Aelin motioned for Bailey to come closer. She lowered her voice. "I know this sounds fun, but I didn't sign you up for this. It costs money, and?—"
"She can stay for free." Ryan didn't even think before blurting it out.
Aelin turned. "Not exactly helping."
He nodded. "Sorry. I didn't?—"
"It's not that I don't want her to stay, but I don't expect you to offer me a discount."
"That's more than a discount," Amaya said. "That's a hundred percent off."
"Thank you, Amaya," Ryan muttered, hoping the other guys didn't hear her piercing voice echoing across the ice. They wouldn't care if he offered Bailey a slot, but they'd definitely connect the dots between a free entry to camp and the fact the kid he'd offered it to was Aelin's.
Aelin looked back at Bailey. "The house is twenty minutes away. You'd miss the whole first hour of camp if I went back and got your skates."
Ryan glanced up at the clock above the rink. "How about this. Why don't you join us for camp next week? That will give you time to sign the waivers and get your gear in order. Your mom won't have to drive back and forth. Then Amaya can help me out this week and you two can hang out as camp kids next week?"
Bailey considered this. "I guess that could work."
Aelin let out a breath and mouthed, "Thank you."
Amaya's shoulders slumped, but she was appeased enough by his solution that she didn't argue. She walked over and gave Bailey a hug. "See you tomorrow." When Aelin and Bailey were out of earshot, Amaya turned to him. "Can you help me put this on?"
Ryan looked down at his hands and flipped them back and forth.
Amaya scoffed. "I know I have hands, Dad, but it'll go faster if you help."
He grinned. "Only if you help me put out cones."
She gave him a thumbs-up, and he stepped off the ice to help her.
"You know the week after hockey camp?" Amaya asked, her voice oddly high-pitched.
"Yes." Ryan was wary.
"I know you don't have work off because we're taking the next week off for vacation, right? That's what it says on the calendar."
Ryan frowned. He didn't realize she'd been looking at that. "That was the plan, but?—"
"I was thinking I could go to the lake."
Ryan pulled back to look at her. "You could go to the lake? What lake?"
Amaya pulled the shoulder pads over her head. "I wouldn't go by myself. I could go with Aelin and Bailey."
That rang a bell.Right.Her vacation. The reason he'd switched his week at work. Aelin had said it was because they were going down to Flathead with her family. "I don't think you can just invite yourself along to a family vacation."
"I didn't invite myself. Bailey invited me." She stepped into the shorts Ryan held out for her.
"Bailey's not in charge."
Amaya shrugged. "Aelin was right there. She didn't say no."
"Probably being polite."
Amaya's expression clouded. "Why are you being grumpy about this? You're going to be working, and what am I going to do? I don't want to go to grandma and grandpa's all week. I love their house, but Bailey's going to a huge lake! Her uncle has a boat, and they're going to go tubing and do campfires, and I've always wanted to learn how to water ski, and?—"
"Amaya." Ryan's tone was sharper than he intended. He drew a breath and sat back on his haunches. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I was going to wait to tell you this, but I switched my week off so I would be home the week that Aelin's gone. I was thinking?—"
