Page 70 of Hockey Halloween
I finally dared to face him and found him grinning at me.
“I didn’t hurt you?”
He shook his head. “Quick reflexes. I jerked away so we fell. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. This might not be the sexiest costume, but there’s lots of padding.”
“This one too. If I hadn’t moved, the costume would have probably absorbed everything.”
“It was just habit, trying to balance so I wouldn’t fall over.” I didn’t want him to think I’d fight him if he got close to me. Quite the opposite.
A new voice rang across the ice. “What the hell are you two doing? We’ve got people at the door.”
Kelli
I’m working on it
With the doors open, the kids came in, sometimes singly, sometimes in a group. We helped them find and put on skates in their sizes. Larry and I had to work as a team, but it was awkward. We’d sit two kids together on a bench, but just when I’d be about to tie up the lace, Larry would move his hand and my fingers would slip off and I’d have to start again.
Did I complain? Not a bit. When would I ever get a chance to be this close to Larry Han again?
I didn’t know how many kids were playing hockey in the other rink, but we ended up with ten children, ranging in age from two to eight.
“You guys ready for some skating?” Larry asked.
The eight-year-old shrugged. The two-year-old bit her lip and looked ready to cry. Larry tensed beside me, so I bent toward the toddler. “Who wants to play a game?”
All eyes moved to me, including Larry’s.
I held up my hand, the one connected to him. “I’m Kelli, and my friend is Larry. As you can see, we have to stick together.”
“Were you arrested? Are you criminals?” a girl around seven asked. She stared at us with wide eyes.
“No. We’re not criminals, and we weren’t arrested. It was a joke that got out of hand. Do you have a brother?”
She nodded.
“That’s how it happened. My brother was a dummy.”
“Are you going to be together like that forever?” asked a younger boy.
“That could be a problem.” Oh hell, what if I suddenly had to pee? “Larry and I have jobs to do, and we couldn’t do it handcuffed together. I work for a dentist, and imagine what that would be like!” I mimed cleaning someone’s teeth, and Larry’s arm followed my movements. The younger kids laughed, and a couple of them touched their teeth as if they were recreating the scene.
The eight-year-old stared at the handcuffs. “How are you going to get them off?”
“We’re getting a key to unlock the handcuffs, but until then, Larry and I have to be a team. So, to make things fair, we’re going to pair you guys up and play tag.”
“Tag? That’s a kid’s game.” Because eight was so grown-up.
“Are you a good skater? Cause we’re doing this on the ice.”
“Yeah. I can skate.” He crossed his arms, undoubtedly reflecting an older sibling’s attitude.
“Excellent.” I took a couple of steps, Larry following, and put my free hand on the shoulder of the two-year-old. “This is your partner.”
“What the hell?”
I held up a finger. “If you’re good, we have to handicap you. And please, be careful what you say around the little ones.”
