“Are you okay, Eddie?” I don’t know if I should laugh or cry at this moment. This is the most he’s talked to me, so I feel happy about that. However, I’m getting the sense he’s not thrilled to be teaching such tiny students.
He rubs his forehead. “Yeah, it’s just…I’ve never given lessons to kids so young. I don’t know how to talk to them. What if I make them cry?”
“Oh. Well, with preschoolers, there will definitely be crying.”
Eddie snaps his head up and stares into my eyes with horror.
“It’s okay,” I chuckle. “That’s just their age. They tend to have big emotions.”
He lets out a sigh. “You have experience with kids?”
“I used to do a lot of babysitting in high school, and then I was a nanny for a year before joining staff at Mynt Peak.”
When he doesn’t respond, I continue, “Listen, kids are easy…Well for most people.”
He scrunches his face at me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, I was going to say all you have to do is smile at them and ask simple questions…but, I haven’t seen you smile yet.”
“I smile,” he says with a straight face.
“Prove it.”
He purses his lips like he just applied chapstick. Or maybe it’s smile warm-up exercises. “Well, I can’t just do it on command.”
“Okay, let’s try something. It’s called mirroring. All you have to do is look at someone smiling, and your body will subconsciously mirror the same facial expressions.”
“You’re going to make someone smile at me?” he asks incredulously.
“Nope. I’m going to tell you a hilarious joke, and we’re both going to laugh.”
“You’re very confident.”
“Not always, but I’m very determined. And we only have about five minutes before kids start showing up, so this is an emergency. We have got to teach you how to smile.”
“I know how to smile, I just can’tforceit.”
I barely let him finish before I smile like a fool and speed into my jokes. “How was Rome split in two? With a pair of Caesars. Why can’t Elsa have a balloon? She’ll let it go. What kind of music do planets like? Neptunes.” I finish with a bang, by giving him finger guns.
And that’s when I see the first hint of upward mouth movement from Eddie Evans. Some might call it the start of a grin. And even though it’s just a glimpse, it’s heart-stopping. I can’t imagine what an Eddie Evans full-teeth smile would do to the world.
“Oh my gosh, you’re doing it!” I jump up and down.
Eddie rolls his eyes, shakes his head and clamps his lips together. But, a closed-mouth smile is still there.
“Okay, yes. Just do that! And honestly, the things kids say are even funnier than my jokes— which I know is hard to believe.”
“Why do you know so many jokes?”
“Sometimes I get slotted into arts and crafts at Mynt. Always good to have a few jokes on hand. Guests love it.”
Eddie looks me in the eyes, and it makes me feel like he’s actually seeing me for the first time. Our gazes linger on each other, and I can’t help but want to dig deeper into Eddie Evans,the non-smiling, professional tennis player. It’s clear there’s more beneath the surface, but he’s hesitant to show it. And like my fellow true crime girlies, I love solving a good mystery.
Chapter 9
Eddie
WhileMayastepsawayto begin greeting the parents and preschoolers, I grab my phone and search tennis lesson activities for preschoolers. Reading over the list, I’m finally able to calm myself. My takeaways: be friendly, ask questions and do very basic activities.
