Chapter 12
Emma
The Birthday Girl
Construction of the real gingerbread house has been delayed due to Joey’s illness. But we still have several days to complete our entry in time for the contest, so I put aside those worries for now.
I’m surprised that Joey hasn’t bounced back quicker from the strain of flu that’s going around. I feel guilty since he caught it from me. Blake and I helped take care of the kids while the grouchy goalie is recovering. Let’s just say that Joey isn’t a pretty sight when he’s sick.
Tonight, Blake will be the starting goalie for the Golden Stars. He’s been talking about it all week, the excitement palpable in his voice. Unfortunately, it ends Joey’s perfect starting streak, piling on a bit more of my guilt. If Joey hadn’t taken care of me when I was sick, he wouldn’t be down for the count. Blake confided to me that Joey isn’t taking the missed start very well.
I pull up to Joey’s house and stride to the door. The kids are attending tonight’s game with me. It’s the least I can do, plus I get to see the grumpy goalie again before we leave.
Ding! Dong!
I ring the bell and within seconds a blonde head appears. She flings the door open, hops up and down, and announces, “I’m ready for the game!” Joey’s sister really needs to teach her kids about checking who’s at the door first before opening it.
My eyes bulge as I enter and take in Katie’s outfit. “Um...you’re wearing that?” I blurt before I stop myself.
She twirls in a circle, singing about unicorns, while showing off her outfit. “This is my dancing dress!” she proclaims, pointing to the pink tutu skirt. Her yellow tights and lime green sparkly T-shirt sporting “Birthday Girl” are an eye-popping combination, along with the tiara perched crookedly on her blonde head.
“Is today your birthday?”
“Nope!” she says, then dances out of the entry still singing the unicorn song, although the words are now about a fairy.
“She insisted on wearing that,” Joey says ruefully. I didn’t notice him standing there as I was too preoccupied assessing Katie’s clothes.
I smirk. “Aren’t you supposed to be the adult here?”
He grimaces. “I avoided a meltdown, which was very adult of me.”
I roll my eyes. “How adult of you.” He chuckles, the rumbly sound making my heart flip. “You’re looking better.” The color has returned to his cheeks and today he’s wearing tight blue jeans with a flannel shirt, giving him a grumpy lumberjack vibe.
“I think the medicine is working. I’m starting to feel like a human again,” he says as we stroll towards the kitchen. “According to the team doctor, I’m not well enough to start at goalie, but at least I’m no longer contagious.” The glint in his eye tells me he’s waiting for my reaction to that statement. With just a little encouragement from me, I’m sure he’d kiss me. All I need to do is lean in...
“We’re having nuggets!” Katie squeals the minute we enter the kitchen, breaking the moment. “I tried chocolate syrup, but that was yucky,” she declares, standing and thrusting the plate at Joey. It contains a brown puddle and a lone, half-eaten nugget. A raft of jars and bottles are spread out across the table. Obviously, Joey kept his word and made that grocery store run to acquire lots of dipping sauces. He must be feeling better.
Scott’s plate has a blob of ketchup that he’s quietly dipping his nuggets in. He looks up for a second, gives me a half-wave, then focuses back on his plate.
“Why do you need another plate?” Joey asks his niece.
She scrunches her face and squeals, “So my nuggets don’t touch the yucky syrup!”
Of course, that explains it. Joey and I exchange amused looks. He gets another plate from the cupboard and puts two more nuggets on it from the pan sitting on the stove. He directs her to sit at the table. “What dipping sauce do you want to try next?”
“Honey and sprinkles!”
My nose wrinkles at that sugary suggestion, but Joey doesn’t even bat an eyelash. He puts a squirt of honey on her plate, then adds some sprinkles on top. “Try one first to make sure you like it.”
She sits in her chair, happily kicking her feet back and forth, as she dips a nugget in the honey and sprinkles combination. I hold my breath, expecting her to declare this combination as yucky. “Yummy!” the sprite says, then dips the remainder of her nugget in the sugary concoction.
“She’s got a sweet tooth that rivals yours,” I tease her uncle.
Joey grunts. “Chelsea would have a fit if she saw this.” I raise my eyebrows and half look away. He’s on his own to deal with the fallout from his sister.
“Since you’re no longer contagious, are you attending tonight’s game?”
“Yes, I’m suiting up in case Blake gets hurt since we don’t have another back-up goalie. Most likely, I’ll be sitting the bench the whole night.” His voice rings with disappointment. “By the way, thanks for taking the kids tonight. They’re excited about the game.”
I grin. “Of course. We’ll have a fun time, but it’s a bummer you can’t play.”
Joey shrugs. “I need to get to the arena. Are you okay to help the kids finish dinner?”
“Yes, go ahead. We’ll try a few more wild and crazy dipping sauces, then clean up.”
“I want to try marshmallows!” Katie squeals and claps her hands. “We can melt them.”
Oops. I should have kept my mouth shut.
Joey leans in and whispers. “You’re responsible for that one.” He winks and disappears down the hall.
~*~
The arena is jam-packed. I grab Katie’s hand, so she doesn’t get lost in the throng of people milling about in the concession area.
“Happy birthday!” a dad and two kids say as we make our way through the crowd.
“Why are they saying that?” Katie asks, confusion written on her face.
“It’s on your shirt, dummy,” her brother scoffs.
The small girl’s lips tremble as she looks down at her T-shirt. She traces the lettering, then says, “But it’s pretty.”
Squeezing her hand, I say, “We’ll just pretend it’s your birthday. How about that?”
Dancing at my side, she says, “Can we have cake and ice cream?”
Her brother giggles, knowing that I’ve painted myself into a corner. He stares at me, waiting for an answer.
“We’ll see. How about we get some popcorn and then see if we’re still hungry?”
Thankfully, that appeases Katie. When I spot a popcorn vendor, we get in the ordering line that’s at least ten people deep.
“Can we get some of that pretty pink stuff?” Katie asks as she points to the cotton candy display. Apparently, this kid runs on sugar.
“Not right now. You’ve had plenty of sugar.”
Her lower lip juts out and a mutinous expression crosses her face. I brace for a tantrum.
“Happy birthday! How old are you?” the lady standing behind us asks.
Katie twirls to face the woman. “I’m five!” she says, her mood instantly morphs from a possible meltdown to radiating happiness. I mouth “thank you” over Katie’s head and the woman nods, giving me a conspiratorial wink.
The woman continues, “That’s a very festive outfit. Can you tell me about it?”
The remainder of the wait time flies by as Katie describes every piece of her outfit, down to the sparkly shoelaces in her tennis shoes. All thoughts of cotton candy have been forgotten.
“My mom bought me my princess skirt and hat,” Katie says, pointing to the tutu skirt and to the tiara on her head.
“Were they birthday gifts?” the lady asks, nodding towards me. Suddenly, I realize that she thinks I’m Katie’s mom.
Before I open my mouth to reply, Katie says, “My mommy is gone, and I don’t know when she’ll be back.”
The woman tosses me a concerned look, so I leap into the conversation.
“Her uncle is watching the kids while his sister is out of town.”
“So, who are you?” The edge in the woman’s voice suggests that I’ve kidnapped the kids or something.
“She’s Uncle Joey’s girlfriend,” Scott adds. I toss him a thankful look.
To avoid another embarrassing comment from Katie and me having to explain it, I quickly purchase the popcorn. We wave goodbye to the lady and proceed to scope out our seats.
Inside the seating portion of the arena, the Golden Stars players are skating warmups on the ice. Blake is busy roughing up the ice in front of the goal by skating back and forth. I spot Joey in full uniform sitting on the bench with a glum look on his face.
As we walk down our aisle, several people shout birthday wishes to Katie. By now she’s used to it, and she smiles, waves, and thanks them.
After we settle in our seats, Katie on one side and Scott on the other, Katie claps her hands and turns to me. “Will my name be on the big TV screen? That happened on my other birthday!”
“I’m sorry Katie, I forgot to request that. How about we sing Happy Birthday after the game?”
Scott, the little traitor, starts singing in a loud voice, “Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!” By the end of the first verse everyone in the seats around us are singing. Katie leaps up and dances in the aisle, taking it in like a celebrity. I glance at the jumbotron scoreboard, and a camera guy is capturing the whole event on the massive screen. Pretty soon, most of the arena has joined in the singing. When the song ends, Katie takes a bow and the crowd responds with more applause. My cheeks heat with embarrassment. My eyes connect with Joey, still sitting on the end of the bench. He sports a wide grin and gives me a thumbs up.
“Can we have cake and ice cream? Please? Please?” Katie repeats her request excitedly as she resumes her seat.
Why not? We’ve done everything else to celebrate her non-birthday birthday.
“Sure, we’ll pick up some on our way home.”
“This is the best birthday ever!”