Taking Charge (9 page)

“A few years ago now,” Bob said.

“The sign’s the same, but where’s the ‘Home of the
Portage Panthers’ banner?” Robyn asked him.

“Ah, went missing a while ago, probably kids,” Bob
admitted.

“Well, it needs to be replaced. I’ll get it
replaced,” Robyn told him firmly.

“Come on, let’s go and get you reacquainted with that
ice. You been on it in England?” Bob asked.

She shook her head.

It was weird being back. Just seeing the building she
had spent so many of her high school days in was making her heart
pump faster.

“You know people still talk about the night you
knocked out that girl from the Grand Rapids team. Best punch I ever
saw,” Bob told her with a laugh.

“I got sent off, they had a five minute power play,
and we lost,” Robyn reminded him.

“But it was worth it and she deserved it. Took out
Lindsay Jacobs and didn’t even get a warning,” Bob recalled.

“I never really liked Lindsay Jacobs. Before the
Grand Rapids girl wiped her out, I was thinking about doing it
myself,” Robyn admitted.

Getting his hockey things together had felt weird. He
hadn’t even thought about the game since he quit the Chicago
Wolves. He’d just got back on track before he found out about Bryn
and Veronica, and then he’d thrown in the towel again. But it had
seemed natural to say yes to Robyn. When he said he could play,
she’d assumed he would help her out, and it seemed natural for her
to assume. Perhaps that was what he needed right now.

He parked the car and fondly rubbed the steering
wheel. The Mustang had been parked in the next bay when he’d got
back from the diner at lunchtime. That had to be something like
Fate.

Now it was time to meet another team. Even though he
knew they’d look him up and down, meeting new people was a good
thing, he could start over. He grabbed his kit bag from the
passenger seat and noticed Robyn up ahead. She was wearing a
baseball cap, a Red Wings t-shirt, and jeans. He smiled and locked
the car.

“Hey!” he called out.

Robyn turned around and was met with the sight of
Cole running across the parking lot toward them.

Why did he always look so hot? He was wearing jeans,
Converse tennis shoes, and a gray Chicago Wolves t-shirt. Robyn
felt something inside her lurch. It was obviously the huge
breakfast she’d eaten repeating on her. It couldn’t be anything
else. She didn’t know anything else. Apart from the crush thing. It
was just that Freddie Prinze Jr. in I Know What You Did Last Summer
thing.

“Hey! Bob, this is Cole. Cole, this is my Uncle Bob.
Cole’s going to join the team. He played center for the Chicago
Wolves,” Robyn informed her uncle, quick to recover her senses.

“Pleased to meet you, sir,” Cole greeted, holding his
hand out to him.

“Hey there.”

“You got skates?” Robyn asked him.

“Yep and a full set of armor and pads,” Cole
answered, lifting up the duffle bag he was carrying.

“Good. Well, locker rooms are to the right, go and
get changed,” Robyn urged.

“Yes, ma’am,” Cole replied with a smile.

When Robyn and Bob got ice side, Grant was already
putting the team through their paces in a warm up.

“Wes! Put more effort into the skating and stop
talking,” Grant called to him, turning when he noticed Robyn and
Bob approach.

“Yeah, yeah…why don’t you get out here?” Wes yelled
back.

“Hey, Bob, hey, Robyn, good to see you,” Grant
greeted, holding out his hand.

Robyn swallowed as she met his gaze. She was shocked
by how much he and Jason looked alike. She hadn’t realized the
similarities before, but they were there by the bucket load. It was
the smile and the pale, blue eyes, the freckled features, and even
the stature.

Bob quickly took hold of Grant’s hand and shook it,
smiling at him, while Robyn took a moment to compose herself. Grant
wasn’t responsible for what his son had done all those years ago.
He was a good man, her dad’s friend, she needed to remember
that.

“Is this really it?” Robyn asked, looking out at the
ten men.

They were all kitted up in full gear, passing pucks
to each other on the ice.

“Ten isn’t good, I know, but…”

“Eleven. I’ve got someone getting changed. We need to
get some more team members, hold try outs,” Robyn told him.

“We did try that at the start of the season but…”
Grant began.

“Well? What happened? I mean, even the worst of the
bunch would be better than no one at all,” Robyn said.

“No one turned up,” Grant responded despondently.

“Oh my God! What has happened to this place? The
hockey team should be the life blood of the community! Jeez! Right,
okay, I want a match now, no holding back. Do we really only have
one goaltender?” Robyn asked, fueled by the humiliation.

“Yeah, well, Adam left us last year for…” Grant
started.

“I’m not interested in who isn’t here. I’m interested
in who is here. You! What’s your name?” Robyn asked, pointing at a
tall player with brown hair.

“Wade,” he drawled.

“Well, Wade, go and get a full face mask on and some
keeper’s pads…” Robyn glanced to the side when she saw movement.
“Oh good, you’re ready. Everyone, Brad, Mickey, Wade, Wes, the
others I don’t know…this is Cole Ryan. He’s going to be your new
center,” Robyn informed them.

“Robyn, maybe we ought to discuss this before we make
any decisions,” Grant suggested quickly.

The team looked less than excited by the new arrival
and started to mutter amongst themselves.

“We aren’t making any decisions, I am. Get into two
teams.”

“Come on, Grant, man, you can’t let…” one of the
players began.

“I’m sorry? I thought I just asked you to get into
teams. Why are you looking at him? I’m the manager now. Is anyone
unclear about that?” Robyn questioned, narrowing her eyes at them
all.

No one answered.

“Good. Grant, can you get some skates on and
referee,” Robyn said as more of an order than a request.

The team stood like statues on the ice, all looking
to Grant and wondering what was going on.

“Come on! Move! Jeez! If it takes you this long to
get going, no wonder you’re not doing well in the league,” Robyn
exclaimed.

“Come on guys, let’s go,” Brad told his team before
slipping in his mouth guard.

“Why was that so difficult?” Robyn asked Bob as they
went to sit down.

“Grant’s approach is different, that’s all. They
weren’t ready for a full-on replica of Eddie,” Bob said with a
grin.

“God, don’t say that! Next you’ll be telling me I’m
growing a beard,” Robyn said, touching her chin.

“No, just starting to inherit the bad ass
attitude.”

“You can’t say that, you’re my uncle!”

“And you’ve never had anything but the truth from
me,” Bob replied.

“Come on, guys! You starting this game or do you need
an air horn?” Robyn screamed at the players on the ice.

Play began, and Robyn watched intently as the two
sides battled against each other. It didn’t take long for her to
work out the best players and the members of the team that were the
weak links.

“What’s happened to Mickey? He’s all over the place,”
Robyn commented as she watched Sarah’s boyfriend get bundled off
the puck by Wes.

“He got injured in the last match, took a nasty
fall,” Bob replied.

“Henrik’s good.”

“He scored three last game.”

“And Cole is…” Robyn started.

“The best player I’ve seen for a long time,” Bob
finished for her.

She was finding it hard to concentrate on Cole’s
speed and athleticism. She was distracted by the way he wiped at
his lip with the sleeve of his shirt when play halted. It was cute
the way he did that.

“Yeah, he’s real good. He’s a cut above the rest of
them out there,” Robyn said, watching Cole hone in on the goal and
shoot the puck past the goaltender.

“What you gonna do?” Bob wanted to know.

“When’s the next game?” Robyn asked.

“Saturday, at home—against Reading,” Bob informed
her.

“Shit, aren’t they…”

“Top of the league, yepper,” Bob answered with a
nod.

With practice over, all that was left for Robyn to do
was talk to her team.

“Listen, you all did well tonight, but we can do
better. We need to find that camaraderie, you know, the team
spirit. We may not be the best team in the league, but we’re going
to be the best unit. We’re going to get to know each other inside
and out. And we’re going to practice more than you’ve ever
practiced before,” Robyn informed them.

There were audible grumbles.

“So, this is your new morale officer, Bob. He’s going
to be in charge of the tab when we go to Taboo on Friday night,”
Robyn announced.

This news was met with collective excitement,
surprise, and happy faces.

“What is Taboo?” Henrik asked.

“Girls, Henrik, girls and poles,” Mickey informed
him.

“We’re all going to bond over beer and burgers and…”
Robyn began.

“Boobies!” Henrik announced with a high-pitched
laugh.

“We?” Brad asked.

“Yes, Brad, we.”

“You’re coming to a strip club?” he clarified.

“I’m the manager, of course I’m coming. Now go and
get changed and get out of here,” Robyn ordered.

Most of the team skated off the ice and headed toward
the locker rooms, glad the vigorous session was over.

“They worked hard tonight,” Grant said to Robyn.

“I know, I told them.”

“I’m just saying, don’t be too hard on them.”

“Are you trying to tell me how to manage the team,
Grant?” Robyn asked. She set her expression to suggest it would be
unwise to challenge her.

“I’m sure he wasn’t trying to do that,” Brad spoke
quickly.

“No, of course not, I just…” Grant began.

“Grant, why don’t we go get a drink, huh? Robyn, I’ll
meet you at the car,” Bob said, putting his arm around the man and
leading him off.

“You were a bit harsh with him. He hasn’t had much
luck himself these last few years,” Brad said to Robyn, hopping off
the ice and joining her.

“I’m not sure I want to know.”

“After Jason went away, Francine died. Then a couple
of years later, he lost his job at the factory, had to start over
again, retrain. All he’s got is the hockey team. Don’t take it from
him.”

“Some people say you make your own luck,” Robyn
answered stiffly.

“He’s a good guy,” Brad reminded her.

“People used to say that about Jason,” Robyn
replied.

“Let’s not talk about him,”

“Has he ever been back here…you know…since I left?”
Robyn asked, swallowing the knot of emotion that had risen up.

“No,” Brad answered. His words couldn’t have been
more definite.

Happy with the response, Robyn let out a breath of
relief she hadn’t realized she was holding in.

“You okay?” Brad appeared concerned.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Listen, thank you for arranging the
new locks and the alarm for the roadhouse, I’ll pay you back.”

“It was no big deal. Was it all okay?” Brad
asked.

“Yes, as long as I remember the code number. If I
don’t, it’s going to set off some alarm at the Portage Marshals’
office,” Robyn replied with a grin.

“So, where did you find Cole?” Brad wanted to
know.

“He kind of found me, halfway to terminal three in O’
Hare. Isn’t he great? He’s so quick over the ice, and some of those
goals he netted were unbelievable,” Robyn said with a touch of
pride.

“Yeah, he’s good,” Brad admitted reluctantly.

“We’re so lucky to have a player of his caliber, I
mean…” Robyn began.

“So, are you seeing him?” Brad asked briskly.

“Seeing him?” Robyn asked.

“Yeah, you know…dating him or whatever.”

“No! I mean, I’ve only known him a couple of days.
Why is everyone around here so concerned about my status?”

“I just wanted to know, that’s all.”

“You know I can’t date anyone from the team. It would
be highly unethical—I’m the manager now.”

“Yeah, but we dated before.”

“I wasn’t the manager of the ice hockey team then,
and anyway, we were just kids,” Robyn said.

“We weren’t kids.”

“Well okay, young adults, teens, whatever the
watchword is these days. It was just high school stuff,” Robyn
said, bending her feet outward and balancing on the edge of her
sneakers.

“I wanted to ask you the other night, but you were
tired, it was late, and you’d just got back and everything…I was
just thinking maybe we could…” Brad began tentatively.

“God, is that the time? I’d better catch up with
Bob,” Robyn said, looking at her watch and backing away from
him.

“I thought maybe we could have some dinner together
some time,” Brad suggested.

“No. I mean, no thanks. I’m not really into dinner
these days. I’ll see you,” Robyn called.

She turned her back on him and rushed down the tunnel
like she was trying to outrun a grizzly bear.

“Can we go? Like now,” Robyn said, tugging at Bob’s
arm.

He and Grant were having a beer in the corridor,
courtesy of one of the refreshment stands they’d taken the liberty
of opening.

“Why the hurry? Grant and I were just reminiscing
about the old days when we all used to play. Your dad was the best
goaltender in the state,” Bob reminded her.

“Yeah, I know. Heard all the stories at least a
zillion times—can we go?” Robyn begged.

“Listen, Robyn, I hope you didn’t think I was out of
line earlier…” Grant started.

“No, of course not, and I really need you to carry on
being my assistant. There are going to be training sessions I can’t
make if the roadhouse does as well as I’m hoping. Bob, I need to
go,” Robyn repeated.