Page 50 of Dancing in the Rain

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“Yeah, I have a Stanley Cup ring.” He grinned at the kid who’d asked the question. “I have three of ’em, actually.”

He sat in Mrs. Macauley’s seventh-grade classroom Tuesday afternoon.

“I don’t wear them because they’re huge,” he continued.

“Which player has the hottest girlfriend?”

He blinked at the boy who’d asked the question. “Uh…”

Mrs. Macauley covered her eyes with one hand. Drew glanced at Peyton, standing at the back of the classroom next to the school principal, fingers to her mouth to hide her smile.

“All I know is, it’s not me.” Drew grinned.

Damn, he actually enjoyed being around kids. This reminded him of how much he’d liked the work he’d done with Paterson House. He missed it.

“Do you think the NHL should ban fighting?”

Drew rolled his lips in as he thought about how to answer that. “No,” he said. “But I don’t condone fighting. And I don’t think the enforcer role is needed anymore. But lots of players think that if there was no fighting there’d be more illegal stick work and hits from behind. I think it’s more important to focus on those illegal hits to the head.”

“How old were you when you started playing hockey?”

“I was six.”

Once more he glanced at Peyton, aware of her in the room. Then he smiled at Chloe sitting beside him.

“Okay, let’s say a big thank-you to Mr. Sellers for coming to talk to us today.” Mrs. Macauley moved toward him.

The kids all yelled“Thank you!”and clapped, and Drew smiled and gave a wave. He leaned down to Chloe. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m going to take you to dance class.”

She nodded, beaming at him. “Okay!”

They exchanged a quick hug, and then he and Peyton left, Mrs. Cardozo, the principal, walking them out.

“Sorry to have caused such a disturbance in the school,” Drew said to her. “I guess Chloe didn’t anticipate that kids wouldn’t believe her when she told them she found out who her dad was.”

“It’s an unusual situation,” Mrs. Cardozo said.

“Yeah, tell me about it,” he muttered. “But it’s a great thing.”

“We’re just so sorry for Chloe’s situation with her mother,” Mrs. Cardozo said softly.

“Yeah. Me, too.”

They paused at the entrance to the school. “Thanks for letting me come and set things straight. Appreciate the interruption to classes for us.”

“It was our pleasure. Chloe’s obviously over the moon about finding you.”

He bit his lip. “Yeah, no pressure at all.”

She smiled. “Good luck with parenting a tween.”

He and Peyton walked out to where he’d parked his car down the street. He’d picked her up at her place on the way there because Sara wanted her to be there, too. Also Sara apparently wanted her to be there when he took Chloe to her hip-hop class Wednesday evening. Whatever.

“You really impressed those kids,” Peyton commented. “And you impressed me with how you handled yourself.”

“Thanks, I guess.” He glanced at her. “What did you expect? That I’d come in there and threaten to punch anyone who laughed at Chloe?”

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