Rhodes squealed, batting at me. “I’m going to get you for this, Copeland Colson.”
I just laughed as I released her, skating backward toward the exit. “I’ll be watching my back, Rho Rho. And I’ve got panther-like reflexes.”
“Reflexes won’t save you when I put laxatives in your coffee!” she yelled.
Hayden laughed as she headed to the ice, looking between Rho and me. “Sister?”
I chuckled. “That obvious, huh?”
“One of my sisters would’ve said the same thing.”
“Good to know I’m not alone.” I pushed back from the boards, skating in reverse. “So, want to show me what you’ve got? We can work on that wrist shot.”
Hayden’s golden eyes widened. “Now?” she squeaked.
“I’ve got exactly fifteen minutes. I think that’s long enough to give you some things to work on.”
She didn’t wait. She ran for the skate counter, grabbed a pair from a shelf along with her stick, and sprinted back.
I laughed as she laced up. “I’m not gonna disappear on you, kid.”
She shook her head. “Not wasting a minute of your fifteen.”
Hell.I admired that sort of dedication. “Okay, do a couple of loops to warm up and then hit it.” I skated into the center of the rink, watching Hayden move across the ice. She had the same grace as the figure skater but there was more power behind it.
Hayden rounded the ice three times before picking up a puck with her stick and heading for the goal. She hit the three positions needed for the shot and the puck hit the net, but it lacked the force she could’ve gotten.
I skated toward her. “You’re thinking about the positions, aren’t you?”
She winced but nodded. “They aren’t second nature yet.”
“They will be with time,” I assured her. “Right now, I actually want you to think about hand placement on the stick. Your thumb is supposed to be pointing down, but it’s shifting to the side. You’re going to lose power and accuracy when that happens.”
Not everyone took critique well. Some argued they weren’t doing that at all or told me I was wrong, but not Hayden. She simply nodded and rounded to make another approach. This time, the shot hit the net with a hell of a lot more force and in the top left corner.
“Hell yeah!” I called.
Hayden beamed. “Thanks, Mr. Colson.”
I winced. “That makes me feel eighty. Just call me Coach.”
“I’ll call you Coach,” a sultry voice purred.
My face screwed up before I stopped myself, and Hayden choked on a laugh. I blanked my expression as I turned around. “Raven.”
“Want to help me with my skating technique?” she cooed.
“Actually, I’m late for a meeting I totally forgot about. Hayden, keep working on it. It’ll be second nature before you know it.”
She gave me a mock salute and turned back to the net.
Raven huffed out a breath of annoyance, but I ignored her and skated straight for the exit. That girl scared the hell out of me.
I hopped off the ice, walking on the mats to take a seat on a bench. I chatted with a few lingering parents and kids. The moms batted their eyelashes in what I hoped were harmless searches for a thrill because all three wore wedding rings.
Lacing up my sneakers, I stood just as my phone buzzed in my pocket. Sliding it out, my sibling text chain flashed. We were in a constant battle, trying to one-up each other with names for the chat. The current moniker wasThe Den of Dysfunction.
A photo had been shared of me racing two kids from one end of the ice to the other.
