AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Did I tell you we couldn’t play outside yesterday?” Kinny asked. “It rained.”
He supposed the boot conversation was over. “That’s too bad.”
“Yeah, first, we went outside. But then it got dark and scary, and it started raining really hard, and everyone ran inside. Except me. I stayed outside and watched the rain come down. Look.” She got down off her chair so she could stand and tip her head back. “I did like this. See, Daddy?”
Watching, he mimicked her stance. “Like this?”
“Yes, just like that. So, I could see raindrops falling from the sky. I wanted to get it in my mouth to see what it tasted like, but it got in my eyes and made them sting. Like this.” She raced over to him and attacked him with her little fingernails. “Does that sting?”
“It does. Is that what your eyes felt like with rain falling in them?”
“Yes.”
“So, was it worth it? To watch it rain if you wound up getting hurt?”
She gave it some thought, then nodded with the sincerest expression. “Yes, Daddy. It didn’t hurt that bad.”
“Well, then, next time it rains, I’ll look up at the sky, too. Just to see what it’s like.”
He pulled her lunch box out of the fridge. “Now, go brush your teeth.”
As she skipped away, he called his GM. “I only have a minute. What’s up?”
“I only want a minute. This is just a heads-up to let you know I put you on the reserve list.”
“What?” He must’ve misheard. It made no sense.
“I don’t like the report I got back from Korzak’s PT.”
“Okay, well, if he can’t play, we’ll bring someone up from the minors. But you can’t putmeon the reserve list. I’m the owner.”
“There’s not one player in the minors or on our own roster who’s better than you, and we can’t afford to head into this season with our top goalie injured.”
“I don’t play hockey.”
“You get more time on the ice than most professional players. But that’s beside the point. We’ve got sixty-three players on the list, and we’re allowed ninety. It costs us nothing to have you there. All right, I’ve got to take this call. I’m sending over a contract. Sign it.”
Jaime wasn’t about to get all worked up over a situation that would never happen. Of all the goalies they could call up, it sure as hell wouldn’t be him.He continued cleaning the kitchen until he heard Kinsley trample down the stairs.
“Ready,” she called.
“Oh, it’s you.” He greeted her at the bottom, handing off her backpack. “I thought it was a herd of elephants.”
“Daddy!” Her eyes lit up. “Oh, when I get home, will you read me The Large Family?” She loved the series about a family of elephants.
“You bet.”
“All of the books? Every single one?”
“Like I’d leave one out?” His favorite time of day was when she got home. He always made dinner early so he could hang out with her, do whatever struck her fancy, and basically be the receptacle for the barrage of thoughts swirling around her beautiful mind.
Together, they walked down the driveway. A ranch hand drove by in a golf cart. He slowed to high-five Kinsley. Another guy jumped off his tractor to run over and give her a quick spin in the air. Miss Martha came out of the henhouse with a basket of eggs. She blew kisses and shouted, “Have a great day!”
His girl was loved. If he’d done anything right in his life, it was raising his curious, smart, big-hearted daughter.
The bus roared down the road, and he picked up his daughter and gave her a big hug. “I love you.”
“I love you more, Daddy. After school, can I go to Gracie’s house and have a treat?”
