Page 37 of Snow, Ice, and Spice
She shrugs. “Sometimes it’s best to lean into the chaos.”
I glance over at the kids, who are skating and screaming and laughing and playing. “You’re right about that.” I shove my gloved hands into my pockets and laugh. “God, what was I thinking? Did I honestly think that a group of five- and six-year-olds would be able to run through structured hockey drills for four hours?”
I shake my head. Maya pats my shoulder. “They’ll get there eventually. They just need to get some of their energy out first, eat some food, then they’ll be good to go.”
Three hours later, after skating and playing and the kids have had a snack along with rest time and a bathroom break, they’re calmer. We’re back down at the pond and the kids are standing around me, watching as I pick up a puck with my hockey stick and tap it a dozen times in the air before shooting it across the pond and into the net I set up.
When all the kids let out a collective, “Whoa…” I laugh.
Half the kids shout that they want to learn how to do it. Maya and I grab the gear bags we brought down and dump out a bunch of sticks and pucks. For the rest of the hour we have left, I’m able to work with each of the kids and show them how to balance the pucks and tap them on their sticks while Maya takes photos and videos to send to their parents.
Maya announces that it’s 1 p.m., meaning it’s the end of day one of hockey camp.
“Everyone, let’s pack up and get ready for your moms and dads to come get you,” she says.
When most of the kids go “aww” with disappointment, I feel a tug of joy in my chest.
“But I wanna play for longer,” Annabelle says.
I smile down at her and lightly pat her shoulder. “We’ll play some more tomorrow.”
She perks up at what I’ve said. Parker fist-pumps the air. The rest are smiling at the thought of coming back. Damn. I think that means they liked spending their day here with me and Maya. Despite how I completely fucked up the first part of the day, they still had a good time. And they’re even looking forward to coming back.
As I let the shock of that realization work through me, I help the kids pack up their things and lead them back up to the house. Maya brews up some hot cocoa for everyone to drink while they wait for their parents to pick them up. A few of them notice Mr. Pudding the betta fish, and I show them how to feed him. When the last kid leaves, I shut the front door, spin around, and fall back-first into the door. Maya laughs.
“Holy shit.” I huff out a breath. “We did it.”
She walks over and high-fives me. “We pulled it off. Day one of hockey camp is in the books. And judging by how the kids responded, they enjoyed it and are excited to come back tomorrow.”
I push off the door and glance around, smiling to myself. “I can’t believe it.”
Just then the text alert on Maya’s phone goes off. She beams at her screen before showing it to me. I quickly read the texts.
Parker said he had the best time and can’t wait to come back tomorrow!
Another text pops up, this one from Dylan. Maya and I read it together.
Annabelle can’t wait for tomorrow. Can’t thank you enough for setting up such a fun weekend camp, man. This is a godsend, she hates every other activity we’ve signed her up for.
My phone buzzes with a text, this time from my teammate Isaac’s wife.
Sloane and Emerson won’t stop talking about how much fun they had. They’re excited to show me the cool trick Coach Theo showed them lol. And they’ve said about five times that Coach Maya makes the best hot cocoa.
I’m grinning so wide my cheeks hurt. I look at Maya, who’s beaming.
I feel a weird pull in my chest. It’s not just because I’m stunned at how beautiful she looks when she’s happy. It’s more than that. It’s the fact that working together with her was a blast today and I can’t wait to do it again tomorrow, and every other weekend for the next two months that we scheduled for this hockey camp.
It’s how much I like being around her. It’s how, despite how much she couldn’t stand me before, she agreed to help me with this camp.
Like she cares about me.
The longer that thought bounces around in my head, the more that pull in my chest intensifies.
I clear my throat as I look at her. “Hey, um, thanks again for saving the day today. It would have been a disaster without you.”
For a moment she looks surprised. Maybe it’s because of how soft and low my voice is. But I want her to know that I mean it.
A rosy flush paints her beautiful tan complexion. Her eyes are shy. “It was nothing.”
