The air was crisp with the scent of fallen leaves. The Sequoia Valley Elementary School campus had been transformed into a magical wonderland of autumn colors and spooky delights. At the heart of the festivities was a hayride where a horse-drawn wagon, stuffed with bales of straw and carved pumpkins, carried children and parents through a child-friendly haunted forest.
In the middle of the school’s track was a vibrant pumpkin patch and maze. Laughter filled the air as families roamed the rows of pumpkins, searching for the perfect canvas on which they might carve their Halloween masterpieces.
Following the signs to the school’s gym, Gemma was greeted by the sight of a dozen game booths. Children tested their skills at tossing rings onto the neck of a grinning skeleton, aiming darts at colorful balloons, and knocking down a tower of bone-shaped bowling pins. The victors were rewarded with prizes, from plush monsters to candy-filled cauldrons.
Sniffing the air, Gemma detected caramel apples, roasted corn, and pumpkin-spiced treats. “This is brilliant; we don’t make this much of an effort at home,” she said softly to herself.
“Coach Gemma! You made it!”
Spinning around, she was greeted by the sight of Richelle, who was dressed as a mermaid princess. She stopped just short of Gemma, her eyes widening.
“Mr. C was right; you look just like Cinderella. Do you have glass slippers too?”
Gemma shifted her heel forward, revealing a pair of glittery clear plastic heels. “I’m afraid these aren’t made of glass, but they do light up.”
“Oh, they’re so pretty!”
“Richelle!” a man shouted. “You can’t just run off like that without telling me where you’re going!”
The young skater’s eyes widened. “Sorry, Daddy.”
“Just don’t tell your mom and don’t let it happen again,” he scolded, though his stern expression soon relaxed. “Is this your coach?”
“No, Daddy. Mr. C is competing this weekend.” She rolled her eyes. “Thisis Coach Gemma.”
“Wellpardonme.” He extended his hand to her. “Nice to meet you, Coach Gemma.”
The man looked to be in his early fifties and was dressed in a doctor’s lab coat. Gemma had no trouble believing he might have just come from work. He had laugh lines around his eyes and was the opposite of the woman Gemma had encountered at the rink a few days ago.
She squinted at the name on the plastic badge attached to the coat’s front pocket, “Cheers, Dr. Zhang. I suppose you can call me your daughter’s stand-in coach.”
Richelle nodded in confirmation. “Mr. C asked her to come so I could introduce her to my friends. Did you know she’s a princess?”
“I can see that.” Dr. Zhang winked. “You must be the Snow Queen.”
Richelle face-palmed. “No, Daddy. She’s Cinderella!”
The two adults shared a laugh over her dramatic behavior.
“Well, now that you’ve found Coach Gemma, let’s take her to your friends. I think your mom said you guys were supposed to meet them by the haunted hayride.”
Taking hold of Gemma’s hand, Richelle tugged it. “Come on, it’s right this way.”
Caught off guard by the surprising strength of someone so tiny, Gemma stumbled forward, and her hand flew out of Richelle’s. As she attempted to steady herself, one of her shoes slipped off her foot, and she bumped into the body of the person passing by on the left.
With the reflexes of a cat, strong arms reached out to steady Gemma.
“Oh. Thank you so much for catching me. I’m so sorry I knocked into you,” she quickly apologized, her cheeks flushing.
“It’s no problem at all, Gemma. I’m here to save the day.”
She recognized that voice! Her gaze slowly traveled up from the khaki-colored shirt and well-worn brown leather jacket, finally locking on to the glimmering hazel eyes of the man she’d met at Hobby Land. Her pulse immediately picked up its pace.
“Henry,” she whispered.
“Coach Gemma, are you okay?” Richelle asked.
“I’m brilliant,” she replied, quickly breaking apart from Henry and smoothing out her skirt. Her face burned even hotter.
