Page 107 of Two for Charging

“We need a decent goalie. I’m the weakest link here in terms of how much cap space I take up and how little I’ve been producing. Adding to which a member of the coaching staff has every reason to want me gone.”

“Phil doesn’t want you gone.” Tom said it so immediately and dismissively Luca wondered if they’d talked about it. “Either way, no one is taking away your A as long as you’re here.”

“I don’t want it,” Luca tried.

“It’s such a good career move for you though,” Chris said, as if it wasn’t the exact same good career move for him. “Anyway, I’m way too soft a touch. Leadership needs guys who can get shit done.”

“Leadership needs both,” Jax corrected.

“So why don’t we share it?” Luca blurted out before he could reconsider. Once he’d said it, though, he liked the idea. “Make one of us the A for home games and the other for when we’re away.”

“Oooh, Luca should get it for away games. He’s great at finding things to do on the road,” Chris enthused, giving Luca a nightmarish flash forward of the whole team on an educational tour down the Chicago River.

“Deal,” Jax said. “Done. No take backs.”

“You just want someone else to be fine master,” Tom accused.

“Yup.”

In his entire time as fine master—a role he’d been given when he joined the team over a year ago—Jax had not exacted a single fine from anyone for anything.

Luca considered. He could be a more open, kind, and caring version of himself and also force the team to cough up money when they were being obnoxious. That could work. “I’ll do it,” he said. “The proceeds can go to your shelter.”

“It’s not our shelter,” Jax said, but before he could expound, Chris ran away with the prospect, listing things they could do with the money.

Luca tuned him out. He had other things to worry about, namely what date he could take Chris on in Ottawa now that he could actually officially date the man.

He scrolled through option after option. They had the whole afternoon and most of the evening once they landed, a rare day off on the road. The time ought to be set aside for a team bonding excursion, but no one wanted to suggest doing something together after the disaster on Halloween, not even Chris. As Luca tabbed through walking tour after sightseeing suggestion, all of it left him cold. He was probably doing Ottawa an injustice, but nothing sounded as spectacular as he wanted it to be. Couldn’t the NHL play in Paris? Or in Venice? Ice hockey on the canals would be amazing. Although, the water was so polluted people would fall through the ice when all the garbage started generating heat. Maybe Amsterdam’s canals would be a safer bet. And Amsterdam must have something wonderfully romantic Luca could do with Chris.

They arrived at the hotel at half past noon, and ten minutes later, Chris knocked on Luca and Mooney’s door. Luca hadn’t found anything yet; he was still scrolling through travel blogs with increasing frustration, and Chris saw his agitation immediately.

“What’s wrong?”

“I haven’t found anything for us to do,” Luca admitted, with a sideways glance at Mooney, who pretended not to hear or notice him. “I wanted it to be special today, and everything is just…tourist shit.”

“We can hang out here. Why don’t you come to my room?”

Mooney said nothing as they left, but at least he knew where Luca went this time.

Once they were alone, Chris sat on the edge of the bed and patted the space next to him.

“But…”

“But what?”

Luca sighed and sat next to him. “We did all these romantic things when I wasn’t trying. And you love romance. Shouldn’t it be…”

“I love romcoms,” Chris corrected.

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“No.” He laughed. “God, I would hate if romcom stuff happened to me in real life. Imagine if I had to move to Montreal and take over my dad’s business. I don’t know anything about plumbing. But romcoms are predictable, and they always end well. I have a hard time with serious movies. They make me sad; romcoms never make me sad. I mean, a little bit jealous. I always thought nothing so big or exciting would happen to me ’cause I’m not built for it, but now…yeah, no, I watch them because they’re safe.”

“Oh.”

“And you know my favorite thing about all the stuff we did together?”

“Hm?”