Page 19 of Breaking the Ice

“Pleeeeease,” Travis and Trent add.

It isn’t until Tommy offers his, “PEEEEEEES,” that Kelly concedes.

“Fine, but just this once. Uncle Zach will be here for two months, so tonight is the only special occasion night.” She eyes them so closely you’d think she was inspecting them for lice. “Agree to my terms,” she orders.

After three, “Yes, Moms,” and one “Yummy, ice cream!” I lead the boys to the kitchen. Kelly puts out bowls while I fill them.

Putting two scoops in each dish, I announce, “A little birdie told me you like cookie dough ice cream the best.”

“What bird?” Trent sounds confused.

“Yeah, birds don’t talk,” Travis confirms. “Unless it was a parrot, but we don’t know any parrots.”

“Ellie Butler told me,” I explain.

The boys look at me like I’m nuts for referring to Ellie as a bird, but their attention is soon diverted by carrying their bowls to the kitchen table.

Kelly looks intrigued. “So, you’ve met Ellie. She’s great, isn’t she?”

“She’s something,” I say. Kelly quirks an eyebrow, so I explain, “The only way she’d let me move in a day early was if I agreed to wash the windows of her cottage.”

Kelly valiantly tries not to laugh in my face. “You could have stayed here,” she says before teasing, “I would have only made you shampoo the carpets.”

I pick up my ice cream off the counter and take it to the table to sit with the kids. Lifting my spoon, I announce, “I’ve never had cookie dough ice cream.” Four sets of brown eyes turn to me in shock, so I explain, “I’m more of a butter pecan kind of guy.”

“That’s what Dad eats,” Terry says with his mouth full.

“Speaking of Troy, where is he?” I ask.

“Probably up at the lodge making sure everything is ready for his team,” Kelly says. “He’s pretty excited.”

“I hear it’s a great crew,” I say before taking a bite from my dish. The base is vanilla but there are chunks of actual cookie dough—holy yum!

“It really is. Troy got Dan Roberts, one of the guys from his old team, others he knew from the Olympics and then there were referrals. Dan recommended a buddy from his college days named Dawson. And you know your brother. He’s trying to jump start the career of a couple of guys who fell off the radar. The assistant coach is a former star who left the ice because his wife passed away.”

The last comment hits hard. I can’t imagine having a spouse yet, let alone losing her. “It sounds like Troy is planning to raise a sizable amount, if he thinks he can match my two mil with corporate sponsors.”

Kelly nods her head. “He’s hoping to inspire people to become more charitable. So many folks sit around feeling so overwhelmed they can’t solve the big problems of life, they forget that if we all did something, no matter how small, the big problems wouldn’t be nearly as daunting.”

Troy and Kelly have always been community minded. They’re true inspirations. “That’s a good way of looking at things.”

Once we’ve finished our ice cream, I tell the older boys to go grab a ball so we can go outside and throw it around for a bit.

Travis shakes his head. “We’d rather go to the rink.”

“We’re really good,” Terry says. “But we’re not ready to turn pro yet.” I love that they have such big dreams, but I can’t imagine anything else with the parents they have.

“You should probably grow up first,” I tease.

“Duh, but you know how it is, Uncle Zach. You’ve got to spend every free minute on the ice if you want to become a legend like ‘Dan the Man’ Roberts,” he proudly boasts, naming the local Maple Falls guys who made it to the NHL. “That’s what I’m gonna be—a legend.”

“Not a legend like your dad, huh?” I tease him.

A grimace crosses my nephew’s face. “Dad was great and all, but Dan is still doing it, you know?”

“I know,” I tell him. I remember being just as excited as he is when I was a kid. It never occurred to me my career would get cut short just as it was taking off. Looking over at Kelly, I tell her, “I can take the three older boys if you’re good with that.”

“You can’t take us without Tommy,” Terry says. “He skates better than he walks.” Kelly nods her head to confirm the truth of her eldest’s statement.

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