Page 128 of The Maxwell Brothers

I chuckled, running a hand through my hair. "You got me there. Okay, come on. The donut stand is just around the corner.”

I grabbed my bag and iPad, and we walked side by side. My stomach was grumbling. “This was my lunch.”

"Your lunch?" he asked, stricken.

"It has eggs and milk. So it’s food."

He chuckled as we arrived in front of the food cart. Fortunately there was no line. It was impossible to stand next to Tyler and not be hyperaware of his presence. He seemed to have this field of energy around him. My stomach rumbled again.Way to make an impression.

“One donut enough or two? Just to be on the safe side,” he said.

“One is fine.”

I chuckled again, unable to look away from him. How was it possible that he trapped me with his gaze every time we made eye contact?

We received the order quickly and then walked toward the ice rink. I devoured half the donut before we even arrived at the front door.

“The door is locked. The administrator will open it ten minutes before training starts. We can wait out here or in the car, if you prefer?” I offered.

“Here’s fine.”

I took another bite of donut. "This was a great idea. I can feel my blood sugar leveling out."

He chuckled. "Good to know. What was that about a pool for Tim?”

"Oh," I said, gripping my iPad tighter under my arm. "His birthday was last week, and he’s never been to a water park. You know, the type with slides and all sorts of fun things for kids. I wanted to surprise him, but I can’t afford the whole thing.”

“That’s part of your job?”

“Well, no… so it’s not exactly okay, but I’ve asked some previous clients who know Tim if they would help out. So far, no answers, but I didjustemail. I usually don’t do this, at all, but it’s for a good cause, and I’d love to see the smile on Tim’s face. So many of these kids have had a tough life, and I’d love to be able to help them all if I could.”

"You're dedicated," he said in surprise. “What exactly do you have in mind?”

I couldn't believe he was interested in this. "Nothing special, just taking him and his hockey friends to a water park and watching over them while they have fun on the slides.”

He ran a hand through his dark brown hair, narrowing his eyes. “A friend of mine owns a spa. It’s got two pools, and I’m sure one of them has slides. He mentioned something about entertaining his guests’ kids. I can convince him to let the kids have fun in there for a couple hours.”

My mouth hung open. “Oh my God. I wasn’t telling you this to pitch it to you.”

“You said you asked previous clients, so why not me?”

“Well, because I’ve known them longer and have established a relationship with them.”

“You don’t trust me, Kendra?” He tilted his head playfully.

“I meant it the other way around.Youdon’t knowme, so I wouldn’t ask for a favor.”

“I’m offering.”

I tried to contain my happiness, but I really couldn’t. I felt my face split into a smile so huge that my cheeks were hurting.“You’d do that? Oh, Tim will be so happy. His family is lovely, but they can’t afford too much.”

“You can count on me. I’ll talk to the guy before training begins.”

“Wow. That’s amazing. Thank you so much, Tyler.”

I couldn’t believe he was doing this.

“This seems almost personal to you,” he said quietly.