She stills, and I ease my hands off slowly. She wobbles, but stays up. “There you go.”
“I’m gonna die.”
“You’ve been standing for five seconds already, drama queen.”
Her balance shifts and she gasps, but I don’t catch her. Instead, I skate around her, letting her feel mypresence without touching her. “Watch my feet. Push off like this. One foot, then the other. Small movements.” I show her the motion as I arc around her.
“Chest up. Knees bent. Weight forward. Don’t lean back.”
“I’m trying.”
“Stop trying. Start doing.”
“Easy for NHL royalty to say.”
Grinning, I stop a few feet away. “Now come here.”
She blinks. “What?”
“Skate to me.”
“Are you serious?”
“Dead.”
“No,” she says instantly. “Absolutely not. Come back here and get me.”
“You can do it.”
“I’ll fall!” she protests, throwing her arms up and losing balance a bit.
“Maybe.”
Her eyes narrow and I tilt my head. “Wanna make it interesting? If you’re right and you fall, you get a wish. But if you don’t?” I add, voice dipping low. “If you make it to me, I get a wish.”
“What kind of wish?” she asks, suspicious.
“Whatever you or I want,” I shrug.
“Sounds like a trap.”
“It’s motivation. Come here. I’ll talk you through it.”
She bites her lip, and looks down at her feet.
“Push off with your right foot,” I guide. “A little weight, not too much. Keep your knees bent.”
She starts gliding, and I step back.
“Eyes on me,” I call. “Not the floor.”
Her face twists half-panic, half-laughter. Three feet away. Two. She stumbles with a high-pitched squeal, but I don’t move. “Come on,” I urge. “You’re right there.”
She steadies, finds her footing, pushes forward faster, and crashes into my chest. I catch her, feeling her relax in my arms. Her laughter tumbles out as her hands clamp my arms. This is what I wanted—not just to teach her, but to be the one she reaches for instinctively. To be the reason she relaxes when she’s scared.
Her breathing’s quick, lips parted, eyes shining like she just won gold. “I didn’t fall,” she whispers, beaming up at me.
“No,” I murmur. “You didn’t.” I run a hand down her back, keeping her steady.
