Damn. I chuckle and wave at them, then keep scanning. A couple of kids have much tamer signs asking for pucks or sticks.
When I’m finished stretching, I skate over to the bench to get a marker, sign my stick, and then head over to one of the kids. A little girl with big brown eyes stands next to the glass with two other people who I assume are her dad and brother. She’s wearing a Wildcat jersey and her hair is in braids. She bounces in place as I stop directly in front of her.
“I like your jersey,” I tell her, then nod at her dad and smile at her brother. He looks to be about fourteen or so. He gives me a chin tip.
“They didn’t have any of yours, so I had to get this one.” She turns to show me our captain Jack’s last name and number. He’s easily the most popular guy on the team, but her lip curls like she’s really put out having to wear his jersey instead of mine.
“Jack’s a great hockey player and captain. Hel—” I catch myself before I swear in front of her. “Heck of a guy too.”
I hand my stick over the top of the glass. Her dad takes it and presents it to her. Her face lights up when her small hands wrap around the carbon fiber shaft. She gives her dad something and then he motions with his hand to indicate he’s going to throw it over. It takes two tries, but when I catch the item, a big smile stretches over my face. The little girl made me a friendship bracelet. Green and white beads surround my name and number. It’s small, obviously made for her tiny wrist.
I close my fingers around the adorable gift. “Thank you. I love it.”
Her smile grows a little shy. With one last wave, I head back to the bench to drop off my bracelet and the sharpie.
Lewis, one of our equipment managers, hands me a new stick.
“Thanks,” I say. “Can you hold on to this for me?”
I drop the bracelet in his hand. With a grin, he nods. “Sure thing.”
I start to skate off, then pause. “Can you get me an extra jersey?”
“Of course, no problem.” His eyes drop to take in the one I’m wearing. “Something wrong?”
“Nah. Just want to give it to a kid that couldn’t get one of mine from the gift shop.”
He nods in understanding. “Stop being so popular, Kelly.”
“Yeah, right. That store is basically a shrine to Jack.”
Lewis laughs it off, but he knows I’m not wrong.
I pull off my jersey, then run a hand through my hair to get it out of my face. Feminine squeals catch me off guard. Mr. Popular himself comes to a stop next to me.
“Seriously, Kelly?” Jack shakes his head. His slicked black hair doesn’t budge. “Ten minutes into the season and you’re already taking your shirt off for the ladies?”
“Shut the fuck up.” I set my jersey on the top of the half-wall in front of the bench and scribble my name. “It’s for a little girl. She gave me a friendship bracelet.”
He quirks a brow. “A friendship bracelet?”
“Yep. I’m her favorite.”
“One out of twenty thousand isn’t so bad, Kelly.”
Fucker. I leave him to skate back over to the girl. She’s surprised to see me, but as soon as she realizes I’m giving her my jersey, she starts bouncing in place again.
Her dad thanks me about a dozen times, but her excitement is all I need. I’d play hockey for free with no one watching, but damn if this isn’t so much better.
“Enjoy the game,” I tell them.
More women are squealing and calling out for me. I have on pads, but without my jersey, my abs are on display. I wink at a brunette screaming so loud that I worry for the eardrums of the people around her.
Jack is still stretching near the bench and he gives me that same disapproving headshake as I approach. “Show off.”
Lewis tosses me a jersey and I pull it on to a chorus of disappointed boos. Time is ticking down for warmup, so I head back out to hit a few more pucks and get ready for the game. It’s then that a blonde on the other side of the arena catches my eye. Possibly it’s because she’s one of the few women not looking my way.
Her long hair is curly and falls over her shoulders. She stares ahead with a blank expression, watching the ice but not really seeing it. The guy next to her has his nose buried in his phone. Lots of couples come to games together, but if a guy is ignoring his date at a hockey game, it’s usually because he’s enthralled with the action on the ice, not his phone. Especially a girl that looks like her.
I glide around our half of the ice with a puck, but my gaze keeps going back to the blonde. She and her date sit at center ice a few rows up. For reasons I can’t imagine, he’s not at all interested in talking to the woman next to him. He gets up and walks up the stairs, stopping a few rows higher to talk to someone.