Page 104 of One Good Puck
“Excellent choice,” Ryker says.
We all turn around and see him walking up to us, holding a basket with a bunch of Bashers hats and t-shirts.
“Seven is my number,” Ryker says to Emma, who smiles at him.
“You’re really big,” Emma says. We all laugh. Even Ryker cracks a smile.
“You’re Emma, right?” Ryker says.
She nods.
“I’m Ryker. I met your mom at Xander and Sophie’s engagement party. You look just like her.”
Emma beams. “Everyone says that. Hey, do you look like your mom too?”
We all chuckle again. Ryker does too. “A little bit.”
“That’s the jersey you want?” Sophie asks Emma, pointing to Ryker’s jersey on the wall.
“Yup!”
Ryker grabs a children’s jersey from the stack of folded ones on the wall and holds it up to Emma.
“Should we try it on?” Sophie asks. Emma nods.
While Sophie slips the jersey over Emma’s clothes, I turn to Ryker and Xander.
“What are you guys doing here?” I ask.
“Picking up some Bashers t-shirts for my cousins,” Xander says.
“Same,” Ryker says. “And hats. I’ve got family visiting this weekend.”
We glance over at Emma, who’s grinning as she spins around in her jersey.
“It’s a little big, but that’s good,” Sophie says. “You’ll grow into it.”
The corner of Ryker’s mouth quirks up when he looks at Emma wearing his jersey. He leans down and holds uphis hand to Emma for a high-five. When she jumps up and smacks his palm, he chuckles softly.
We all head to the register and pay for our stuff. Xander and Ryker head out while Sophie, Emma, and I walk back to my office.
“I’m gonna bedazzle my jersey,” Emma says.
“Bedazzle? What’s that mean?” I ask.
“I have these red and pink sparkles and a cool bedazzling tool in my backpack. I’ll show you.”
When we’re back in my office, she grabs her pink backpack and pulls out a chunky purple stamper kit and a container of pink and red gemstones.
“I’m gonna put these jewels on the number seven,” she says. “Won’t that look so cool?”
I chuckle. “It will look very cool. Want some help?”
She nods, and I set the jersey and her bedazzling kit on my desk. I move her chair closer so she can reach, then watch as she punches the first red plastic gemstone on the jersey.
“Should we do pink next?” I ask.
Emma beams. “Yeah!”
