“Only if you join them,” I say, my eyes daring.
Jamie guffaws. “Yeah, okay.”
“I’m serious. You have to participate as their coach. You have to lead them.”
“Ellie, I—”
“That’s the only way I’ll agree to it. Do we have a deal, or not?” I ask, waiting for him to either tell me to get lost or agree to my terms. He lets out a deep sigh, and I know I’ve won.
“Fine, okay. I’ll do it too,” he pouts in defeat. I smile a victorious smile. He rolls his eyes.
“And my drama students will choreograph it.”
“Sounds good to me,” he agrees.
I write everything down in my notes before moving on to the next order of business.
Placing my pen down on the paper, I interlace my fingers on the desk and look across at Jamie who’s watching me intently, like he wants to jump across the table and do something we’ll both regret.
Clearing my throat, I say, “My turn.”
Jamie straightens. “The floor is yours.”
“During intermissions, the drama club performs a scene from our upcoming play.”
He frowns. “A whole scene?”
“Well, a curated one,” I say. “Five minutes each. We don’t want to give too much away.”
“What’s the play about?” he asks, actually seeming curious.
“It’s a sweet story about a woman who travels far from home for a new life and meets a man who changes her perspective. She learns that she doesn’t have to be independent all the time. It’s okay to ask for help and have someone to lean on.”
He watches me, his eyes narrowing as if he’s trying to read me like a book.
“Sounds… thrilling,” he says. “How does it fit exactly?”
“That’s the point,” I tell him. “We’ll perform it mid-ice with a minimal set. My actors and stage crew will get everything ready. The ice becomes part of the environment.”
“And you think people will go for it? It’ll keep them entertained?”
I nod. “Oh, they’ll be entertained. We’ll only do scenes that have humor, or cliffhangers where people can’t wait to see what comes next,” I explain with excitement. This idea might just actually work.
He smiles brightly, and I know I’ve got him.
“And it promotes the play,” he says slowly.
“Yes.”
“And brings in donors who like the arts.”
“Yes.”
“We can even sell tickets at the rink,” he shrugs and I nod.
“Or we could raffle them off!”
“Alright, Sweetheart,” Jamie said. “Seems like we’ve got a plan.”
