don’t think that’s nonsense at all.”
MY INTENTION WASN’T to spend the night—I would never have been so presumptuous—so I hadn’t come prepared for that. After Paige and I got up, showered, dressed, and had breakfast, I had to go back to my place for clean clothes and the like before practice. I promised her that as soon as I could, I’d be back to pick her up and we could continue with our weekend together.
When I left—following a few lingering kisses—I told her to rest up and dress comfortably. The comfortable part of that was an absolute necessity because of what I had planned. We were going hiking in the Columbia River Gorge. I’d been out to Multnomah Falls a few times since I’d been in Portland, and they seemed like the perfect place for an active date. Lucky for me, the weather had cooperated today. It was cool but not too cold, considering it was February, and the sun was shining.
It was 501’s first full-contact practice with the team following his concussion, and I pushed him hard. I always pushed 501 hard, actually. He reminded me a lot of myself when I’d been his age. He had all the potential to be one of the best defensemen in the world, but he was still making a lot of rookie mistakes, even though it was his second year in the league. He seemed to go back and forth between sitting back and trying too hard, though, so he wasn’t getting the kind of ice time he and I both knew he was capable of handling. I’d already decided that for the rest of this season and likely all of the next, he was going to be my special project. I was determined to get every ounce of effort I could squeeze out of him. He might not like it while it was going on, but he would thank me for it down the road. After practice was over, I sent him off to see Doc for another evaluation before he was cleared to play in our next game.
Then, for the first time in my career as a coach, I took off early. Webs and Handy were perfectly capable of handling all the game prep that needed to be done. Jim was always telling me I needed to take some time for myself so I wouldn’t burn out, and I never took him up on it. Today? I planned to take full advantage of that.
When Paige answered the door, she was blushing and shoving her phone into the pocket of her jeans.
“Zoe checking up on you and Beefy?” I asked.
“You think I’d tell you that?” She winked, grabbed a rain jacket and her purse, and locked the door.
We spent the drive talking about my plans for helping Sophie learn to skate. Drywall had already drawn up a blueprint of sorts for the first rig he intended to build, and now that we were due to be home for a long stretch, he thought he could get at least an initial attempt put together within the next week or so.
There weren’t too many cars in the parking lot when we reached the lodge at Multnomah Falls, which meant we shouldn’t be overrun on our hike.
“Ready?” I asked as we climbed out of my SUV.
Paige slung the strap of her purse across her body and reached for my hand with a smile filled with trepidation. “So I guess I never mentioned my fear of heights, did I?”
I shook my head, lacing my fingers with hers. “I’ll keep you safe.”
Her fear didn’t stop her from hiking up the trail with me. We completely bypassed the primary viewing area. That was where most of the small crowd would be, so getting out on the hiking paths would give us more privacy.
When we reached the Benson Bridge, I slowed down, not wanting to assume anything. “You up for it?” The bridge spanned the space between two halves of a ridge and looked down over the lower cascade.
She gripped my hand tighter but nodded.
We made our way to the center of the footbridge and stopped, turning toward the gushing water. A chilly spray hit our faces, and Paige nestled herself in front of me, taking both my arms and wrapping them around her waist. She was shaking, but I wasn’t sure if it was fear or cold behind
MY INTENTION WASN’T to spend the night—I would never have been so presumptuous—so I hadn’t come prepared for that. After Paige and I got up, showered, dressed, and had breakfast, I had to go back to my place for clean clothes and the like before practice. I promised her that as soon as I could, I’d be back to pick her up and we could continue with our weekend together.
When I left—following a few lingering kisses—I told her to rest up and dress comfortably. The comfortable part of that was an absolute necessity because of what I had planned. We were going hiking in the Columbia River Gorge. I’d been out to Multnomah Falls a few times since I’d been in Portland, and they seemed like the perfect place for an active date. Lucky for me, the weather had cooperated today. It was cool but not too cold, considering it was February, and the sun was shining.
It was 501’s first full-contact practice with the team following his concussion, and I pushed him hard. I always pushed 501 hard, actually. He reminded me a lot of myself when I’d been his age. He had all the potential to be one of the best defensemen in the world, but he was still making a lot of rookie mistakes, even though it was his second year in the league. He seemed to go back and forth between sitting back and trying too hard, though, so he wasn’t getting the kind of ice time he and I both knew he was capable of handling. I’d already decided that for the rest of this season and likely all of the next, he was going to be my special project. I was determined to get every ounce of effort I could squeeze out of him. He might not like it while it was going on, but he would thank me for it down the road. After practice was over, I sent him off to see Doc for another evaluation before he was cleared to play in our next game.
Then, for the first time in my career as a coach, I took off early. Webs and Handy were perfectly capable of handling all the game prep that needed to be done. Jim was always telling me I needed to take some time for myself so I wouldn’t burn out, and I never took him up on it. Today? I planned to take full advantage of that.
When Paige answered the door, she was blushing and shoving her phone into the pocket of her jeans.
“Zoe checking up on you and Beefy?” I asked.
“You think I’d tell you that?” She winked, grabbed a rain jacket and her purse, and locked the door.
We spent the drive talking about my plans for helping Sophie learn to skate. Drywall had already drawn up a blueprint of sorts for the first rig he intended to build, and now that we were due to be home for a long stretch, he thought he could get at least an initial attempt put together within the next week or so.
There weren’t too many cars in the parking lot when we reached the lodge at Multnomah Falls, which meant we shouldn’t be overrun on our hike.
“Ready?” I asked as we climbed out of my SUV.
Paige slung the strap of her purse across her body and reached for my hand with a smile filled with trepidation. “So I guess I never mentioned my fear of heights, did I?”
I shook my head, lacing my fingers with hers. “I’ll keep you safe.”
Her fear didn’t stop her from hiking up the trail with me. We completely bypassed the primary viewing area. That was where most of the small crowd would be, so getting out on the hiking paths would give us more privacy.
When we reached the Benson Bridge, I slowed down, not wanting to assume anything. “You up for it?” The bridge spanned the space between two halves of a ridge and looked down over the lower cascade.
She gripped my hand tighter but nodded.
We made our way to the center of the footbridge and stopped, turning toward the gushing water. A chilly spray hit our faces, and Paige nestled herself in front of me, taking both my arms and wrapping them around her waist. She was shaking, but I wasn’t sure if it was fear or cold behind
Similar Books
