I hesitate for a second. “You really don’t mind? And you think they would be on board with it?”
“Positive.”
I run over and hug him. “You sure you and the guys on the team are okay hanging out with a bunch of five- and six-year-olds for a couple of hours? They can be a lot.”
He squeezes me in his massive arms. “It’ll be a blast.”
Chapter 27
Dakota
Ihold back laughter as I watch a half-dozen of my kindergarten students crowd around Sam on the ice of the Bashers practice arena.
“Mr. Sam, can you teach me how to skate fast?”
“Noah keeps going faster than me.”
“My skate feels loose.”
“Mr. Sam, I have to go potty.”
“Can I lick the ice?”
His head spins around like it’s on a pivot while he gazes at the tiny kiddos gathered around him like a school of fish.
“Um, okay. First things first. No, Oliver. You can’t lick the ice. It’s dirty and you might get sick.”
He looks at the red-haired little girl in pigtails staring up at him. “You have to go to the bathroom, Matilda?”
She nods.
He huffs out a breath. “Okay, let’s go find your teacher.”
He bends down to reach out his arm and takes her tiny hand in his. He skates slowly with her by his side toward the entrance to the ice. “Hey, Connors. Can you entertainthe rest of the kids in my group while I run her to the restroom?”
Camden Connors, who’s in the middle of teaching two kids how to skate, nods at Sam. “Sure thing. Hey, guys! Wanna see a cool trick?”
He holds the hands of the kids he’s skating with and heads over to Sam’s group. He tells the kids to stand off to the side together, then skates back before he speeds ahead on the ice. Then he jumps and does the splits mid-air before landing on the ice effortlessly.
All the kids go, “Whoa…”
“He’s such a showoff,” Sam says as he skates over to me.
“Miss Richards, I really have to pee,” Matilda says.
“Let’s get your skates off first.” I bend down and help her take them off, then slip her shoes back on her small feet.
I glance up and see Abby with a couple of kids headed to the bathroom. “Can Matilda come with you too?”
Abby smiles. “Of course. Come on, kiddo.”
Matilda runs off and joins Abby and the two students she’s with. I look up at Sam, who’s more than a foot taller than me now that he’s wearing skates and I’m in sneakers.
“Having fun?” I ask.
“A blast.” He tugs off the Denver Bashers baseball cap he’s wearing backward. He runs a hand through his floppy blond hair that looks perfectly messed up before he puts it back on. “You weren’t kidding. These kids are nonstop.” He laughs. “Their energy is insane.”
The two of us stand and watch as his teammates play with the kids on the ice. Camden is wowing his group of kids with another trick. He’s spinning fast this time, like a figure skater.
