Page 141 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

Six.

Seven.

Only seven appointments left.

I close the planner and rest my head against the back of the sofa. A slow smile finds me.

Followed almost immediately by a sigh.

"This..."

I whisper into the quiet apartment,

"...is becoming a problem."

Chapter seventeen

Jamie

Coach's Call

The phone rings just as I finish my morning stretching routine.

I glance at the screen and smile. "Coach."

"Morning, Cap."

His voice carries the same calm confidence it always has. Coach has never been one for small talk. If he's calling instead of texting, something matters.

"Everything okay?"

"Depends."

I wait. "The guys need to see you."

I lean against the kitchen counter and look out across the frozen lake. "Coach...practice is for players. I'm still doing rehab."

"I know."

"I'll just be in the way."

Silence. Not awkward. Patient.

Finally, he asks, "You really believe that?"

The question catches me off guard, not because he's challenging my shoulder.

He's challenging me. "You think the only thing this team misses is your wrist shot?"

"No."

"Your faceoff percentage?"

"No."

"Goals?"

I smile. "No."