Page 8 of My Best Bet

She was practically bouncing on the bench with excitement. “I’m ready. NowI’mskating andyou’rein the stands. This is like a flip-flop day!” she quietly exclaimed.

A genuine laugh escaped my lips. “Yeah, flip-flop day.”

What she didn’t know was that we’d be “flip-flopped” permanently here pretty soon.

My professional career was starting to come to an end– I wasn’t in denial about that like some guys. I was actually secretly looking forward to the day I retired. I still loved home games. And I loved playing. Hell, I lovedwinning. But… It wasn't a secret that I was starting to dread away games. My head just wasn’t in those games at all, and my coaches noticed.

While I used to love road trips– flying out with my buddies, seeing new cities, upsetting the home crowds when we won…. Now I was just nervous the whole time because I hated leaving Lucy for multiple days in a row.

Maybe I’d feel differently if I had a partner because then Lucy could stay at home and sleep in her own bed while I was gone. The trips wouldn't be as big of a disruption for her. But because it was just me and Lu, she had to go to my parents when I left, and it really wasn’t a secret that Lucy didnotlike that arrangement

When she was younger, I don’t think she noticed my absence as much, but now it felt like I was breaking her little heart every time I left– and that brokemyheart.

When I finished lacing up her skates, she hopped to her feet, already comfortable on blades, and grabbed my hand.

“Areyouready?” she asked, glancing up at me with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

“Yeah.” A shaky laugh escaped me. “I’m a little nervous, baby.”A littlewas an understatement. My knees suddenly felt wobbly.

“What for?” She giggled.

“For you, silly.” I gave her hand a little squeeze. “You’ll tell me if you don’t like it, right?”

“Right.” She gave a firm nod.

“We can try a different sport or activity. Anything you want, okay?”

Completely ignoring me now, she continued pulling me toward the rink door.

Pushing inside, the cold air blasted at us and the usual hum of the rink filled the air.

Two other little girls were walking toward the opening in the boards with their mothers in tow. Those two girls looked likethey were already friends, and they were dressed differently than Lu. They had on stretchy leggings and matching zip-ups.

Shit, did I already fuck this?

I rubbed at my chest again as we waited for the buzzer to go off that signaled the start of the next session.

“You think I’ll be good?” Lucy asked. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, suddenly looking nervous. I hated that she was feeling any sort of insecurity.

My knees cracked as I bent down so I was eye-level with her. I took both of her gloved-hands in mine. “I think you’ll be brilliant,” I said, my breath hanging in the cold air. “Besides, you’re Colt Conover’s daughter,” I said with over-the-top confidence.

She rolled her eyes, making her look more like a teenager than a five-year-old.

“And if you’re not brilliant, then who cares?” I shrugged.

Her shoulders and face relaxed a little, but she was still slightly trembling, and I couldn't tell if it was from nerves or the cold.

“But don’t worry, you’ll be great,” I added with a grin. “And I bet after a couple lessons you’ll be able to beat Kappy in a skate race.”

She giggled. “You really think so?”

“I know so,” I said, standing to my full height now that she felt a little better.

The mothers of the two other girls smiled at me. I gave a nod and had to push away the slightly awkward feeling and the usual guilt that seeped in over Lu having a dad here doing this instead of a mom. I think she was still too young to really take notice, but I hoped she wouldn’t mind when she did.

“Okay, it said that your coach will come out here and talk to you all before your lesson.”

The buzzer went off, signaling the start of her lesson, but instead of excitement, her face dropped. With a panicked look, she motioned for me to kneel back down to her level.

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