Page 13 of Sporting Goods

“You never actually asked me anything. You came in for an entirely different reason.” I shook a finger at her. “So either you come clean, or I will.”

“What? You have absolutely no right. He is my kid. Parents lie all the time.”

“But this was such an easy ask, there’s really no excuse.”

She threw her hands up in the air. “Okay, fine, do you know anyone who can teach my son to skate…like well?”

I swallowed. Somehow unable to stop myself. “As a matter of fact, I do.”

“Really?”

“Yes, and I believe the first hour is no charge.”

Her eyes lit. “That’s amazing. Is this person free tomorrow?” she laughed.

“Mom.” Jax ran up to us, Sam not far behind him. “Look at all these.” He squinted up at me. “I hope it’s okay I took a few.”

“More than okay,” I flipped through the stack to see his picks. Getting to know the kids interests. I had quite a few baseball stickers and cards in the box and he avoided those.

Yeah, this kid was done.

“Hey Jax, tomorrow, you and me at the youth hockey center. We see what you can do and sharpen your skills, what do you say?”

His perfect blue eyes lit with disbelief. “Really?”

Rayne held up her hands. “Wait what? You?”

I straightened and grinned at Rayne. “Yes. Me. Is that a problem?”

“You skate? Like well enough to teach?”

I rubbed my chin. “I think so.”Wow she really had no idea who I was.I guess it was a matter of time before people forgot.

That or I was never anyone to begin with.

“No no no. I didn’t mean—I only asked because I thought you would know someone… you run a store, you don’t have that kind of time.”

I patted the kid on the back and smiled politely at Sam. “Glad you stopped by.” I hiked my brows at Rayne. “Speaking of which, if you’ll excuse me, I expect to get pretty busy this afternoon with a spur of the moment sale.” I started walking backwards. “Noon at the youth center. That work?”

She rolled her eyes but agreed.

6

I rarely leftthe store in the middle of the day. On Sunday, it had been clear skies all day, but the moment I walked out to the lot, thunder rolled and the downpour started. If this weren’t a Goddamn sign this was a mistake, I didn’t know what was. I quickly checked the trunk for my skates and jumped in my car already soaking wet.

If Rayne and Jax even bothered showing up today, it was going to be a skating lesson. That was it. One lesson. As a favor. Or—hell what was it? Why was I doing this again?

No, it wasn’t for the woman, if anything she was the exact reason not to. It was the kid—or his situation maybe? Heck something about those two made it impossible to say no. Impossible to turn the other direction when I knew I could help.

It had been a while since I went to the rink or even touched my skates for that matter. A sudden rush of anticipation settled in me. A painful memory of cascading smoothly over polished ice. Why would something like that be painful? Because I gave it up.

All too soon.

I pressed on the answer button on the screen when Tisch called.

“What’s up?”

“You coming back to close?”

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