Page 33 of The Only Goal

With a grin, I skate backward, giving him room to whip around the cone and head back for the goal.

“That’s it! Nice!” I shout, lifting my arms as he fires and hits the back of the net.

He whoops, skating back to his line like he’s just scored in a Stanley Cup Finals game. It’s impossible not to laugh as I high-five him, then turn my attention to the next player.

Rescuing a flying puck from the drill behind me, I flick it back and check on Kai. He’s bundled up in the stands with my jacket wrapped around him. He looks kinda cute engulfed by my clothing with just his little head popping out the top.

Those big brown eyes, just like Tammy’s, are gonna do my heart in, I swear.

I watch him studying the drills with fascination and decide I need to give him some ice time before taking him back to his mama.

Checking the clock on the wall, I bang my stick on the ground and holler, “Two minutes! Go hard. Go hard!”

The energy in the rink picks up another notch as we rush to the end of practice. Then I gather in the group of puffing, exhilarated kids.

“You guys were awesome today.” They grin up at me, their tired little faces splitting into cheesy smiles. “Now, we have a game coming up this weekend, and I know you’re all pumped for it. I’ll figure out the roster and make sure you all get equal ice time and get to play a mix of positions. You need to be here half an hour before game time so you can get suited up before we hit the ice. Any questions?”

A little hand shoots up at the back.

“Yeah, what’s up, Toby?”

“Do you know my grandpa’s coming to watch me?”

“That’s awesome.”

“My dad’s coming!” Shelby shouts.

“My mom too. And my sisters.” Cora jumps in on the action, and soon everyone is telling me who’s attending the game. The student coaches at the back start laughing, and I shut down this shout fest by raising my hands in the air.

They all copy me, shutting their little pieholes and giving me their attention.

“I’m stoked that we’re gonna have lots of support for the game. And if you don’t have anyone sticking around to watch you, don’t worry about it. I’ll be cheering you on, okay?”

Mike, the scrappy little kid near my right foot, nods and gives me a sad smile.

I wink at him, then point for the exit door. “Get going. Don’t leave the locker rooms a mess or you’ll be skating laps next practice.” They scramble up to their skates and head off the rink. “And be good to your parents!” I shout after them, the same way I always do.

They laugh and wave while I skate the rink and start collecting up cones and gear. By the time I’m done, I can see the next group arriving for their practice and skate over to talk to their coach.

“You’re not starting for another fifteen, right?”

He looks at the clock, giving me a friendly thumbs-up.

“Just want to give my kid a little minute on the ice if that’s cool. He’s never skated before.”

The guy gives me a confused frown but nods. I don’t know what that look is about until I jump into the stands and realize I just said my kid. I don’t know how the hell I made that slipup. I guess it was just easier to call Kai mine than try to explain that I’m looking after a friend’s kid.

That wouldn’t have been hard to explain, you idiot. And now that guy thinks you’ve got a kid who’s suddenly appeared in your life, and you’ve never taken him skating before!

I mentally kick myself for the faux pas and try to put on a friendly smile as I take a seat beside Kai.

“Hey, you want a turn?” I point to the rink.

He looks kind of scared, gripping the stick he hasn’t let go of since I handed it to him back at the house.

“I’ll be with you the whole time. It’s definitely one of those things where it looks scarier than it actually is.”

“I can’t go fast,” he murmurs.

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