Holly Berries and Hockey Pucks

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“I can’t wait to go to hockey.” Melanie flopped on the floor. “Will all this stuff fit in my bag?”

Jillian sat cross-legged on the floor next to the open gear bag, tired from a busy day in the shop. She had never really gotten into a good groove after dumping the bucket of flowers in front of her new customer, Brett.

So far, Melanie’s skates were inside along with her helmet, pads, face mask, socks, pants, and gloves. She searched the two inside pockets. She found Mel’s pelvic protector. “Kiddo, where’s your mouthpiece container?”

Melanie shrugged. “I dunno.” She looked around and hopped up from the floor. “I see it.” She grabbed it off the bed and giggled as she made a wild toss to Jillian, who caught it by stretching to the right.

Jillian decided not to admonish her about throwing things in the house tonight.

Melanie clapped her hands. “You caught it!” Her laugh filled the room. “Gram says I’m gonna be a Mite. She says you were a Mite too.”

“I was. All kids who are under eight are considered Mites and in a couple of years, you’ll move up to Squirt.”

She scrunched up her nose. “Those are funny names.”

“They are, but when you grow up and become a famous hockey player…”

“Like you were, Momma?” Her head tilted to one side and it was easy to see the excitement in her eyes. “Gram tells me stories about each trophy she has in your old room. She says you were a big deal.”

“I wasn’t famous, honey. My college team won a championship and we all worked hard to make it happen.”

“But Gram says you were the captain and everyone liked you.”

“That was a long time ago. Now it’s your turn to learn the basics and become a good team player. That’s critical for the success of any team.”

Melanie crossed her arms over her chest and dropped her chin. “What if the boys don’t want to let me play? Some of the kids at school said only boys are on the team and I’ll be the only girl.”

Jillian’s heart twinged. “I don’t think you’ll be the only girl; that’s just kids talking.” She remembered that very same fear. She scooted across the floor and folded her arms around her mini-me, from the blond curls and blue of her eyes to the small dimple in her cheek. There was nothing of her tall, dark, and very handsome father in this little girl, and that was a good thing. The last thing she wanted was another reminder of the man who up and left his daughter without so much as a second thought.

“I’m going to tell you the same thing Gram told me every time I began to work with a new team,” she said. “Work hard, play hard, but most of all, have fun. That’s what playing a sport is all about. If you’re not having fun, it’s not worth it.”

Melanie looked at Jillian, her eyes wide. “Does that mean I don’t have to keep playing if I don’t like it?”

Jillian shook her head. “Bug, you know our house rule. If you make a commitment, you have to honor it, and you’re agreeing to be on the Dickens Drummers team, so you’ll last the entire season. If you decide you don’t want to play next year, you don’t have to. Deal?”

Melanie gave her mom’s hand one shake. “Deal.”

“Finish getting ready and I’ll meet you in the living room, and don’t forget to use the bathroom.”

The little girl scrambled up from the bedroom floor and raced down the hall. The bathroom door banged shut. Jillian zipped up the gear bag. She could picture Melanie cruising around the ice. At least she didn’t need to learn how to skate or the proper way to hold the stick. Jillian hadn’t wanted to push her to play, but she had gotten excited when Melanie told her about the sign in the town square she had seen when Gram picked her up from school. She loved to be on the ice just as much as Jillian did, and they skated every chance they got on Grosvenors Pond each winter. This would be the first time Jillian had stepped foot in a rink since she had walked away from an opportunity to play on the Olympic team. At one time she had thought she’d be a college coach or even work with men’s hockey. The day she took the test and saw the pink plus sign, her life had changed and there was no looking back.

She heard the water running in the sink and slung the gear bag over her shoulder. From experience, she knew she needed another layer of clothes. Ice rinks were freaking cold, especially when you weren’t skating.

Cars filled the parking lot and Jillian eased her Outback into what looked to be the last free space near the road. There had to be kids from neighboring towns who had also come to sign up. At least this wasn’t a tryout; with this group, every kid was included. There was a natural cutting process. Once parents understood the time commitment—practice twice a week and one game on the weekend—kids would melt away. After that, the next group of kids who’d rather be in front of a screen and didn’t want to be in the rink would evaporate. That would leave the coaches with the best group.

“Momma, come on. We gotta get inside. Look at how many people came.” Melanie’s seat belt was off and her car door was open.

“I’ll get your bag and stick.”

“I’ll carry it; it’s got all my stuff.” Melanie dragged the bag across the back seat. It landed on the hard ground with a thud. “Got it.” She slammed the car door and struggled to get the strap across her body and heave it off the ground.

Jillian suppressed a grin as she watched Melanie stagger. She was one determined little girl. Jillian held up the bag to help her and took the stick too. Locking the car, they crossed the parking lot. Once the leaves were off the trees, the ground would soon be coated with snow—if the weather forecast was correct. Thanksgiving was just four weeks away, and then Christmas. Jillian was trying to get tickets for a professional hockey game as a gift for her and Melanie but so far, the ticket prices were just too high. She might take her to a college game instead.

Melanie adjusted the strap on her shoulder.

“Sure you don’t want me to carry that for you?” Jillian opened the heavy steel door to the rink.

“Nope. I got it.”

In the small vestibule, signs indicated which age group should go where. The sign for Mites pointed to the left. They entered a large lobby with parents and kids alike all talking and milling around. Doors led to the stands, with one door leading directly onto the ice. She looked to the left and saw the sign for the locker rooms. A few kids were chasing each other around the room, and she was relieved to see some girls as well as boys. She nudged Melanie’s shoulder and gestured to a little girl with long braids.

“Isn’t that Suzi from your class?”

Melanie nodded but didn’t say anything. Instead, she stood quietly, taking it all in. “Do you think they all want to be a Mite?”

A hint of doubt had crept into her voice. Her hand slipped into Jillian’s and held on tight. She gave it an encouraging squeeze.

“You skate like the wind and you have some basics down pat.”

She saw a spot on the far side of the room where they could wait and steered Melanie in that direction. They threaded their way through the groups of families, both large and small. She carried the bag and stick so Melanie wouldn’t knock into anyone.

An older man walked into the room wearing a dark-blue knit cap and a fleece with the Dickens Drummers logo. Jillian recognized Coach Richards; he had been her coach when she was young. Another man, close to six feet tall and lanky, walked in behind him. He looked familiar and when his eyes locked with hers, they widened in mild surprise. It was her customer from the shop today. Brett.

The minute Brett scanned the room, his eyes found the beautiful florist. Standing next to her was a cute curly-headed girl. He wouldn’t have guessed he would have found her in a hockey rink. Maybe there wasn’t much else to do for the winter months, or maybe the little girl’s mom was a hockey fan. He gave her a smile, which she returned.

Coach Richards gave a welcoming speech and with a chuckle, said, “If anyone is looking for the basketball courts, they’re on the opposite side of the parking lot.”

A ripple of laughter slid from one side of the room to the other.

“We’re going to divide into several groups by age. Seven- and eight-year-olds, line up under the purple banner. Next group, ages nine through twelve, under the red banner, and anyone who is six and under, gather near the blue Mites banner. Coach Parsons will meet you there.”

Brett walked over to Jillian and the little girl.

“Hello. It’s nice to see you again.”

She placed her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “This is my daughter, Melanie.”

He knelt down to look her in the eyes. “Nice to meet you. I’m Coach Parsons. Are you signing up to play?”

“Uh-huh. I got all my gear too.” She tipped her head. “Can girls play on your team?”

“Sure can.” He looked at Jillian, who smiled at him, and then back at Melanie. “Can you skate?”

“Yup. Momma says I’m like the wind.”

“That will help on the ice.” He had to chuckle to himself. Jillian was already looking to be a good hockey mom. She was prepared and warmly dressed for sitting on the sidelines.

Coach Richards stood in front of the group. “Hello, parents and players. I’d like to introduce Coach Parsons. He’s new in town, so be nice to him. I’m asking him to kick things off for us today.”

Brett addressed the group. “Hello, everyone. For those of you who’ve not been here before, always check the board when you come in to see which locker room you’re assigned to. Everyone needs to be in full gear, including mouth and neck guards, or I can’t let you on the ice. Today we’ll see how everyone skates, but we won’t be using our sticks. So get your gear on and I’ll see you on the ice.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Melanie grab her bag strap and grin at her mom. He already was impressed with the girl; she was independent, but would that translate to a good team player long term? With a shriek of his whistle, the group moved to the door. Jillian held Melanie back to let some kids go ahead of her. Was she nervous to have her daughter on the ice?

They stopped near him and Brett said, “Are you ready to have some fun?”

She flashed him a grateful smile and tipped her head toward Melanie. “Someone’s a little nervous.”

“Understandable. I’m guessing this is your first year.”

Melanie shook her head. “No, I play with Momma at the pond.”

“Well, hopefully I can teach you something too.” He directed them to the far side of the locker room, where he helped Melanie set her bag on the bench. He couldn’t help but notice Jillian glance at the ice as they walked to the locker room. Her face almost looked wistful. He took a quick look around and wondered where this bright-eyed little girl’s dad was sitting.

He noticed Melanie’s gear bag. It looked brand new, which Brett knew was an expensive outlay. If the rest of her equipment was new, he’d have to suggest to Jillian to network with other parents for used equipment. Kids grew so fast that it made sense to pass things along to the up-and-comers and next time, she wouldn’t have such a huge cash outlay.

A while later, he was surprised to see Melanie easily gliding over the ice and Jillian clapping her hands, encouraging her to turn and pick up speed. There was more to this hockey mom than he knew and he was going to enjoy discovering her secrets.