Chapter 8 Cole #2
“Next up, we’re going to make sure we know how to get back up when we fall,” I say.
Cameron demonstrates by pretending to fall, sliding around on his knees. “Oh no, how do I get up?”
The kids giggle. Eve kneels next to him and shows them what to do, climbing back to her feet with Cameron.
“Let’s take turns,” Eve says.
I find myself observing her during the rest of the lesson more than the kids. She’s a natural on the ice.
It takes me back to my hockey practices in high school when she’d finish running through her figure skating routines before we took over the rink. She only did it for a while when I was still there, but I liked watching her lose herself in it.
As promised, when we’re done teaching the kids how to get back on their feet if they fall, we end the lesson by the three of us carting a few kids each while we skate around in loops.
When the time’s up, we herd the students off the ice to wait for their parents to pick them up and help them change back into their shoes.
“I’m heading back to campus,” Cameron says after we’ve got them all wrangled.
“Good hustle, Reeves. Thanks for coming out,” I say.
“I’d be down to do another class.”
“We’ll get you set up for volunteering again.”
Eve rustles his messy brown hair when he takes off his hat. “I’ll be cheering for you guys this weekend against Elmwood. Wings on me at The Landmark Saturday night if you win the home game with a shutout.”
His brows shoot up. “Yeah? Bet.”
“You motivate them better than I do,” I murmur once he’s gone.
“It’s easy. Everyone loves food.”
We wave goodbye to more kids as they leave. I get both of us hot cocoa while we wait around for them to trickle out. She holds the paper cup between her hands, inhaling the steam with a serene expression.
It’s mid-afternoon, the winter sun dipping low behind the pine trees on the other side of the lake to wash everything in soft light. It casts her in a distracting backlit glow and I’m having trouble not staring at her.
“Nothing like hot cocoa, right?” Eve freezes mid-sip, setting her cup down. “Ohh, that gives me an idea. Cozy nights and…”
She trails off, head bent over her phone. Sensing my curious gaze, she holds it against her chest.
“Oh, don’t mind me. I’m thinking out loud.”
I smirk, sipping my drink. “You say that like I’m a stranger who doesn’t know you.”
She rolls her lips between her teeth. “I was making a note for a design I want to make.”
“A design?”
“A sticker. Maybe an enamel pin, we’ll see. I haven’t made any of those yet.” She purses her mouth to the side in thought. “Maybe a keychain would be easier to tackle.”
“What’s all this for?”
She blinks as she realizes I’m genuinely interested. I give her my undivided attention.
“You know how I make stuff, like my own stickers and my earrings? I’m making a business out of it to sell them online. I have a lot I’ve made over the years, but since I decided to do this the ideas are flowing like crazy.”
When I don’t stop her, she shares more with me. She gains confidence, getting excited and gesturing wildly with her hands as she explains. I’m captivated by her lit up and passionate about what she wants to do.
“And—Don’t laugh.”
I swipe my tongue across my lip. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
She taps her finger against my chest. “Seriously.”
The corners of my mouth twitch. “I’m being serious. Go ahead. What were you going to say?”
She ducks her head, playing with the end of one of her braids. “I know this will sound wild, but I’m buying this camper. It’s used—like, really used. I don’t even know how to repair the rusted siding. I guess I’ll have to figure that out.”
Hesitation stalls her from continuing. She pinches her hair, seeming self-conscious after being animated a moment ago.
“What’s wrong?”
Her gaze flickers when she lifts it. “I’m waiting for you to tell me I shouldn’t do it.”
I pull a face. “Why would I do that? I think it sounds cool.”
Her eyes widen, full of wonder. When she looks at me like that, my heart drums hard.
“You do?”
“Yeah. I’ll help you fix it up.” I put an arm around her in a reassuring side hug. “What do you plan to do with it?”
Her giddiness returns as she launches into an explanation about pop-ups and vendor markets, then going into her plans to build a book cart inside the camper with a small library of romance books to borrow. She cuts off sheepishly after she’s been talking nonstop for a few minutes.
“Sorry, I’m always getting carried away. I don’t know when to stop once I get on a roll.”
A chuckle slips out and I feel like some of her enthusiastic energy has overflowed to me. I tell myself I’m imagining the hitch in her breath when I shift closer.
“You can do it.” I touch the earrings she has on—realistic chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs. The kids got the biggest kick out of them. “You can do anything.”
The pink flush in her cheeks darkens and her pretty amber eyes grow large. “You think so?”
“Yes. In all the years I’ve known you as we grew up, I’ve seen what you’re capable of when you put your mind to something.”
“Thank you,” she murmurs. “That means a lot to me.”
“I’m in your corner,” I promise. “I wouldn’t be your friend if I wasn’t.”
I ignore the warmth spreading through me when she beams.
Not long after, we’re waiting on the last kid’s parents. Eve curses under her breath. He’s oblivious, absorbed in playing a game on my phone to keep him occupied without any of the other kids here to entertain him.
“Everything okay?”
“It’s nothing.” She frowns, typing out a message on her phone.
“Doesn’t sound like it. Tell me. If I can help, you know I will.”
Her shoulders slump at the response that pings on her phone. “It’s—I’m picking up the camper after this. Benny was supposed to go with me, but he had to bail. I just asked Dad if I could borrow his truck, but he can’t because he went out to view a potential player he might want to scout.”
“No problem. I don’t have anything going on. I’ll go with you to get it.”
“Really?” Her relief is palpable.
“Of course.”
“God, you’re a lifesaver.”
It feels good to be the one to put the cute smile back on her face. I bump my arm against her shoulder.
Once the last kid is collected, I walk her to my car and follow her directions to the middle of town.
On the ride, she fiddles with my radio and blasts the heat on us, asking me twice if I need my vents adjusted while she holds her fingers over hers with bliss written all over her face.
Cute, I think before tearing my gaze away.
I need to stop thinking about how much I like having her in my car.
The guy selling the camper waits outside when I pull up. He’s a middle-aged man with a protruding beer belly that strains against his winter coat. Eve told me he’s a regular at the bar and gave her a good deal below his asking price.
She hops out of the Bronco. “Hey, Big Al!”
“Hey, Miss Eve. Thanks again for taking this old thing off my hands.” He pats the small camper as I come up to her side. Glancing between us, he winks at her. “Let’s get this hitched up to your boyfriend’s car.”
“Oh, he’s not—we’re not—” She flails, darting an unreadable look my way.
I wrap an arm around her shoulders and murmur in her ear teasingly. “Come on, sweetheart.”
“Cole,” she hisses.
I chuckle, moving away when she swats at me, then turn back to blow her a kiss. Her mouth pops open and she gives me a look that says she’s going to get me back for rolling with this.
I swipe a hand over my jaw to contain my amusement. “Need me to swing around?”
“Yeah, back up to here,” Big Al says.
It doesn’t take much time to get the camper attached. I switch places with Eve and have her drive the Bronco slowly while I help Big Al ease the camper off the curb. She hugs him when it’s done.
I hang back to shake his hand while she gets in the car. “Thanks.”
“Treat her good,” he says.
My face goes slack. “What?”
He thumps his fist against the camper. “This old girl. She was good to me and my wife before she passed. We liked to go out to the Catskills.”
“We will,” I say.
It’s not until I’m walking away that I realize I said we. I rub my forehead, mouth twisting wryly.
Eve has her elbow resting against the window, chin propped in her hand when I climb in the driver’s seat. There’s a faraway look on her face. My gaze softens when she turns to me.
“Thank you for coming with me and towing the camper,” she says.
I stretch out to rest a hand on the back of her seat, pulling out on the main road to take her home.
“It was no trouble at all.”