Patrick steps closer. “Nice to meet you, Mia. I’m Patrick and this is Dustin. We work with your mom at the fire station.”
Mia stretches her hand out and Patrick shakes it. Dustin raises his hand and Mia gives him a high five.
“I’m going to throw pies at Coach G now,” Mia announces.
“Go for it!” Dustin says.
Hallie fills the tins extra full. I glare at her playfully, but I’m pretty sure she can’t even tell I’m glaring through all the cream covering my face.
Mia steps back behind the adult throw line.
“Honey, you can throw from here,” Hallie says, pointing to the closer line.
“I don’t need to, Mommy,” Mia says. “I don’t want to hurt Coach G.”
“Okay, then. Go ahead,” Hallie tells her daughter.
Mia aims, squints and lets the first pie fly. It hits me hard and smacks my face, whipped cream flying everywhere. And then she does the same with the next pie tin. She’s laughingwith all her teammates and everyone’s fist-bumping and high-fiving like we just won the championship.
Mia approaches Hallie and crooks her finger. Hallie bends down and Mia whispers into her ear. Then Hallie hands the towel to Mia.
Mia hands me the towel. “Here, Coach G. I think my mommy needs a turn. You’re done.”
I smile at Mia. She’s got a heart like Hallie’s—that same ease with people and an eye to see when someone could use a little care. I’m not supposed to have favorites. And I don’t when it comes to my players on the field.
I know this much: Mia’s dad is certifiably crazy not to want a life with her.
Dustin’s wife, Emberleigh, approaches our booth with her group of friends, including Patrick’s wife, Daisy, and Cody’s fiancée, Carli.
“Hey!” Emberleigh stops short, looking me over. “Wow. You got it good. I don’t think we’ve used that much whipped cream in a month’s worth of cream puffs.”
Dustin cracks up, wrapping his arm around Emberleigh.
“Dustin!” she shouts, shoving him playfully. “You’re a mess.”
“Gimme a kiss, hun,” he says, puckering up and moving in her direction. His face is mostly clean, but he’s still got patches of white on him.
Emberleigh leans in and kisses him anyway. Then she turns to Hallie who is pulling a poncho over her head.
“We actually came over here to see you,” Emberleigh tells Hallie.
Dustin puffs his bottom lip out in a pout. “You didn’t come here to see me?”
Emberleigh smacks him in the chest. “Let me talk to Hallie, would you?”
He smiles at Emberleigh. “Yeah. Yeah.”
“Anyway, what I was trying to say was that we keep meaning to pop by the station to invite you to our monthly book club. February was slammed at the bakery with Valentine’s but that’s no excuse. So …”
“What she’s trying to say,” Daisy says, “is that we want you to join us for book club. It’s just once a month.”
“Or whenever we decide,” Carli adds.
“Yeah,” Emberleigh nods. “It’s casual, but really fun.”
“They want to pick your brains about living with us,” Dustin says. “Don’t be swayed to the dark side!” He puts his hand to his throat and starts faking as if he’s being choked by an invisible force.
“We want to save her from thinking everyone in town is like the four of you,” Daisy says with a smile.
