Page 15 of Learn Your Lesson

He had both legs bent now, and he’d roll forward before extending his legs as straight as he could and then bending them again. After a while, he laid in a pancake stretch, his stomach and chest on the ice and his legs spread. But it wasn’t a passive stretch, it wasactive— hisquads and hamstrings lifting him off the ice a few inches before he’d lower deeper into the stretch.

When he bent his legs and started rolling his hips again, I forced myself to look away.

Now was not the time to fantasize about my new boss — not when I was responsible for his daughter in the seat right next to mine.

Okay, in reality, I probably shouldneverfantasize about him.

But he was a hot, professional athlete with a daughter he’d move mountains for.

I might have been celibate, but I wasn’t dead inside.

I managed to keep it in my pants through the rest of the warmup, and when the game actually started, Ava took her seat with something that almost resembled a smile.

“Let’s go, Daddy!” she screamed, and damn it if my heart didn’t melt into a puddle. This kid was so cute it hurt, and the way she loved her father… I knew he was the end all, be all in her eyes.

I was quiet most of the first period, mostly taking in the experience and trying to follow as best I could. I’d never watched a game of hockey in my life, never really watchedanysport, to be honest, and I found myself taking my cues from Ava.

If she cheered, I did, too.

If she groaned and booed, so did I.

And if she growled in frustration, shaking the stuffed fish in her hands like she wanted to strangle it, I tried not to laugh and failed every time.

We got up long enough for both of us to use the restroom and get some popcorn during the first intermission. No one had scored yet. When we sat back down, I finally asked her, “So, what’s with the fish?”

I tapped the ugly thing on the tail, and Ava shoved a handful of popcorn in her mouth before shrugging.

“It’s for when we win.”

“When we win, huh? What happens then?”

“We throw the fish on the ice.”

I blinked, sure I’d misheard her, but she didn’t so much as glance my way with the statement. She was watching where they were doing some sort of game with a fan in the stands as the Zambonis smoothed the ice.

“Why?”

Ava frowned a little then. “I dunno. Daddy said it used to be real fish, but that got stinky. So now we throw fluffy fish.”

I was even more confused. Fortunately, a fan just above me leaned down and explained, “It’s an offering to the Osprey. She’s right — it did used to be real fish in the beginning. But several years ago, it shifted to toys. The team donates the stuffed animals to local shelters and kids in need.”

I offered the man a thank you before turning back to Ava with a light bulb going off.

She loved hockey, loved this team.

Maybethiswas a way to get her talking more, to get her to open up a bit.

The game started up again, and I waited until a whistle blew before I leaned over to Ava. “So, what’s going on? Why did the guy in the stripes blow the whistle?”

“He’s thereferee,” she said, singing the words in an almost exhausted tone. “They were offside.”

“What does that mean?”

She looked up at me then, blinking. “You don’t know what offside means?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what any of this means,” I said, leaning in and whispering like it was a secret confession just for her. “Think you could help me understand? I don’t want to look silly.”

At that, Ava’s eyes widened even more, and she nodded emphatically. “Don’t worry. Daddy had to teach me, too.”