Speaking of getting suspicious…
Either mother’s instincts went further than I imagined, or Rayne knew more about skating and ice hockey than she led on.
We tried it again. Until he had it.
This was one of the more important moves to get right. To practice until you were seamless, flawless. And maybe I was pushing him—but I didn’t know a thing about training kids. Just that I’d do just about anything to get this kid ready.
We went over time again. And it was likely we would every session.
“You alright buddy? You don’t seem the slightest winded.”
“What?”
“It means had enough.”
He released a breath. “No. I’m great. I could keep going.”
“Well I think you’d had enough. Let’s get you home for dinner,” Rayne called from the edge.
“When is our next session?” Jax looked up at me. The eagerness in his features enough to break my heart.
I glanced at Rayne, having the feeling her plans changed.
“Jax, why don’t you get out of those skates and go play some arcades for a minute,” she asked.
I gave him a quick wink then skated away to collect the sticks from our section and clear the cones. When I returned, Rayne was waiting for me with something that looked like a checkbook in her hands, holding it up against the plexiglass.
“What do I owe you?”
I grinned, saying the first thing that came to mind. “What am I worth to you?”
She glared at me for the first time that day. “I’m serious, Logan.”
I glanced at the kid who had his back to us, facing a video game. “Okay, what is his happiness worth to you?”
Her eyes flashed. A scornful, piercing look in them. Her lips pressed into a thin line and her eyes watered. “It’s priceless,” she whispered in an icy tone. It was a new one and I realized I liked discovering new reactions in her.
I liked it too much.
I stepped forward, stopping only when her body was flush against the glass. The blades adding to my height made me tower over her a bit more than I already would. I lowered my head barely touching hers, and plucked the pen from her fingers, clicking it off. “There’s your answer, dove.” I told her in an equally hushed voice. I dropped the pen onto her little book and turned.
“What did you call me?”
“Dove. Like the bird. The rain bird.”
“My name is spelled with a y—you know what, forget it, all that matters is how to spellyourname.”
I sat down on the bench and began to remove my skates. “Doesn’t matter. I won’t be cashing any of your checks.” If something was up with her, I’d make her break.
“Look I don’t know what possessed you to give me a pet name, but I don’t care. I want to pay you for your time.” She glanced at my shoulder.
Yeah, she knew.
My arm was fine. Or bearable, I couldn’t tell anymore. But it didn’t matter. His tryouts were in three weeks. “He’s not ready. If you quit now, he won’t make it.”
She blinked and released a breath. “I can’t take any more lessons from you.” There was a heaviness in her voice that triggered an unfamiliar ache in my chest.
“Why not?”
