“Okay,” he says, as if it doesn’t matter to him either way.
“I hear someone wanted to meet the first-ever female head coach,” Sabrina singsongs.
“Go get ’em, Queenie,” Kane jokes, stepping back as I step forward and run directly into… a girl wearing a soft beanie, mask, and a Kane jersey. After switching her stuffed yeti to her left hand, the girl sticks out her fist for a bump.
“Hi, Coach Blake. I’m Lilly.”
I tap my fist to hers before dropping into a squat in front of the young girl, surprised by the instinct to meet Lilly at her level. I glance at the two women standing on either side of her, trying to understand what this is.
Damn it, Sabrina. A heads-up would’ve been nice.
“Hi, Lilly. Did you get to see the game?” I ask.
Lilly nods, looking at the woman in a puffy jacket with the words Wishes and Wings embroidered on the left breast. “It was my Wings Wish.”
“That’s so cool.” I can feel everyone’s attention in the room focused on me. “Are you a hockey fan?”
“Yeah. I’d started learning to play when I was diagnosed. Now I’m in the hospital a lot, so I can’t go to the practices, but I still love it.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I reply, glancing at the woman I assume is her mother, hoping for some kind of guidance here.
“But,” Lilly says, a smile on her face, “I watch almost every Yeti game with my dad.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, but he works nights, so we usually record them and watch together the next day. When I turned seven a few months ago, my parents put a TV in my room, so I could watch some of the games before I go to bed.”
I nod, searching the room for her dad. There doesn’t seem to be a man nearby, so I decide not to question it. “That’s a smart way to do it. What was your favorite part of the game tonight?”
Lilly bites her lip and looks at her mom, who shrugs. “She asked you.”
“When you yelled at the boys, and then they started playing better. Usually, Kane is the one doing the yelling, but tonight it was you. He’s my favorite player, but you’re my favorite coach in the whole world.”
“Well, gosh,” Kane mutters from behind me, as I bite the inside of my cheek to keep my emotions under control.
“How did you become a fan of Kane’s so quickly?” I ask the girl. “He’s barely been here long enough for the store to get his jersey in stock.”
“They had it in by his second game!” Lilly explains. “I always hated playing the Cyclones because Kane would make us lose. They were idiots for getting rid of him.”
“Lilly!” her mom scolds.
“What? Dad agrees with me.”
“Would you like Kane to sign your jersey?” I ask, clearing out of the way.
She nods, and Kane takes my spot, having Lilly turn around so he can sign her back. He jokes with her as he does it, and I can’t take my eyes off the pair of them. He’s gentle and kind. Not that I could imagine anyone being anything less to Lilly.
Lilly’s mom steps up next to me. “I really appreciate you both taking the time to do this. Lilly’s had”—her voice breaks with emotion—“a really rough year. You don’t know how much it means to her to get to meet you both like this. She’s been usingmy phone to watch the videos from your cooking competition. Even asked me to bake vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting last night.”
“I’m so glad we were able to meet her. You should come back again sometime. Maybe bring her dad if he can get off work.”
A sad smile passes over her face. “I’m not sure when she’ll be well enough again. We weren’t sure whether her doctor was going to clear her tonight. It’s the first time she’s been out in… well, a long time. You and the Yeti have really been a bright spot for us during her treatments.” Her lower lip wobbles slightly as she pulls the corner of her lips into a forced smile. “We’re—”
Lilly’s loud yawn interrupts her mom.
“We’re way past bedtime,” Lilly’s mom announces instead of whatever she’d been saying. “Thank you both so much for your time.”
She and the woman from Wishes and Wings both thank us again before the group heads to the door.
