Page 49 of Desperate Pucker
She flashes a warm smile and reaches across the table to shake my hand. “Hey! It’s so nice to meet you.”
“You too,” I say.
Abby gestures to the empty chair next to her. “We saved you a seat.”
I sit down next to her.
“Gavin tells me that you’re the skating coach for some of the guys on the team, including Ryker,” Abby says.
“Yeah, he and Camden are the first guys I trained.”
“You’ve done an amazing job. Ryker was incredible tonight.”
I smile. “Thank you.”
“I heard what he said about you during post-game press. He’s clearly in awe of you.”
“I don’t know about that. We didn’t really get along when I started training him.”
Still smiling, she quirks an eyebrow. “Really?”
I nod. “This is my first time working as a skating coach. He wasn’t comfortable working with someone with so little experience.”
She waves a hand. “You’re an incredible figure skater. Obviously you know what you’re doing.”
I smile again, heartened by her praise.
“I’ve heard Ryker can be a little grumpy when it comes to hockey and training,” Abby says.
I chuckle. “That’s definitely true.”
“Would you believe he’s my seven-year-old daughter’s favorite player on the team?” Abby laughs when my brow hits my hairline.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. It’s so sweet. Whenever Emma and I go to a game, Ryker will skate over and say hi. He’ll sign a puck for her or take a photo with her. And when we all get together, she always wants to hang out with him. They even have their own little fist bump handshake. It’s really cute.”
The center of my chest goes gooey imagining Ryker acting so soft and playful around kids.
Ingrid hands me a glass of champagne. I thank her and hold up my glass as she toasts the team.
“Congrats on the win, guys!” she says. They all whistle and cheer. Her fiance, Del, kisses her.
I visit with Abby and learn that she’s a kindergarten teacher at the same school that Dakota teaches at. She’s also an artist in her spare time.
“Abby just opened up an online store to sell her paintings,” Dakota says. She pulls up her phone and shows me the site.
I scan the gorgeous oil pastel works. “Wow. Abby, these are beautiful. You’re so talented.”
Coach Porter looks at her, the hint of a smile on his face. “She is, isn’t she?”
Abby kisses his cheek. I smile. It’s cute to see Coach Porter, who’s always so serious and no-nonsense, be so affectionate with his girlfriend.
“St. George! You made it!” Xander hollers.
I look up and see Ryker walking toward our table. Xander slaps him on the back when he sits in the chair next to him.
“We gotta do shots in honor of this guy.” Xander waves down a server and orders a round of tequila shots.
