Page 36 of The Puck Decoy

All he does is smirk. “Hmm, give me a couple of hours and I bet I could change your mind on that,” he winks, pulling out of the parking lot and driving in the direction of town.

We are only in the car for about ten minutes, talking about our day and practice, when he pulls into another parking lot, one I recognize instantly. We are at the local ice rink, one I know to be shut on monday evenings, yet still he kills the engine and begins to climb out.

“Well, are you coming or not?” he tosses over his shoulder, before he slams the door and moves to grab his bag from the trunk.

There are other cars in the lot and I note that the lights are on inside the rink, which only adds to my confusion as I climb out the door and walk after him. “Josh, what are we doing here? I thought this place was closed during the week.”

“It is,” he replies instantly, moving towards the door and opening it for me, and then gesturing for me to step inside.

I walk down the hallway, lowering my voice as I snap, “Then I repeat, what the hell are we doing here?”

Josh doesn’t answer, guiding me through the reception area until we reach the rinkside and my eyes widen as I take in the numerous families idling around waiting for something. Before I can ask Josh what it is, my ears are assaulted by the sound of multiple kids screeching his name in greeting.

“Josh!” They scream, abandoning their parents and storming towards him in their little group, as I stand frozen to the spot in shock. Yet my husband seems anything but surprised, the kids collar themselves around his legs and torso, all talking over one another, and all he does is smile.

“Sorry I’m late guys, practice went a little over. Are you ready to get to work?” he asks, and they all scream yes, and he nods his head at their parents in greeting as they all start moving past me to leave.

What the hell is going on?

“Okay then strap up your skates and let's go,” he calls out, and they all start rushing towards the ice, as he drops himself onto a bench and pulls out his own skates.

I move to sit next to him, mind still totally reeling, and just stare at him until he finally looks at me and admits, “I teach a class here every week, just basic skating and a little hockey, nothing major.”

“Nothing major?” I repeat. “Josh, this is huge, why didn’t you tell me sooner?” If I thought he couldn’t surprise me after the whole will you marry me thing then I was wrong, because watching the brooding boy with the sad smile tighten his skates so he can go and teach some kids has my heart soaring in my chest.

“I haven’t told anyone,” he admits with a shrug, focusing back on his skates as he adds quietly, “I do this just for me, and for the kids.”

How the fuck did someone as amazing as him grow up in the shadow of Hugo Peters and all of his bullshit?

“You’re amazing, Josh Peters, do you know that?” I tell him with a smile, as he finishes with his skates and turns back to me.

“Well if my wife thinks so then it must be true,” he jokes, grabbing some gloves from his bag, and then zipping it up.

“Your wife thinks she is lucky to have you,” I tell him truthfully, wishing in this moment more than ever before, that all of this was real.

As if hearing the direction of my thoughts he laughs sadly, “It’s okay, Hals, you don’t have to pretend, no one can hear you.”

His words have me assessing him in a whole new light, and before I can open my mouth to respond, the doors burst open and a woman with whoI can presume is her daughter comes rushing inside. The mom is dressed in some sort of diner uniform, with her hair piled on top of her head, and a tiredness clinging to her like I have never seen. Whereas the girl looks immaculate with her matching hat, gloves and scarf set, that go well with the pink skates she is holding in her hand. She reminds me a lot of Maddie with her bright blond hair and blue eyes, and I can’t help but smile at her.

“Josh, hey, sorry we’re late,” the mother rushes out, as the girl silently moves to sit on the bench opposite us, as if she has done it a hundred times before.

“No worries, Callia, I haven’t even started yet,” Josh greets her with a genuine, knowing smile, before eyeing the little girl. “And how’s my favorite student, Pen?” The girl says nothing, and when Josh flicks his stare back to her mom she just shrugs. “Okay, well we’ll see you at the diner later?” he adds, and the woman, Callia, nods gratefully, and I am left more confused than ever.

“Thank you so much, Josh, you have no idea how much I appreciate this,” she tells him, before taking one last look at her daughter. “I’ll see you later, okay Pen?”

The girl says nothing and Josh stands to move towards her mom. “Hey, it’s no big deal, don’t worry about her, okay, we’ll be fine.” The woman nods at his words, offering me a smile, before she turns and rushes back out of the doors leaving us alone with a bunch of kids.

I flick my stare to the ice, noting there are around twelve boys ready and waiting for their teacher, yet the little girl still doesn’t move. Without pause Josh pulls out his phone, unlocks it, and hands it to the girl, before tossing me another wink and then moving to get onto the ice, leaving me and the girl alone.

“Hi,” I say in greeting. “My name is Hallie, yours is Pen?” I ask, wondering if it’s short for something, and for the first time, she flicks her stare to me.

“Penelope,” she eventually corrects. “But everyone calls me Pen.”

“Penelope,” I repeat, eyeing her. She can’t be more than seven or eight by my guess, yet her stare gives the impression she is much older. “That’s such a pretty name, aren’t you going to go skate?” Nodding my head to where Josh now has the boys skating back and forth to warm up. I wonder why she isn’t joining in, especially since she has her skates still in her lap.

“Josh teaches me after the boys, he knows I like it better that way,” she starts, looking at me in wonder before she adds, “I don’t get as much time as them, because he has to get me back to my mom, but he always buys me ice cream after.”

Ignoring the multiple questions now floating around in my mind about why Josh does this, or why he looks after her, I instead ask, “Why don’t you like learning with the boys?”

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