Page 29 of The Only Goal

Crouching back down by the bed, I get eye level with Kai and see if I can coax a proper smile out of him. I have no idea what to say or how to relate to a kid this age, but…

Yes, you do. You coach Mini Mite hockey.

I reach for a stick and pull it out of the bag.

“You like hockey?”

Kai eyes the stick, his right shoulder hitching.

“You ever watched a game?”

He shakes his head.

“Okay, well, it’s my favorite sport. Casey loves it too.” Even the mention of the guy’s name makes Kai’s eyes light up. “And do you know what I do two afternoons a week?” I wait to see if he’ll respond. When he just keeps staring at me, I hold out the stick to him. “I coach kids about your age how to play. Here.”

I jiggle the stick, and he cautiously takes it off me.

“That’s it.” I grin, standing up and grabbing another stick. I look ridiculous because it’s so small compared to my own, but I bend down and get my stance about as good as I can. “Now, you want to hold it here and here.” I show him where his hands should go and then move around behind him to correct his stance. “Good job.” I copy him and demonstrate. “Now, you swing back like this and then hit through like… this.” I swing the stick, hitting an invisible puck and holding my stance for a second before looking down at him.

He assesses me for a long, slow beat before trying to mimic what I did.

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s good.” I correct his elbow, then crouch down and ask him to show me again. He executes it pretty damn well, and I grin, searching the room for something he can hit.

One of Fezzik’s soft toys is just under my bed where he left it, and I snatch it out, placing it on the ground and instructing Kai to hit it.

He misses the first time, only skimming the top. His little face pulls into a frustrated pout, which makes me laugh.

“It’s okay. Try again.”

His eyebrows dip together, his tongue poking at the side of his mouth, as he lines himself up and let’s rip.

The toy goes flying, spiraling across my room and thumping against the wall before dropping back to the floor.

“Yes!” I hold up my hand for a high five, and he gives me a hesitant look before grinning and jumping up, slapping his little palm against my open hand.

It feels like the win of the century.

CHAPTER 13

TAMMY

The kitchen smells amazing as Rachel and I test out one of her latest recipes. She wants to perfect her high tea menu. Right now, we’re working on her scone recipe. We’ve made them small so they’ll fit onto the tiered plates she’s ordered, but trying to get the texture “just right” is turning out to be quite the mission. The counter is crowded with baking trays of various designs—from plain scones to ones with dates and another with cranberries.

I nibble on the apple and cheddar creations that have just come out of the oven.

“Oh my gosh,” I groan. “The flavor is so great.”

Rachel’s nose wrinkles. “But the texture is still pretty crumbly. I want them to feel like they’re biting into a fluffy cloud, you know?”

“These are not far off,” I assure her. “I think you’re being too hard on yourself. Seriously, I could eat this whole tray. In fact, these would be great made bigger as like a one-off order. There’ll be some people who just want a little bite and a drink, you know? You could have a glass cabinet with a bunch of yummies on display.”

“That’s true. I’ve been thinking about that, actually.” She pulls out a notebook and starts flipping through the pages. “I’ve been jotting down ideas of one-off items, but I’m liking your thoughts on the glass display cabinet. We could make it look so pretty.” Her eyes start to dance, and I can’t help but get in on her enthusiasm. What she’s trying to achieve here is so cool.

And in just a few weeks, the place will open for the first round of guests and visitors.

Mikayla’s father and step-grandfather are already working on the soft launch. From what Rachel’s told me, their marketing team has been emailing constantly with details of what they’re promoting and how it’s all going to go down.

There’s a giveaway running for exclusive weekends in November, and apparently entries are flying in. Plus, on November first, the doors to the café will open for high tea. Rachel is putting together a warm, wintery selection that will be the perfect escape from the icy winds outside. She’s got this whole spiel the marketing team have been helping her with.

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