Page 28 of Second Round

“We went on a whale watching trip years ago, and it was great. I’ll dig up the information for you. You want to make sure you get a reputable tourcompany.”

Leo smiled. “That would be great, Jackie.Thankyou.”

“Anytime. If you need any Vancouver info, I’m your woman. I have this ‘bible’ of local information.” Ugh. I really needed to shut up. I was trying to projectfemme fatalenot VancouverTourismrep.

“Well, actually, there is something I’ve been worried about.” He leaned forward. “When Charlotte gets here, I’m gonna have to work some of the time, so I was wondering what to do with her then. In Montréal, I have a big family—we are six kids—so my mother or sisters are always around to take care of her. But nobody can come out here for amonth.”

Being a mom, FTW! This was my area of expertise. “You could get a temporary nanny or maybe a university student to look after her for the summer. Or if you have some flexibility around your hours, you could sign her up for day camps. That way she’s busy for most of the day, but they usually break around 3:00 or 4:00, so you’d have to pick her up then. I think the Aquarium even has a program. Or there are camps that do art, drama, sports, music, pretty much anything. What is sheinterestedin?”

“She loves cats. Really, all kinds of animals,” he confessed again. “Other than that, she likes normal kid things. But she’s a little on the shy side, so a big group of strangers might not be the best thingforher.”

“Okay. I’ll think about this. I can email you some options.” It struck me that he might not know his daughter that well since they lived in differentcities.

“Jackie, thank you so much. The hockey part I know, but dealing with all this kid stuff in a new city is not myexpertise.”

I nodded. While it was nice to be appreciated, this date felt like it had taken a turn back into the late days of my marriage when all we had to talk about was the kids or Brent’s work. There was a lull in the conversation as we both looked out at the glittering lights ofthecity.

“Does Charlotte play hockey?” I wondered. Hannah had made some noises about playing hockey a couple of years ago, but decided to stick withsoccer.

Leo laughed. “No, Sophie put her foot down. She’s not a big hockey fan. Charlotte’s a good skaterthough.”

“My son playshockey.”

“Whatposition?”

“Well, he’s all over the place.” Last year’s coach had him playing defence, but Tristan liked to score goals, like all the kids. “He’s having a tough season, and I’m glad it’salmostover.”

Leo nodded. “Does he lovehockey?”

“I don’t know. He used to.” The truth was that hockey was tied up with Tristan’s feelings for Brent. Brent was the hockey dad who took him to practice and helped coach. Now he was confused. He wanted to be good, but the whole routine was different. I couldn’t tie his skates tight enough, and I didn’t know the right things to say after a loss. It was halfway through the season before he even told me that his dad always took him to Tim Horton’s after games. I was learning, but it wasn’tthesame.

Leo leaned back in his chair. “This is what I’d do. After the season, maybe a month after, you ask your kid if he wants to play the next season or take a year off. Then do what he says—no matter how good he is. The next year, you can ask if he wants to playagain.”

I nodded. “I think there’s a waiting list though. So maybe he couldn’tgoback.”

“Probably not as he gets older. More kids drop out than join. The thing is: the best players are motivated inside.” Leo motioned to his broad chest in the grey ribbed sweater. A memory flashed of how great he looked underneath his clothes. “If you force him to go now, he’ll end up hating hockey. But if he feels like he’s free to choose....” His wordstrailedoff.

Suddenly I was aware I was asking a professional coach about my kid’s house league problems. “Well, it’s not like he’s going to play pro hockey oranything.”

“Jackie, that doesn’t matter. Playing hockey is good for everyone. You make good friends as a kid because you all go through things together and it builds your character. Even if you only end up playing beer league with your buddies, it’s all good. You have fun, you work like a team—these skills help you with school, with work,everything.”

“Okay. Thank you. That’s exactly what we’ll do then.” I smiled at him. Of course he would think that hockey was the most importantthing.

After dinner, we walked around outside, but everything was closed. Even the grizzly bears were asleep. But there was still snow twinkling under the strings of light. It was all so beautiful, and I pulled out my phone to take a few photos. Maybe I could try painting snow someday, but it seemedchallenging.

“Thank you so much,”Isaid.

He gave me a curious look, so I explained, “For letting me experience my city in a new way. I’ve been in a rut—doing the same things overandover.”

“Yeah, I’ve moved so much that I don’t waste any time. When I go somewhere, I put together a list of things I want to see and do, then Idothem.”

I laughed. “I can’t believe that skating on top of Grouse Mountain made your list. Skating is what you do allthetime.”

He turned towards me and took both my hands in his. “Maybe not the skating—but seeing this view with a beautiful woman. Well, that would be on the top of anyman’slist.”

My insides melted completely. So freaking romantic. I lifted my face, and he leaned closer—his sharp features blurring as his lips met mine. His kiss was exactly like him—firm, experienced, demanding. It was the beautiful unfamiliarity of kissing someone new. Not knowing when his mouth would open and capture my breath, not knowing when that thrust of tongue would happen, and most of all, not knowing what would happen next. I pushed my body against his, enjoying every new sensation and the warmth of his arms wrapped around me. Snow, what snow? All I feltwasheat.

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