Page 41 of Crack the Ice

MAVERICK

I should have left fifteen minutes ago. I’m probably going to be late, but I can’t make myself walk away. Not when she’s got her guard down like this, not when we’re finally talking like we’re friends. I didn’t even think to have these kids come to book club, but I should have known the women in my life would fill in the blind spots for me.

The five of them are a force to be reckoned with, and truthfully, I’m beyond thankful that they’re on my team. I never had any doubt that they’d band together for these kids, but to see it in action? It’s something else altogether. “Let me know what I owe you for their books. I need to head out, or the kids are going to make me skate laps for being late.”

Kait’s hand swats the air. “Nothing, Reed. It’s my treat.”

These women are freaking impossible. “Okay then, what do I owe you for the cookies?”

My question pulls a smile out of her, one she desperately tries to hide by letting her hair fall in front of her face. “Not a thing, Mavy. Maybe bring some pretzels or something. You know, sweet and salty.”

“Sweet and salty, huh?”

“Yeah, maybe some sour straws, too.” She bites down softly on her lip, letting it roll against her teeth until it pops free.

I see Kait watching our interaction with rapt attention. She’s never been this free with me around Kait. And considering Kait came into the picture after we’d fallen apart, I wonder what she sees. Does she see two kids in love, or two adults who lost their way and one who’s desperately trying to find his way back?

“Sounds like my kind of party.” I rap my knuckles against the counter, still trying to figure out how to stay longer. Afraid that the second I walk through the door, she’ll go back to acting like we’re strangers.

“I’m going to need the CliffNotes,” Kait says, breaking Cecilia and me from our stare-off.

She tucks her black hair behind her ear, turning to her sister-in-law and giving her just that. “When we were younger, we used to have movie night almost every Friday. Lana was the one who always wanted sweets, Mav wanted sour, and I wanted salt. Eventually, I started making snack trays because we all kept stealing each other’s food. That way, we had a little bit of everything.”

“Huh, that’s not a bad idea. We should try that.” Kait scribbles something down on a piece of paper before looking back up at me. “Can you figure out what the guys like? I can go get it when Cecy and I make our Costco run later.”

“No,” I say flatly. “I’ll get it. You two are doing enough as it is.”

“You’re depriving me of a Costco trip, Reed?” Lily stomps her foot and angrily puts her hands on her hips.

My lips tick up at the corner—such a spitfire. I pity the fool who falls for this girl later in life. “How about we go when I pick you up later?”

Her nose crinkles over the bridge. “But you and Cade will be stinky from practice. I don’t want to be in the car with you two.”

I shove my hands in my pockets, my fingers running over my key fob. “I’ll make sure we smell fresh as daisies, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Fine. But I want the big thing of peanut butter pretzels as a reward for putting up with you two.”

Cecy slaps her hand over her mouth, eyes wide as she looks between Lily and me. “Damn, Mavy. She’s got you wrapped around her finger.”

So do you.

I turn on my heel, waving to the three of them over my shoulder. “Have a good day, ladies. Don’t get into too much trouble.”

“Bye, Reed.” They sing in unison.

Damn, if that doesn’t make me feel like the richest man in the world.

“Most everything is done in C’s,” I say, setting up on the red ring of the face-off circle. “To give you a better picture, watch my skates as I move.”

This week’s hockey camp is all about skills development. Everyone here is on a team outside of this, but even us as professional players have off-season sessions where we hone our skills. If not, we’d fall behind, and that’d be the end of our career. It’s a never-ending cycle. I happen to love it.

“Bend your knees, you can’t skate backward on straight legs.” I point to my knees, then my hips. “Your hips should go back as well. Think sitting in a chair. Your butt should be a good inch further back and down when you’re skating backward as opposed to your regular position.” I then push my right leg out, creating a C shape using the inside edge of my skate, kissing the red line before shifting my hips and doing the same on the other side. “Make sure that when you start, the weight is in your heel. When you get to the end, the weight should be in your toes. The initial C push is super important for momentum and speed.”

“Let’s split up into two groups, and practice skating from red line to blue line. Then we can work the circles a bit later. Alright?” I blow the whistle attached to my glove, and they all move to the line, one group ready to go, the other directly behind them.

I blow the whistle again, and watch as they move down the ice. Monroe and Sammy are on the other end running passing drills, then we’ll all come back together to work on shooting. Wilson and Andrews are in the gym with a few of the high school teams, and after lunch, we’ll switch. I love getting to do this, coaching kids who were once in the position I was. Hungry for progress, determined to get better every day, even if it’s only a little bit.

It’s times like these that I entertain the thought of coaching after I retire. It doesn’t have to be an NHL team. In all honesty, I’d rather it not be. I feel like my skills would best be used in settings like this. Helping to raise and train the next generation of pro players. It starts here, and it’s hilarious to see how prideful some of them get when we go back to the basics. Humbling them might be the most fun part.