He wrapped his arms around Lacey and stroked her belly. “Lace, if you want to go take a dip in the ocean, go do it.” He pulled Zoe into his side, too. “I just want my girls to be happy today. Zoe, take my bride inside, put your suits on, and have a dip in the ocean.” He let them go and smacked Lacey’s bottom. “Have fun today, Angel, anyway you want to.”
Lacey gave Jody a peck on the cheek and grabbed Zoe’s hand. “Let’s go swimming!” Then she turned and yelled a general invitation to her wedding guests. Before she knew it, about half a dozen people had run into the ocean, clothes and all.
Vlad watched all of it, wanting to join in the fun, but he was too distracted with thoughts of Zoe to be an active participant. More and more she was consuming his thoughts. He honestly didn’t know what to do about her. Realistically, he knew he should give her up and move on. He’d even convinced himself he was ready to, but then, just like that, he saw some douchebag with her on his arm, and Vlad wanted to take him out. Take. Him. Out.
As he sat back and watched the people do what they would, he caught a glimpse of Zoe and Lacey—clad in bathing suits—coming back out of Jody’s house. Lacey had on a simple, black one-piece, and Zoe had on typical Zoe attire.
She had a fantastic sense of style and liked to dress with flair. She would never wear something as simple as a black one-piece bathing suit. Nope, she had on a red—nothing bland for Zoe—string bikini. You know, the kind that was barely there? The kind that had actual strings hanging down from the skimpy bottoms and the even skimpier top? Yeah, that one.
Seriously? Christ. Vlad needed to stop the direction of his thoughts, or they were soon going to be blatantly obvious to anyone around him. What time was this damn wedding over? He needed to get the hell out of there. Pronto.
After another half hour of tormenting himself, he found Jody. “Hey, Chief. Great wedding. I’m really happy for you, man.” Vlad pulled him in for a quick hug and gave him a slap on the back. “If you don’t have anything else that you need me to take care of, I’m going to take off.”
Vlad knew Jody saw him peeking at Zoe all night long. “Nah, I have everything I need. Thanks, though. You going to go home and drown your sorrows?” Jody asked, not masking the smirk that appeared on his face.
“Maybe.” Vlad gave a smirk of his own. “Screw you man, you got the girl.” He gave Jody one last slap on the back and turned to leave. As soon as he turned, he went down. “Goddammit!”
“Vlad! You okay? Have you had too much to drink? I’ll drive you home, buddy.”
Vlad looked up at Jody with pure rage on his face. “No. I have not had too much to drink. I just tripped, got it?”
“Okay, yeah, if you’re sure.” Vlad hadn’t taken a drink other than the celebratory champagne all night. He gave him a hand, and Vlad limped toward his old car.
Almost four weeks went by before Vlad saw Zoe again. Training Camp had started; therefore, mandatory therapy sessions had started as well. He was looking forward to seeing her, even though he was reasonably sure she wasn’t feeling the same way.
Dalton “Cage” Booker, the backup goalie, was coming out of Zoe’s house as Vlad pulled up. “Hey, Impaler, how’s it hanging? Doc’s looking smokin’ today. Shame I can’t tap that.”
Vlad had been nicknamed “The Impaler” since, to his dismay, he shared his name with Vlad Dracula. He told anyone who asked, though, that it was because he had one of the best poke checks in the NHL.
Vlad gave Cage a jarring, friendly shove. “Don’t talk about her like that, you little shit. She takes her job seriously. Show some respect for her position.” Okay, maybe he was being a bit harsh, but Cage was one seriously annoying twenty-five year old kid. One of Cage’s problems was that he was entirely too attractive, and he knew it.
Cage widened his eyes a bit at Vlad’s reaction. “Dude, relax. Sorry, man. I should’ve known better since, well …”
Vlad crossed his arms and widened his stance. “Since, well, what? Care to elaborate?”
“Aw, come on, man. We all know you have it bad for the doc. I’m just saying I don’t blame you. She’s a hot little package. God, that ass, you know? Of course you know. Man, she bent over today, and all I could think about—”
Vlad grabbed Cage by his shirt, and pulled him close, just inches from his face. “Don’t finish that sentence, unless you don’t care about that pretty face of yours anymore.” Still holding onto him, Vlad took a deep breath to calm himself. “Try not to be late for practice again, can ya, Booker?” He had to get away from that kid or he was going to do something he would possibly regret. Giving him one last menacing look, he pushed him away, hard enough to cause Cage to stumble and walked past him.
As Cage caught himself, he said, “Yeah, okay. Later.”
Zoe was waiting at the door for him with half a smile on her face. “You don’t have to defend me, you know. I can handle snot-nosed kids like Cage. Come on in.”
Well, she’s speaking to me. That’s a good sign, he thought, as he followed her into the house and grabbed a beer from the fridge. Vlad felt at home in Zoe’s house. He’d been there many times because of his relationship with Jody and Lacey. He could see how that would be difficult for most therapists, but Zoe maintained the two relationships separately with excellence.
“Help yourself to a beer, why don’t you?” Waving her hand toward the back of the house, she added, “You know the way.”
Vlad popped the lid off his beer bottle and walked back to the office. He plopped down in his typical seat and propped his legs up on the coffee table. At Zoe’s raised eyebrows, he put them back down on the floor with a mumbled apology.
Zoe took her seat, grabbing her notebook on the way. “Okay, Vlad, let’s talk. Tell me how you’re feeling about starting the new season. Any issues you’d like to discuss? Do you have anything that you want to talk about before delving into the world of hockey for another season?”
“Nope.”
“That’s it? No worries after coming off a Stanley Cup win? That’s all you have for today? I have to say, I’m not sure that’s going to be enough for my notes to the coach.” Zoe couldn’t tell the coach exactly what they spoke about, but she did need to give him a brief summary of the session.
“You want me to make something up? My only issue is one that you’re well aware of, and it’s not on the table for discussion per your rules. But hey, you want me to talk? Fine. I need advice on how to get this awesome woman to give me a chance. See, here’s the problem as I see it. She’s not willing to try and figure out a way to be with me, even though I know she’s crazy about me.” Vlad gave her a smile. “Who could blame her? I’m a pretty terrific guy.”
Zoe held her hand up. “Okay, stop. Vlad, please keep your personal feelings for me out of this. This is exactly why they don’t let me date any players. I want— no—I need to be able to do my job.”
Vlad stood up, knowing the session was a waste of time. Zoe would fill something in to appease the organization. “Fine. As usual, you’re right. If I ever need to talk about anything, you’ll be the first person I come to. I promise.” He walked over to her, put his hands on her face, and placed a kiss on her forehead. Looking into her eyes for a second, he sighed and left.
After Vlad left, Zoe continued to stand in her office, processing the feeling of his lips on her skin. Any time he touched her, she got the shivers. Plus, she had to admit that it was rather nice to see him reaming Cage out for talking about her like she was a sex object.
She knew Vlad had hopes of them getting together again. Yes, again. Right before Lacey moved out to San Diego to live with her, she and Vlad had a remarkable night together. She remembered every detail. Even then she knew it was wrong, but one thing led to another, and the next thing she knew it was morning. She hadn’t told another soul. Not even Lacey.
Vlad left Zoe’s feeling like he often did around her. Frustrated. He was glad he had an afternoon practice. There was nothing like a good, sweaty workout to get his mind
off his troubles. When he was in the net, he didn’t have time to think of anything but stopping that six-ounce, frozen piece of rubber from getting past him.
Cage was in the locker room when Vlad walked in to get suited up. He made a quick exit to the rink, probably knowing Vlad still wanted to mop the floor with him. Vlad had always been a mentor to Cage, so he was sure it was obvious that he was less than pleased with the kid.
“Hey, Vlad, how’s it going? Feeling good?” Keith Lambert was the Scorpions’ captain and liked to make the rounds before practice. With over twenty guys in the room, it was easy for one person to get pissed at another—and people thought women were bad. Even though the coaches ran the practices, Keith wanted to know where their heads were. He wanted to know who was in the zone and who needed a little prodding to get their concentration on.
“Yeah, why? Did someone tell you I wasn’t? Because it’s not true, I’m fine.” It seemed like lately everyone wanted to know how he was feeling. He didn’t notice anyone else being grilled about how they were feeling all the time. His performance in the Stanley Cup finals last year was stellar. “There’s nothing wrong with me. I had one of the best records last year, you know.”
“Whoa, man. Where’s all this coming from? I didn’t mean I thought something was wrong with you; I’m just making my pre-practice rounds. I have to say, though, your reaction makes me wonder if there is something wrong. Anything you want to talk about?”
Vlad took a deep breath before answering Keith’s questions. “Sorry, Keith. I guess I’m a little on edge today. I had a little disagreement with Cage, and I’m coming from the doc’s. You know how much I love my therapy sessions. Don’t worry, I’ll get in the zone as soon as my blades hit the ice.” He really had to get a hold of himself. If he kept this up, people were going to get a little more than curious to find out if everything was as it should be with him.
Cage was too good of a goalie for Vlad to let his guard down. He could very easily lose his number one spot to that punk. He was man enough to admit that age played a factor in hockey.
Vlad strapped on his blue and silver goalie pads, grabbed his blocker and catching glove, and made his way to the ice. He passed Cage in the tunnel, speaking in low tones to Keith. He knew they were discussing him. “Everything okay here, boys?” Keith just nodded and led them out to the rink.
It was great to be back on the ice. The goals gleamed with their red posts and white netting. The lines and logo—a silver scorpion, tail curled in attack mode, clutching a hockey stick in its pinchers—had just been painted under the ice the previous week. It made a great tattoo, which Vlad had on his chest.
Skating over to his crease, Vlad took in the beauty of the freshly cleaned ice. It glistened, and he almost hated to ruin it. As he skated back and forth, shaving some of the ice off to make his crease a tad less slick, he could feel that ever present twitch in his hip. Hips and groin. Really important parts for a goalie to keep healthy, especially a butterfly goalie like him. Working through the pain was part of the job though, and after a couple of minutes, he no longer felt it.
The first game of the season was upon them, and emotions were running high. It was a rival match between the San Diego Scorpions and the San Jose Sharks. Vlad had gotten the nod and was the starting goalie. As he skated onto the ice for warm ups, Cage wished him luck.
Vlad couldn’t remember being as nervous as he was that night, and he wasn’t quite sure why. He’d been the starting goalie in many season openers. His numbers from the prior season were phenomenal, and his body twinges weren’t overly noticeable. What was his problem?
He didn’t think it was because Jody wasn’t there anymore. Jody had retired after they won the Cup in June so he would be around to help Lacey raise their baby. Even though Vlad missed having him near, he couldn’t imagine that led to his uneasiness. Jody had been the team’s enforcer and pretty much only played when they needed a physical presence on the ice, or to fill in for an injured player. Besides, Jody, Lacey, and Zoe were in the stands cheering the team on.
Vlad heard Brandon Marcoux, one of the Scorpions’ young left-wingers, shout his name right before a puck hit him square in the chest. “Vlad, heads up, man!” Brandon skirted around the net and flipped another puck at him which went in on Vlad’s glove side. “That’s what happens to a butterfly goalie! Watch your glove side.” He gave Vlad a wink and skated back to the red line to taunt the other team for a bit.
Vlad took a calming breath and squared himself in the net. Warm ups were coming to a close as he banged his stick side-to-side to feel where the posts were. He got in a half-bent stance and urged his teammates to give him all they had. They fired shots at him left and right. Brandon tried to sneak another one in on his glove side, directly above his left shoulder, but even though he had already started going down into the butterfly, at the last possible second, he committed a little left-handed larceny and stole the puck out of mid-air. Vlad gave him a shit-eating grin. “Ha! Fuck you, Marcoux! I still got it.”
Brandon gave him a hearty laugh and a congratulatory slap of his stick on Vlad’s pads. “Good man, take that attitude into the game, and they’re toast!”
Vlad did indeed take that attitude into the game. At the end of the third period, the score was tied at one a piece with a minute left to go on the clock. The buzzer went off with the game still tied. No one scored in the five minute overtime either, so they were going to a shootout. It was one-on-one time—shooter versus goalie. Vlad loved shootouts. Shootouts were the reason he had one of the best poke check records in the league, but he had to remember that the shooters coming at him knew that.
The Sharks started with their best shooter. Johansson was a winger with a wicked shot. Vlad would not be going for a poke check on him. He couldn’t go too far out of the net with that guy. He also knew that Johansson usually shot high, and he focused on his body language. Vlad waited to see if he dropped his shoulder, usually indicating a high shot. As he got closer, there was no shoulder drop. Shit, what’s he doing? Just as Vlad slammed his knees together to go down and protect his five-hole, he saw the shoulder drop. Fucker! He scrambled quickly to his feet, but missed the puck as it sailed in high over his right shoulder.
The Scorpions’ first shooter was their captain. Keith didn’t waste any time with fancy skating. Grabbing the puck from the red center line, he charged ahead and went head on with Price to try and sneak the puck in low just past his right pad. It looked like a perfect shot until the puck hit his pad and bounced out in front of him, never crossing the goal line. Keith skated back to the bench, banging his stick in frustration as he left the ice.
The next shooter was the Sharks’ captain, Tommy Xavier. Vlad hadn’t faced him before in a shootout and wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. Xavier took his time and skated the puck back and forth before taking his shot. He went high and the puck, once again, sailed in over Vlad’s right shoulder. Goddammit!
Next up was Spicer, a fairly new guy to the Scorpions with mad puck handling skills. When he tried to finesse his puck into Price’s net, and Price blocked the shot, things really got desperate.
Since Vlad had let the first two pucks in and the Sharks had denied the Scorpions’ first two shots, the next puck had to go in. Marcoux was up for the Scorpions. If he missed, it was over. His shot went high, hitting the post, and that was that. The Sharks had won in a shootout.
The team was understandably subdued as the players filed back into the locker room. Vlad pushed off his net to follow them and went down on the ice. He quickly looked around and got back up, but it wasn’t easy. His hip was becoming more of a problem. He didn’t want the team to suffer for any of his inadequacies, but he wasn’t ready to tell the team doctor about what he’d found out. He wasn’t even supposed to have been seen by any other doctors, so he was hoping to never have to say anything.
Back in the locker room, Coach DeLeon was addressing the team. “You guys showed a great effort out there. I’m not going to point out
the things that went wrong. It was the first game, and you know what went wrong. Practice is at nine tomorrow morning. Be ready to sweat.” With a sadistic smile, the coach walked out.
Keith clapped his hands to get the room’s attention. “Okay. We all know what that smile means. Tomorrow’s practice is gonna suck.” Keith laughed. “We looked okay out there, but we have better in us, don’t we?” When all he got was some half-hearted, mumbled acquiescence, he threw his glove at a locker. “Don’t be careless just because it was the first game, guys. Don’t do that! We have more to give, and we’ll give it!” Keith got the response he wanted from that and left the room.
“Gotta admit, Lambert can get his point across, can’t he?” Looking at Vlad, Cage continued, “Hey old man, you feelin’ okay? I saw you take a spill on your way off the ice. Need some Ben Gay? I’m ready to fill in at anytime.”
“Booker, you really need to learn to keep your trap shut. Bring your attitude to practice and earn my spot. Until then, fuck off.” Vlad was seriously getting tired of listening to Cage’s ramblings. The guys teased each other all the time, and Vlad could take it as well as he could dish it out, but with Cage, he had a hard time letting it go. If he were being honest with himself, he could admit that it might be because Cage was hitting too close to home.
A couple of days later, Vlad was sitting on his patio watching the sun set. Seeing the bright red, yellow and orange streaks the sun left in the sky reminded him of how inconsequential his problems were in the grand scheme of things. He knew he should man up and talk to someone about what he’d been going through. It was time. His head knew it. The problem was that his heart and his pride were a bit slow to catch up.
He hadn’t talked to Jody for a couple of days, so he gave him a call.
“Hey Vlad, how’s it goin?”
“All right.”
Vlad knew from Jody’s pause that he wasn’t buying it. Jody tried again. “So, what’s up? You okay?”
Goalie Interference (NHL Scorpions) Page 2
