“Looking pretty sharp there, Mr. Carr.” I beam at him.
“You aren’t too bad yourself, Smarty.” He leans in and kisses me. I hear Marley squeal. We break our kiss in time to see Marley jump into Trevor’s arms. I smile at seeing how happy my twin is.
“Pres.” Trevor puts Marley down and then picks me up in his arms. “Love ya, Twin.”
“Love you too.”
He puts me down and does a manly hug with Levi. It’s so great to see them together and getting along. Mom wants pictures and we gather together for her. We all are laughing and having a great time. It’s something I’ll never forget. We are getting ready to head out when a young female with a Penguins assistants badge comes over to Levi and us.
“Mr. Carr, could you and your family follow me for a moment?”
He nods and Victor and I follow behind him. I look over my shoulder, and Trevor just shrugs. We walk down a long hall that is filled with media and more prospects as the draft continues. She leads us into a room where two men in expensive suits are waiting.
“Levi, so great to see you again.”
Levi nods and shakes their hands. “This is my father, Victor Carr, and my girlfriend, Presley McCarthy.” The men smile and shake our hands. They motion for us to sit down at the table with them.
“Levi, there is a reason we called you back here so quickly. Don’t panic. We aren’t trading you to Philly or anything.” Everyone laughs, and I catch Victor rolling his eyes. I pat his hand, and he smiles at me.
“So, why am I here?”
“Simple. We were watching you all last season. We were really impressed at the physicals. Your times are impressive. We have decided to go ahead and send you to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton when practice starts in August. You will still have to attend the prospect camp in July, though. However, that is mainly for the press and fans.”
The man on the left pulls out a contract and hands it to Levi. My heart is pounding in my chest. Levi’s going to be a Penguin faster than he thought.
The man continues. “This is a three year entry level contract for WBS. You could be called up to the Pens and if you’re given a spot there, we will redo your contract.”
Levi has a shocked expression on his face as he stares at the contract in front of him.
“When do you need my decision?”
“We need it now. Is there a problem?”
Levi looks at them. “May I have one moment with my family?” Both men nod and the three of us go into the hall.
“Son, what are you waiting for?” Victor whispers as we huddle away from the traffic in the hall.
“If I go to WBS, I can’t finish college.” His eyes are sad. He wants his degree. He wants to work in a lab and create medications to help those that are sick.
“Levi.” He turns to look at me. “What would your mom say?”
Levi closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
“I know what she would say.” Victor smiles. “She would tell you to sign that darn contract and become a Penguin.”
Levi opens his eyes, and I can see the tears. He can’t speak, so he just nods, and we go back in.
“Where do I sign?”
After several minutes, Levi has signed his contract. The man on the right says, “Get packed, Levi. We’ll see you in July.”
I gasp as it suddenly hits me. Levi is moving away.
To Be Continued…
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank our fantastic beta readers, Kelly and Michael. Thank you so much for taking the time to read Off the Ice and helping us improve.
We would like to thank our amazing cover designer, Damonza, for giving us a beautiful cover.
We would like to thank Kathy from K² Editing for working with us and helping us polish our story.
We would like to thank all the readers and bloggers for sharing your love of reading with others.
We would like to thank the NHL for an offseason so we can energize ourselves for the next one, even though the wait isn’t always fun.
About the Authors
Lindsay Paige is a romance author from North Carolina who has published five books on her own. She is a huge hockey fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins and loves to play tennis. When not writing, Paige is focused on completing college.
Mary Smith was born in Chicago, Illinois, but currently lives in West Virginia. She is an avid reader, co-founder of Book Nerds Across America, and author of Melting Away the Ice. She goes nowhere without her cell phone or Kindle. Mary loves anything to do with Chicago Blackhawks, Patrick Sharp, and hockey related!!
Lindsay and Mary created The Penalty Kill Trilogy through their love of writing and hockey. Through their late night writing sessions, text messages, and emails, they have created a trilogy following two characters dealing with college, family, friends, and the one sport that connects them all. Even though Lindsay and Mary are fans of different NHL teams, they are still close friends…except when their teams play each other.
For more information about the authors and the trilogy visit: http://thepenaltykilltrilogy.blogspot.com/
Coming Soon
Lindsay and Mary are currently working on the third book in the trilogy. They are hoping to release it in spring of 2014. Find them on Facebook or follow Lindsay & Mary, Levi, and Presley on Twitter. Lindsay and Mary also created a board on Pinterest for the trilogy.
Off the Ice (The Penalty Kill Trilogy) (Volume 2) Page 19
