Chapter 9 Kaeli
Nine
Kaeli
The tires of my car screech when I reach my destination, and I’m pretty sure I’m leaving marks on the ground. The moment I park the car in the staff parking lot, I’m rushing inside the building.
Barging in through the door of my office, I find Jodi already pacing the length of the room. Out of breath, I fling my purse over the table and slump into my seat.
“Ma’am…” she trails off.
Shutting my eyes closed, I take a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart, knowing panicking will do me no good. I need to be at one hundred percent to get us out of this crisis. The concert is the most-awaited show of the event, after the children’s skating with the players, of course.
“Keep trying, Sonia, and her assistant, to check if she picks up. In the meantime, look for other prospective singers for the evening,” I instruct Jodi in a tone that clearly means business, and she nods to everything I say. “I’ll do the same,” I mutter under my breath.
“Yes, ma’am. On it.”
“Let’s hope we find someone, or this is gonna be a shit ton of trouble for us to wade through.” Her face pales at my statement, and she rushes out the door with her phone already in hand.
Picking up my phone, I glare at it as if it would give me a miracle solution. When it doesn’t, I pinch the bridge of my nose and mumble, “Fucking hell, the event hasn’t even begun yet, and I’ve already screwed up. I’m definitely gonna lose my job.”
Shaking my head to center my focus, I get to work to find someone for us to sing.
* * *
We didn’t find anyone. Not yet, anyway.
I’m at the health camp where the team has organized for the kids to get a routine check-up. Meanwhile, a few players chat with them as they wait their turn.
Since Jodi is still trying to find somebody, I took it upon myself to do her job and shoot some clips.
By a table from the many, I find Seb and Oliver chatting up two kids as they wait in line for their turn. With my camera in hand, I head over to them. Not giving myself away, I grab a few candid shots as they laugh and cheer the kids up.
Seb and Oliver are both sitting in chairs, with the kids standing in front of them, sporting a big smile and awe in their eyes.
I look back up with a smile of my own as they give the minions a high-five when it’s their turn. Once the kids are gone, their heads swivel at me, and they give me a wave, so I walk over to them. Seeing me, they stand up.
“Hola, Lili,” Seb teases, and Oliver shakes his head at him with a chuckle.
“Hi, Kaeli,” Oliver greets.
Giving them a side hug, I say, “Hey, you guys. How’s it going?”
“Awesome!” Seb exclaims, and Oliver agrees.
“These kids are the cutest. It still doesn’t feel real when they say that they’re a fan.
I know the adults say that, too. But with kids, it just hits different, because you know they’re being honest when they say that, and there’s no hidden agenda.
” A rueful smile grazes his lips, and my eyes soften at him.
“Yeah, man. You’re right about that,” Oliver consoles as he palms Seb’s shoulder in camaraderie.
“I get it.” That’s the most honest thing I could’ve said to him.
I know I don’t have fans and all, but I do know a thing or two about people with hidden agendas.
Not wanting to travel down this road, I lighten up the mood by complimenting them.
“You both are so good with the kids, though. You just made their entire month at least.”
They both preen under the praise. “You talking about us, what about you?” Seb asks.
My brows furrow. “What do you mean? What did I do?” I look between the two of them, hoping to get an answer, but Oliver seems as clueless as I am as he shrugs his shoulders.
“How many people’s day have you made today?” Seb cocks an eyebrow at me with a smirk on his face.
“I still have no clue what you’re talking about.” I shake my head at him.
“Have you looked at yourself in the mirror today, Lili? You’re a smoke show,” Seb compliments with a tone that says you’re an idiot for not knowing.
My face flushes as I stammer, “Oh…Oh, okay. Thank you.” Both of them have a good laugh at my expense. Flirting is different, but I still don’t know how to accept a genuine compliment.
“Come here, Lili.” Seb tugs me under his shoulder and kisses my temple. The simple gesture makes my heart feel warm. He’s such a nice guy. And that Spanish accent only makes him more desirable. Anyone would be lucky to have him. Only if I had someone like him in my life.
Suddenly, I feel a prickle of awareness slither down my spine as the hair on my nape stands. Wondering who is staring at me, I glance around the room, only for my eyes to connect with the blue ones.
From the other corner of the room, Ezra shoots daggers at me as his hands curl into fists, looking like he wants to squeeze the life right out of me. Don’t know what I did to warrant such hatred.
What is his problem? I wonder.
I roll my eyes at him and go back to ignoring him for as long as I can. His jaw clenches at my action, but I don’t pay him any heed and tune back in to my conversation with Seb.
I swat his torso playfully. “Idiot,” I mutter with a shy grin on my face. “I’ll go now. Behave.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he teases me with a smirk. Seb lets me go with a kiss on my temple again. I hug him once and leave them both as I shake my head at them.
Skimming through the room, I soak in the laughter of the kids ringing around in the air. I’m so proud to be working for a team like the Bandits, which takes charge and tries to give back to the community as much as they can. And this event is just one such instance.
All the charities and fundraisers the team donates to, and so many other things I don’t even know about. They value their players and fans alike. That’s why, with the camera in hand, I take several shots for the activity, not wanting to miss out on a single important moment.
That’s how I find myself taking shots of the devil. Walking up, I stand to the side to catch the interaction between a young girl of about five or six and him.
She’s crying as I hear her say, “What if…what if I can’t see like the other kids?” This line is for an eye check-up. My heart aches, unable to see the little girl troubled.
I’m about to step in when Ezra lowers himself and sits on his haunches to come eye-level with the girl. Ceasing my movement, I wait to see what he’s about to do.
Tugging her close and wiping her tears and runny nose with his handkerchief, he asks in the softest voice I’ve ever heard his mouth leave, “What’s your name, sweetie?”
“Ruby,” she hiccups between her sniffles as Ezra caresses her blonde hair and tucks the errant strands behind her ears, fixing her pigtails.
A soft smile plays on his lips. “Wow. Ruby is such a beautiful name, just like you. You must be so lucky!” Ezra showers her with words that make her happy and divert her attention from whatever is hurting her.
Ruby’s cries gradually subsides. “You think so?” she asks as she rubs her eye with her tiny fist.
Nodding animatedly, he says, “Definitely. I know so.” Pulling her even closer and stopping her from aggressively rubbing her eyes lest she creates itching, he mumbles so only she can hear, “You know I’m not like the other players on my team.”
Ruby’s ears perk up as do mine. “Really? How?” she asks with wide eyes as if she can’t imagine something so absurd.
Ezra nods. “Yes. But no one knows that, so do you promise not to tell anyone?” he whispers, putting his pinky finger out. My eyes almost fall out at that action alone. She greedily grabs his pinky with hers and agrees. “I have social anxiety. I used to stutter when I was a kid,” he tells her.
Ruby’s brow crinkles, an expression that looks too large for her face. “Stut—what?”
And instead of laughing at her inability to say the word, he repeats it for her. “What does stutter mean?” she questions, enunciating the word slowly, trying not to say it wrong.
Ezra smiles at her for her effort. “Good job!” he praises, flicking her tiny nose, and she glows, a grin spanning across her cute face.
“Sometimes, people’s words get a little stuck when they talk.
That’s called stuttering. It’s like when your brain knows what it wants to say, but your mouth needs a little extra time to catch up.
Everyone’s brain and mouth work a bit differently, and that’s okay!
With patience and practice, talking in public can get easier,” he explains in the simplest way possible to the little girl.
Her mouth opens on a gasp, her hand covering it as if she just heard a juicy gossip she can’t wait to share. “You fear too many people, too?” she whispers, looking around her as if to see if anyone else is trying to get a scoop of their secret talk.
He nods. “I do.”
“But you’re a hockey player. You have so many fans. And people love you!” she exclaims, her eyes comically wide.
An emotion stirs in his eyes and recedes before I can identify it. “I do. But they didn’t always,” he mutters with a sad smile.
“What do you mean?”
Ezra heaves a sigh as if debating whether to share or not.
“When I was a kid, just like you,” he begins as he tickles her tummy, causing her to laugh.
“Other children used to mock me, call me strange or an alien, just because I didn’t like an audience.
So, to stop being bullied, I started to talk less and practice more when I was alone. ”
Anger on Ezra’s behalf flashes on her tiny, little face as she places her fists on her hips. “Tell me who did it? I scold them,” she says, her eyes narrowing.
Ezra chuckles at her compassion. “It’s okay, sweetie.
I don’t talk to them. The thing is, we’re all different in one way or another.
So, it’s okay if you need to wear glasses to see things others don’t; that doesn’t make you any less than them.
Whoever tells you otherwise, simply don’t pay them any attention,” he explains.