Page 79 of Offside for Christmas
"Cole!" Finn called, nearly tripping over his own skates but recovering with a proud grin.
Cole crouched down, steadying him. "You okay there, champ?"
"Yep! Watch this!" Finn pushed off, gliding a few feet before landing squarely on his backside. The impact echoed across the ice, followed by a small groan.
Cole winced, then skated over and helped him up. "You’re tougher than half the guys on the team," he said, ruffling Finn’s helmet.
"Really?"
"Really. But next time, maybe bend your knees a little more, yeah?"
Finn nodded, his grin returning full force. "Got it!"
Ellie smiled. There was something disarming about watching Cole with the kids—how patient he was, how easily he laughed. He wasn’t the guarded, defensive man she had met a few weeks ago. Light.She couldn’t believe she had let him persuade her toskate today—well, it was his shoulder, not her legs, that was injured, which had convinced her. And maybe his smile.
For the next hour, Ellie watched Cole Hansen—grumpy, defensive, always-ready-to-run Cole Hansen—teach kids to skate. To shoot. To love the game the way he'd once loved it, before injuries and trades and bar fights had complicated everything.
He was patient. Encouraging. Genuine. When a little boy fell and started crying, Cole scooped him up, checked for injuries, and had him laughing within minutes. When a girl finally made her first goal, Cole celebrated like she'd won the Stanley Cup.
"You're staring," Sophie said, appearing at Ellie's elbow with two cups of hot chocolate.
"He's good with them." Ellie accepted the hot chocolate, wrapping her cold fingers around the warm cup.
"He's good with you too."
"Sophie—"
"I'm just saying. Look at him, El. He's happy. Like, genuinely happy. And it’s because of this place. Because of you."
Ellie smiled faintly, eyes still on the ice. “Maybe it’s just nice to see someone fall in love with hockey again.”
“Or someone,” Sophie teased.
Ellie nudged her. “You really don’t quit, do you?”
“Not when I’m right.”
Ellie turned toward her, studying the faint shadows under Sophie’s eyes. “You’ve been running yourself ragged this week. You okay?”
Sophie gave a small shrug. “Between shifts at the café and taking care of Dad, it feels like I barely see the daylight.”
Ellie’s expression softened. “You should let someone help you for once. You don’t have to do everything alone.”
A smile tugged at Sophie’s mouth. “Maybe. But you don’t get to choose who gets sick, right?”
Sophie handed her cup to Ellie. “Well, I can at least make sure you don’t burn yourself out on top of it. Let me help. Even if it’s just bringing you cocoa.”
Sophie laughed quietly, warm and tired. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Maybe.” Ellie leaned against the boards, watching Cole lift Finn high into the air after a successful shot, both of them laughing. “Or maybe I just know how to take care of my friends.”
Sophie bumped her shoulder playfully. “Yeah, I’ll let you think that.”
Ellie sipped her cocoa, smiling. “And you’ll let me.”
COLE
"Hey," he said, coming up beside her.
