Page 23 of Sporting Goods

My chest burned when I thought about the irony of it all. No matter his price for these lessons, this family—this broken, screwed up family owed him more.

I owed him the truth at the very least.

And then what? Guilt him into keeping his promise to your kid?

I jumped when Sam came out of her room. Her bedhead was picture-worthy but I wasn’t in the mood to laugh.

“What’s got you so edgy? And shouldn’t you be sleeping? You don’t have to be up at the crack of dawn anymore.”

I gripped my coffee and stared into the floating foam as if it held answers. “I’m trying to figure out what to do today,” I muttered.

She came to sit on the counter stool next to me, and within a matter of seconds, I broke down and told my best friend the karma of my life.

It was disheartening to see nothing but a wicked grin on her face when I was done.

“What?”

She laughed. “This is by far, the best kind of karma.”

“I know.”

“Not for you, stupid. For Max.”

I blinked. Did she think this was a game?

She slid off the seat and poured herself a cup. “How perfect is it that hissonis being trained by his hockey nemesis?”

“Hardly. He eliminated his nemesis and competition over two years ago.”

“Yes, but you have to admit, if Max found out, it’ll make his blood boil.”

And the violence that followed…

“No. I need to end this. And I’m doing it after tonight’s session.”

Sam sank into the cushions. “That’s too bad. I really like Logan.”

Me too.

“Sweets. I get you’re trying to do the noble thing here, but you’ve got a kid to look out for.Priorities. Isn’t that what you’re always telling yourself? Jax wants those lessons one way or another. Who wins if you tell him a truth that quite frankly has zero to do with you? Certainly Jax doesn’t win if he’s stuck with amateur lessons from those con’s at the YHC.”

I shook my head in hesitation. Sam’s arguments were convincing, no matter what she argued for. But I was trained in resisting her ways. “He’s helping Jax out of the goodness of his heart. He certainly doesn’t need the money. I won’t take advantage.”

She shrugged but nodded as if she expected my ultimate decision.

9

Something was off with Rayne.When they arrived at the arena, she avoided eye contact, didn’t say much and I could have sworn she was hesitant on Jax jumping in the rink with me. As if I were a stranger.

Technically I still very much was.

I shook it off for the fifth time that session and carried on with my pupil. I was never a fan of kids. The sooner they came, whined, and left my store, the better. But this kid was the light and laughter of my days.

Single-handedly mending my adversity to the ice, with just his presence, trust, and faith in me. And maybe with the way his face lit with confidence he didn’t know he had when I taught him to move.

It was only our fourth lesson. We had at least that many more to go before his tryout.

“Alright, your balance is getting better. Now let’s try that same glide again… with these.” I reached for the kid sized sticks, but no pucks yet.

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