from him, but was trapped between him and the door. She wanted to celebrate her day with someone, but she needed to be mindful of taking the necessary steps to avoid the intimate situation in which she was finding herself. She took a step, but only ended up closer to him as he stood there with his hand on the doorknob. She sucked in a breath. She could sense the instant she decided to let the moment unravel. She rested her hands on his broad chest and felt him stiffen then relax.
“What did you want to tell me?” His voice had gone husky and in the dark, she smiled. She was getting to him and she hadn’t even started.
“I just bought myself a bakery.”
“Did you?” His hand slipped from the knob, and he slid it over her hip, resting it on her waist urging her to move in closer to him.
“Uh-huh. My new partners and I, that is.”
“I see.” His other hand rose, brushing her side and stopping on her waist.
She felt his fingers tighten into her skin and she knew he was vying for control. Christopher Douglas wasn’t synonymous with the word.
Malory lifted her hands to his shoulders and then wrapped them around his neck as she pushed even closer to him. In the dark, every one of her senses took over when her eyes couldn’t. She felt the pounding of his heart beating against her chest. The scent of his woodsy cologne filled her nose as she stretched up on her toes so their mouths would be closer. Her mind told her to step away.
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