Trade Deadline - Avon Gale Page 0,35

that we were losing.” He picked up his napkin, set it down, snatched it back up again. His eyebrows knitted together. “I thought when I became captain, I would make a difference. I could challenge these players, and we would come together. But nothing I’ve done has helped or changed anything. Not then, and not now.”

“And that’s made you feel ashamed?” Daniel asked.

Cedric nodded jerkily. “And angry. Very angry.”

“Ahh.” Now it all made sense. “So you’ve decided to take that out on me?”

Cedric had the grace to look embarrassed. “Not on purpose. You came, and I thought they meant you to be the new captain, and it reminded me of my own failure.”

“Lashing out isn’t the answer.” Daniel tried to sound gentle and supportive and not like a father lecturing his child. “You and I, we can work together. I can help, if you let me. We can talk to the coaches, we can try to turn things around. I’m happy to share my experience with you. All of you. We’re sinking together right now, but we can rise together, too.”

Cedric’s mouth thinned. “You say that like it’s so easy. Even at their worst, the lowest the Venom ever fell was the middle of the standings. They haven’t been last in the league for months at a time, the way we have.”

“I don’t think it’ll be easy,” Daniel said, shaking his head.

“But do you acknowledge that you’ve never been where we have? Yes, you have many years of experience, but this isn’t the same situation. Not even the coaches seem to care anymore.”

That much was true, and it was troubling, too. Daniel’s coaches in the junior leagues had been way more dedicated and invested than the ones being paid big money to coach the Thunder. He didn’t understand why the management, who’d pursued him to try to turn things around, would deliberately ignore what was happening with their coaching staff. In Daniel’s opinion, there needed to be a complete overhaul, but these decisions weren’t his to make.

“Okay.” He held his hands up. “I admit it, I don’t have any experience with this particular scenario. But that doesn’t mean we can’t try, right? I’m willing to make the effort, if you are.”

Before Cedric could reply, the server arrived with their food.

Daniel left it alone for a few minutes while they both dug into their meals. Cedric looked thoughtful and seemed to be considering Daniel’s words. That was progress at least. Better than outright rejection.

He was halfway through his chicken club when Cedric cleared his throat.

“I’m not proud of my behavior,” Cedric said. “I... I just... These feelings inside me, it’s been unbearable. Everyone laughs at us. The other teams, the sports announcers. Everyone. We are a joke. Sometimes I can’t stand it.”

“I understand,” Daniel said. Because he truly did. “I get why you’re embarrassed, and I’ve felt it, too. But we can’t come together as a team as we are now. It’s impossible. Maybe it sounds corny, but we need to bond. All of the players. Do some team-building exercises. Something.”

“I know.”

“So, what do you say?”

Cedric took a deep breath and then nodded slowly. “I’ll try.”

Daniel couldn’t ask for anything more. He didn’t expect their problems to be solved with one conversation. But it was a start.

“I’ll try, too.”

Chapter Twelve

It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm despite it being early November. Honestly, Micah could never understand how anyone wanted to live anywhere they couldn’t go swimming outside whenever they wanted. Who wanted snow when you could have the beach all year round?

Micah was the first one at the beach that morning, and he couldn’t deny he was excited to see Daniel again. He also couldn’t deny that he was thinking of this as a date. Which, he knew it wasn’t—both parties had to be, you know, on the same page for that one—but the truth was, he was still as nuts about Daniel as he had been when he was thirteen.

And it wasn’t just that Daniel was tall and gorgeous and a pro hockey player. It was that Daniel’s hair was as unruly as ever, he had that same bright smile that lit up his whole face and he was doing the thing he loved the most in the world as his job. Micah knew that people wouldn’t consider being a marine biologist on the same level as playing professional hockey, but it was a competitive job market and landing a position like Micah’s took hard work, sacrifice, dedication