Page 14 of Wilder

Lexi watched as the girls scrambled to pull their skates from the bag. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t even considered that Kayleigh and Wilder might be siblings. Perhaps the fact that she had none of her own meant it wasn’t the first relationship she reached for as an explanation.

“Thank you for being willing to take the girls on,” Charli said. “They both really love skating, and I would have hated for them to have to stop lessons.”

“What happened to their other teacher?”

Charli’s expression saddened. “Her husband’s mom was diagnosed with cancer, and they moved to be closer to her.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“We were too.”

“How long have they been skating?” Lexi wanted a bit more background before they began their first lessons.

She already knew that she was going to have to approach her time with these two differently than she might have if she’d picked her own students. Her plan had always been to coach up-and-coming competitive skaters. It wasn’t likely that these two were aiming that high.

Just like not every person who took piano lessons went on to play at Carnegie Hall, not every person who took skating lessons went on to compete at Worlds or the Olympics.

Once the girls had their skates on, Lexi sent them onto the ice to do a couple of laps while she put hers on. It didn’t take long, and soon she was stepping onto the ice herself.

Blocking out the audience leaning against the boards, Lexi called for the girls to join her. They same to a stop just a few feet from where she stood.

“Why don’t you each show me your favorite jump and spin?” she said.

Layla quickly volunteered to go first, leaving Amelia with Lexi as she stroked away from them. Lexi could already see areas where Layla would need more work, but she did a passable job on the spin and jump that she’d chosen.

“I haven’t been skating as long as Layla,” Amelia said when Layla was done. “So I’m not very good.”

Lexi knew how her coach would have responded to that, but she took a gentler approach, even though it felt a bit foreign to her. “We all have to start somewhere, and Layla is also older than you. Don’t measure yourself against her. Just do your best.”

Amelia gave a single nod before she set off to do what Lexi had asked of them. It was clear that she was more of a beginner than Layla, but Lexi could see a natural talent in her that didn’t appear as strong in the older girl.

“Good job, both of you.”

For the next hour, Lexi focused on helping them improve the jump they’d each chosen. Though she’d had relatively low expectations of the girls, they both showed that they were there to do the work and not just goof off. She appreciated that they weren’t wasting her—or their—time.

“Do you have any questions about what we’ve done here today?” Lexi asked at the end of the hour.

Both girls shook their head, but then Layla said, “Can you skate for us?”

“Skate for you?”

“I know you can do better jumps than the singles you showed us today,” Layla said.

That was definitely true, as she’d stuck to doing single jumps to illustrate positions and speed to the girls. “I don’t know…”

“Please?” Layla gripped her gloved hands in front of her chest. “You’re my favorite pairs skater.”

“I’m not a pairs skater anymore,” Lexi said, trying to ignore the hurt saying those words caused her.

“I know, but you’re still one of the best skaters.”

Lexi sighed. “What do you want me to do?”

Grinning, Layla said, “We did our favorite jumps and spins for you. How about you do your favorites?”

“Okay. Stand over by the boards.”

CHAPTER FIVE

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