Pucking Around

At the airport in Jacksonville, Rachel learns that two of her three suitcases have been lost. She is exhausted after frantic days of packing and travel, and she now realizes with dismay that she has missed text messages from Caleb Sanford, the assistant equipment manager from the Jacksonville Rays, who was sent to the airport to pick her up. She learns that her bags will be delivered the next day and goes to meet Caleb, who arrives with his dog, Sy (short for Poseidon). She finds Caleb attractive. Rachel’s suitcase breaks as she puts it in the trunk, and a sex toy shaped like a tentacle falls out, embarrassing her.

After initially growing angry over having to wait for her in the airport for so long, Caleb is surprised to find that he considers Rachel to be attractive and interesting. Her tattoos and nose piercing appeals to him aesthetically, and he is even more surprised to be holding her sex toy. He likens her to a hurricane and adopts “Hurricane” as her new nickname. Rachel snatches the toy away, claiming that it is a gag gift. When they get in the car, Rachel is initially terse but immediately apologetic, citing her exhaustion. Caleb fears that she might cry. She asks for a fresh start, but Caleb gets distracted by her tattoos until Sy breaks the tension. Rachel refers to Caleb as Sy’s “daddy,” which causes Caleb to have and repress a sexual response. They drive without speaking.

Rachel enters her new apartment, which is pre-furnished and provided by the Rays. Rachel and Caleb banter about the apartment’s overwhelming seashell theme. Rachel can’t decide if Caleb is charming or “an asshole.” She learns that Caleb is her next-door neighbor and warns herself against developing an attraction for him.

That night, after unpacking and replacing some of the items in her lost luggage, Rachel undresses and explores her apartment’s balcony. When she tries to go back inside, the door is locked. The building’s maintenance department is closed, so she texts Caleb. He comes out to his balcony and recommends calling the police, offering to keep her company while she waits. She suggests climbing across to his balcony, which he rejects as being too dangerous. Overwhelmed with the prospect of being stuck outside, Rachel begins to cry, prompting Caleb to agree to help her climb across the balconies. He asks why this is so important to her as she climbs, and she rants about “taking back control of [her] life,” admitting, in the process, to using the sex toy he saw earlier (31). He inadvertently touches her breast and bottom. She feels a spark of attraction for the first time since her night with “Mystery Boy,” but cautions herself against getting involved with a coworker. She confesses to Caleb that she misses “him” but can’t clarify the relationship further, though she admits that she isn’t speaking of a boyfriend or a husband. They head inside, where Rachel sleeps on the couch.

The next morning, Rachel and Caleb carpool to work. She gives him her spare key, as he is the only person in town she knows, but jokingly tries to take it back when she steals a sip of his coffee and learns that Caleb drinks peppermint mocha coffee in the summer. She notices Caleb limping and asks about it, but he brushes her off.

On the way to the Rays arena, Rachel receives a text from her new boss, Dr. Tyler, directing her to speak with Vicki, the Rays Operations Manager, and Avery, the Head of PT. Caleb offers vague impressions on these staff members but has little more to add, as the whole team is new. She asks for more information about the team because she had no time for research during her whirlwind move. He tells her about various players, including Ilmari “Mars” Kinnunen, who is known as “The Bear,” and Caleb’s best friend, Jake Compton.

Caleb escorts Rachel to meet Vicki, the Operations Manager, and Poppy St. James, the head of Public Relations. Rachel, who dislikes being used for her proximity to fame, cringes when Poppy asks if Rachel’s famous father, Hal Price, would be willing to come to a game. When Poppy admits to behaving in an uncharacteristically hectic manner, however, Rachel’s impression of her improves. Poppy hands Rachel a densely packed schedule for upcoming public relations events and says that the most important “game” for the Rays in their first year is not hockey, but establishing a fan base.

Caleb recalls his past as a hockey player, which culminated in seven game-time minutes as an NHL player before an injury ended his career. He thinks of his struggles with depression after the injury and recalls how his friendship with Jake helped him through his dark time when he didn’t know how to reorient his life. Though Jake hasn’t said anything, Caleb knows that Jake is responsible for getting him hired with the Rays. Caleb thinks of his return to hockey as “coming home.” He and Jake are extremely close. As Caleb finishes sharpening skates, various players invite him to a barbecue, asking if Jake, whom they jokingly call Caleb’s “DLP” (51) or “Domestic Life Partner” is also coming. Jake and Caleb embrace the label and “use the DLP excuse all the time to get out of plans” (51). Caleb realizes that Jake is late and texts him. Their exchange has a flirtatious tone. Jake reveals that he is at the DMV, correcting an error on his license. He asks if there is any new news about the “hot doc,” whom the players have taken to calling Rachel. Caleb tells Jake about the sex toy but not the balcony scene, and he is not quite sure why he’s holding back.

Rachel meets with her boss, Doctor Tyler, who praises her resume. He also advises her to tread carefully with Avery, who dislikes being told what to do. Rachel privately thinks that Avery’s attitude is due to sexism. Tyler gives Rachel the power to bench players if she thinks they are too injured to play, a responsibility that awes her. He encourages her to plunge into work, as the season will be busy, starting with an exhibition game that day.

Rachel arrives at the exhibition match, and Caleb teases her via text about the “hot doc” moniker. A huge man skates out: Ilmari “Mars” Kinnunen. Rachel wonders how a man his size can have the agility to play goalie. Tyler reveals that Ilmari is an Olympic hopeful for Finland. The Finnish Ice Hockey Association (FIHA) has asked for Ilmari’s medical records, which Tyler can release only with Ilmari’s consent. Tyler informs Rachel of recent small injuries, reminding her that the players will lie about injuries to avoid being put on the bench and that it’s the doctor’s job to protect them—even from themselves. Rachel marvels at Ilmari’s skill, and Tyler asserts that his current performance is nothing to the effort he expends for a real game. Later, Vicki summons Rachel to the parking garage and shows her a truck, which Rachel is terrified to drive. They are headed to Rachel’s car when to Rachel’s shock, her “Mystery Boy” approaches.

Rachel panics when she realizes that her Mystery Boy plays for the Rays and is therefore a coworker. Vicki introduces him as Jake Compton, and they shake hands. Rachel realizes that although she has been dreaming of him for months, he doesn’t even recognize her.

Jake is in a good mood after a leisurely morning, even though he has just lost a bet to Caleb over which goalie will perform best. He arrives at the arena, at first not paying attention as Vicki introduces Rachel. He has been ignoring the “hot doc” texts because he is still hung up on his “Seattle Girl.” On second glance, he realizes that Rachel is his “Seattle Girl,” much to his delight. They exclaim, trying to pass the reaction off to Vicki as if they met on a plane. Vicki leaves, and Rachel moves to go as well, but Jake stops her, asking her to explain what she’s feeling. She is annoyed he didn’t recognize her at once and feels that he considers her to be forgettable, but he counters that she looks different in her professional attire. He says he’s been thinking of her constantly and that she left him after their night together. He reminds her that he wanted to exchange names then and tells her that if they had, they could have been together all this time.

Suddenly, Jake realizes that Rachel is the doctor that Caleb was texting him about. He senses that something happened beyond the humorous incident with the sex toy that Caleb described but is hesitant to find out more; Jake and Caleb have shared lovers in the past, but Jake’s feelings for Rachel are strong, unlike those previous casual encounters. She says that she and Jake can’t be together because they’re coworkers now. Despite her statement, Jake kisses her, and she reciprocates enthusiastically. Eventually regaining her senses, Rachel pushes him away, but Jake still insists that he wants to pursue a relationship with her. He doesn’t care about his contract, but Rachel does care about hers and states that they can be friends, but nothing more. Jake agrees to abide by her restrictions—but only for the 10 months of her contract. Then, he asserts, they’ll be together.

Rachel thinks about how irresistible she finds Jake and realizes that he is acutely aware of her interest. He warns her that he isn’t a good liar, but that he will try to keep their secret. He also warns her that Caleb will know; he asks if Rachel and Caleb had sex, and she says they didn’t. As Jake walks away, he laughs, saying that drawing out the sexual tension between them is his “new favorite game” (78).

Ilmari tries to focus on hockey, but he can feel Rachel watching him. He saves a shot on goal, straining his groin in the process, though he hides the pain. He reluctantly admits to himself that the pain of this older injury is worsening, which makes him even more nervous to be under Rachel’s eye. Distracted by watching her, he lets a goal in and chastises himself. When Coach Tomlin later introduces him to Rachel, Ilmari worries what her well-trained eyes might spot. Inwardly, he reflects that he can’t allow himself to be benched while the FIHA scouts are watching. His father and grandfather both played for Finland in the Olympics, and continuing their legacy is his dream. Therefore, he worries when Rachel announces that he will have to undergo a physical, and his concern worsens when she says that knees and hips are her specialty.

Rachel muses that Ilmari is intense and intimidating. She contrasts him with Caleb and Jake, whom she considers to be “pretty boys.” Hillary, the team nurse, shows Rachel her new office. Various players leave their training to introduce themselves and flirt with Rachel. A text from Caleb claims that he had “nothing to do with this” (87), and a text from Jake states that their relationship is “inevitable.”