Love's Sporting Chance: Volume 1: 6 Romantic sporting novellas

by Janice Thompson

  “Nah, just observant. When my dad died I used to come out here just to get away and think.”

  “I understand. My dad…” She paused and her words drifted off. No point in comparing their two situations. They were nothing alike.

  “Did your dad pass away too?” Kevin gave her a tender look. “Mine’s been gone since I was seven. That’s why Uncle Rusty means so much to me.”

  “No. I mean, I guess you could say he’s dead to me. I haven’t seen him since I was five. He took off and never looked back. My mom raised me by herself with no help from him. Not the same as what you went through.”

  He shrugged. “Kind of is. It’s a loss. A kid without a father.”

  A lump rose in J.J.’s throat, which surprised her. How had the conversation shifted from weddings to dead-beat dads? “I…” She did her best to speak above the lump. “I try not to honor him with conversation. I’ll tell you what, though. It sure makes me want to stick around for the fatherless kids I meet. Someone has to be there for them.”

  A thoughtful look came over Kevin and she could read the compassion in his expression. “I feel the same way about Jaden. Ever since my cousin went to prison, I’ve tried to be there for him.”

  Kevin, you’re doing a great job.” J.J. gave him an admiring look. “It’s so obvious to everyone.”

  He offered a little shrug as he leaned against his truck. “I don’t always get it right, but I’d do anything for that kid. He’s been through so much, and he’s a great boy.”

  “I agree. I’ve fallen for him, too. He’s easy to love.” Her words were about Jaden, but her eyes were on Kevin. She couldn’t help but notice the moisture she found there. In that moment she fought the temptation to throw her arms around his neck, pull him close and press a few gentle kisses onto that handsome face of his. Instead, she shifted her gaze to the sunset once again, focusing on its beautiful colors.

  ~

  Kevin reached to take J.J.’s hand and gave it a squeeze, his heart overcome with emotion. “You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. Don’t let what your dad did—or didn’t do—change that. He’s the weak one, not you.”

  “I know. I tell myself that all the time.” She swiped tears off of her cheek and gave him a little shrug. “I do my best to press these feelings away. Most of the time I succeed. Not sure why it’s hitting me so hard today.”

  “Must be the sunset.” He slipped his arm around her shoulder and they gazed off into the distance together.

  “Must be,” she whispered.

  After a couple of moments in silence she cleared her throat and looked his way. “Guess we should get inside and host a wedding. Don’t you think?”

  “Yeah. Guess so.”

  “Pretty sure everyone’s wondering where we are.”

  “Mm-hmm.” He wanted to pay attention to her words, but those beautiful eyes caused him to hesitate. His gaze shifted to her lips, parted and curve upward in a soft smile. In that moment he wanted to take his fingertip and gently trace them.

  No. As he stared into those tear-filled eyes, he wanted to wrap his arms around this precious woman and pull her close, to tell her that some guys did stick around, some men did the right thing. They cared. They refused to give up.

  Before he could stop himself, Kevin slipped his arm around her waist and leaned in close, hoping his actions would bring comfort, not confusion. Seconds later she rested her head against him, her slight frame a perfect fit against his larger one.

  After a couple of minutes, she turned her face toward the sunset. Complete silence rose up between them—not the awkward kind, but the comfortable ‘no one needs to say a word’ kind. Out of the corner of his eye Kevin watched as her soft smile widened into a broad one.

  Yes. Some guys stuck around…and he would be one of those guys.

  Chapter Twelve

  Less than a week after the wedding, J.J. received news that turned her world upside-down. She found it hard to focus on little else, even as she headed off to the rink. Maybe once she hit the ice, she could think more clearly. Come up with a plan.

  She hadn’t counted on bursting into tears the moment she saw Kevin in the foyer.

  “J.J.?” He rushed her way, leaving the cash register standing wide open. “What’s happened?”

  “I…I…They let me go.”

  “W-what?”

  “The advertising firm. My boss. He…he…”

  “Are you saying you’ve lost your day job?” Kevin eyes grew wide. He reached behind the counter and came out with a half-eaten chocolate bar, which he shoved in her hand. “Here, take this.”

  J.J. nodded, still not quite believing it. “I just found out. I didn’t know who else to talk to.” She peeled back the wrapper on the chocolate bar and took a bite, feeling instant relief the moment the creamy goodness touched her tongue.

  “But, why?” He leaned against the counter, his arms crossed. “Why would anyone in their right mind let you go?”

  She paused and reflected on his choice of words. “My boss said he’s noticed a difference in my performance over the past few months.” She sighed and took another bite of chocolate. “And I have to admit, he’s probably right. I’m there in body, but my mind is sometimes, well…”

  “Here at the rink.”

  “Yeah.” J.J. folded the wrapper over the chocolate bar and shoved it into her purse. “I can’t help myself. I’m supposed to be working on the Price-Wise account and instead my thoughts are wrapped around Libby’s double Axel. I’m thinking about Callie’s choreography or Jaden’s spins. I’m hyped up over the competition and I’m choreographing moves in my head. Even when I’m sitting in a meeting. Or at my desk.” She groaned. “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

  “Understandable. You’re a creative soul, J.J. You always have been.”

  “Which is why I thought a career in advertising would be perfect, but my heart just isn’t in it lately and I guess Brendan noticed.” She groaned and reached inside her purse to grab the chocolate bar again. Once in her hand, she unwrapped it and took a bite.

  “Your heart is here.” He took hold of her free hand and smiled. “And that’s a very good thing, at least to my way of thinking.”

  J.J. gazed into his face, trying to figure out how to respond to that statement. Yes, pieces of her heart were here—with Libby. With Callie. With Jaden. And…with Kevin. As much as it pained her to admit it, she’d given tiny slivers of her heart to the one person who now pulled her into his arms and planted a little kiss in her hair.

  “They’ll never know what they’ve lost,” he whispered.

  She lingered in his arms for a moment, almost forgetting her pain. Almost. “There’s more to the story than just that,” she said after a moment. “The people at Price-Wise saw me on the news. They watched the whole thing.”

  He brushed a loose hair out of her eyes with the tip of his finger. “I’d think they would be happy about your dedication to youth sports.”

  “Right. But the banner? The one that fell?”

  “What about it?”

  “It’s Health Check pharmacy, Price-Wise’s chief competitor. Apparently they picked up on that and it hit them the wrong way.”

  “Ah.” Kevin loosened his hold on J.J. and stepped back.

  “Mm-hmm.” J.J. finished off the chocolate bar then licked her fingers.

  “Can I get you a soda? A milkshake? A cheeseburger? Looks like you plan to nurse your pain with food.”

  She slugged him on the arm and then handed him the candy wrapper. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

  He tossed the wrapper into the trash and then looked back at her. “I see this as a blessing, J.J. I don’t know about the financial—I mean, until we get the figure skating program fully up and running—but this is probably an answer to Rusty and Ann-Marie’s prayers. You know? They’ve wanted this all along.”

  “Yeah. I blame them both.” She offered him a weak smile. “Just kidding. My heart is here. I just hope I can earn a liv
ing here.”

  “Surely you can, in time. I just don’t know what to do in the interim.” Concern registered in his eyes.

  “The firm gave me a severance package.” J.J. said. “That’ll buy me a few months.”

  An engaging smile lit his face. “Alright, then. It sounds like God has just opened a door for you to do what you love.”

  “Yes.” She gazed at him, her thoughts in a whirl. “But don’t you see, Kevin? I’m at a fork in the road.” She took his hand. “We’re at a fork in the road. Before I move forward I need to make absolutely sure this is your dream too, not just mine.”

  “Growing the figure skating club, you mean?”

  She nodded.

  “Well, why else do you think I’ve spent so much time getting the shop ready and setting up the new schedule? I tried to tell you before, J.J., I’m in. All in. And now that you’re going to be here full-time…” His words drifted off and his smile won her over. “Trust me when I say that I’ll be even more in than I’ve been in the past. If that makes sense.”

  “T-thank you.”

  He lowered his voice as a couple of hockey players entered. “Come to my office?”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  She followed behind him, settling into a chair across from his desk once inside his newly renovated office.

  “Now.” He sat down in his chair, put his hand on the desk and reached for a piece of paper and a pen. You and I…we need a plan.”

  ~

  As Kevin held the pen and paper, he felt a resurgence of joy and excitement flood over him. The advertising company’s loss was his gain. From this day forward he would make this place J.J.’s home. Her domain. The figure skating club would continue to grow, the customers would rave…and the smile would return to her face. And the upcoming competition, first weekend in June? It would be a smashing success, both on and off the ice.

  He began to scribble on the paper. “Okay, first of all, Libby’s mom already said she would help you recruit students. Now that you know you have the time, I’ll bet your calendar fills up in a hurry, so we’ll focus on getting you more kiddos to train. When your students do well at the competition it’ll set you up for great things ahead.”

  “I hope so, but I don’t know if I can work around your schedule with the hockey players. The afternoons and evenings are already pretty full.”

  “Sure you can. And remember, a lot of these figure skaters are homeschooled, so they’re available during the day. You could fill some of your daytime hours with private lessons and the evenings with classes. We’ll need another coach, though. Do you think Ann-Marie would give it another shot?”

  “She would say she’s lost her edge.” J.J. grinned. “And not the one on her blades.”

  “But she’s great with the little ones. So, why not suggest she take the beginner class? The kids would love her. Then we could look at hiring someone else for the intermediates and leave you to the advanced kids.”

  J.J. thought about that for a moment and then shrugged. “Maybe. Sounds reasonable.” After a moment of quiet contemplation she stood and gave him a smile. “Kevin, thank you. I feel so much better now. It’s great to have someone believe in me.”

  “I do.” He crossed the room to stand in front of her. “But never forget that God believes in you, even more. He’s the one who arranged all of this, you know.”

  “With Ann-Marie and Rusty’s help.” J.J. chuckled.

  “Yeah, well, He gets a little help from the two of them quite often, I think. And we’ll be getting a lot of help from them as soon as their honeymoon is over. This story will have a good ending, I promise.” He offered what he hoped would be a confident smile.

  “Well, thanks again. Maybe I’d better grab my laptop and start putting together a plan.” She glanced around the small room. “Only, I don’t have a place to work.”

  “Work in here. I’ve got some stuff in the shop that needs my attention before the competition. I plan to make the best of the next two or three weeks, J.J. That shop’s going to be top of the line, I promise.”

  “Awesome. Thank you.” She took a couple of steps toward the door and he thought of something he needed to say.

  “Hey, J.J.”

  She turned back to face him. “Yeah?”

  “Slightly off the subject, but did you hear about Jaden’s dad?”

  Finely tuned lines appeared on her brow. “What about him?”

  “He’s getting out of prison. Again.”

  “Ah. This is a good thing or a bad thing?” J.J. leaned against the doorframe.

  “Depends on who you ask. I would like to think he’s been rehabilitated but who knows. We thought that several times before. And Chrissy…” Kevin shook his head. “She’s worried, of course. She knows he’ll want to spend time with Jaden.”

  “Is that wise? For Jaden, I mean?”

  “I don’t know.” Kevin released an exaggerated sigh. “This is my cousin we’re talking about…the same guy who saved my neck when I was ten.”

  “How so?”

  “We were playing dodge ball in the street and I took off after a ball, not even paying attention to the traffic. Donny caught me and pulled me onto the sidewalk just as a truck shot by. I wouldn’t be here today if he hadn’t saved me.”

  “And you’ve been trying to return the favor by helping with Jaden?” J.J. appeared to be thinking. “Well, if he’s really rehabbed, then you’ll know it. It’ll be obvious. And if that’s the case, maybe he’ll want to play a more active role in Jaden’s life. Who knows…Chrissy might even come around if he’s really a different guy.”

  “I doubt it. She divorced him two years ago.”

  “I know, but stranger things have happened.”

  “You’re right about that.” He reached for her hand and gazed into her eyes. “Stranger things have happened. Like a set-in-his-ways old-school hockey coach falling for a gal in figure skates.”

  “O-oh?” J.J.’s cheeks turned the prettiest shade of pink and the edges of her lips curled up in a delicious smile. “Anyone I know?”

  “Yeah. You know her better than anyone else.” He looped his arm around her waist and leaned in to whisper the next words, “But I’d like to know her better, if she’s willing. A lot better.”

  A little giggle sounded from J.J., who nodded as their eyes met. “She’s…she’s willing.”

  “Well, good. Because I have plans to keep her around for a good, long time.” Kevin pulled her close and brushed his fingertip along the edge of her cheek. “If that’s what she wants.”

  Eyes now brimming, J.J. nodded. “That’s what she wants.”

  “Good. Because I’m head-over-heels for her. Hope she knows that.”

  “She’s figuring it out in a hurry.”

  Kevin teased her with a little peck on the cheek and then his lips met hers for a kiss that would’ve sent the scoreboard soaring.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The days leading up to the big competition were filled with chaos and joy. J.J. worked overtime with Libby, Jaden and Callie, and even added a couple of new students to the Dream Team.

  Okay, so not everything was perfect. Ann-Marie had balked at the idea of coaching. For about a day. But she’d settled in well with the little ones after that. And now, with the competition just around the corner, everyone at The Big Skate—even the hockey players—seemed excited and nervous.

  The event kicked off on Friday morning with Libby’s solo routine at the Galleria. The youngster skated the routine of her life, landing every jump, including the double-Axel. The crowd went wild as she performed like a star. J.J.’s heart soared, not because the girl did well, but because Libby seemed so happy as she came off the ice.

  “Oh, J.J., thank you!” She threw her arms around J.J.’s neck and gave her a tight squeeze. “That was the best feeling in the world. Can we do it again?”

  “Yep. You’ve got your pairs competition with Jaden at The Big Skate tomorrow afternoon, remember? And we still need to work wit
h him on his jumps.”

  J.J. gathered up her things to head back to her home rink.

  Home rink. How she loved those words.

  Before she could get out of the door, several parents flocked her way to ask about her coaching services. She did her best not to get too excited, or to speak too highly of their the Dream Team. No point in pulling kiddos from the Galleria unnecessarily. They had a great club, too, after all…one she had belonged to for years. But for those who lived closer to Bellaire, or those who were just starting out and genuinely looking for a new coach, well, those she would welcome with open arms.

  But right now she had work to do. Back at The Big Skate the beginners’ events were underway. Surely Kevin had his hands full right about now. She drove back to the rink and spent the rest of the day helping out, making sure the place was in great condition for incoming competitors and parents.

  More than anything, she spent time in the shop helping Callie’s mom, who’d just signed on as sales clerk. J.J. could hardly believe the number of skating dresses, boots and blades they sold in one day’s time. And the concessions! Chrissy certainly had her hands full. Thank goodness she had help, too: Donny. The guy prepped food while she waited on customers right and left. J.J. could only imagine the income from food sales, alone. Rusty and Kevin would be thrilled.

  Not that she had time to calculate…anything. Nope. With so much swirling around her, she needed to get through the day and then celebrate by giving that guy of hers a kiss that he would never ever forget.

  ~

  At the end of the day Kevin met J.J. in the center of the ice as she wrapped up her final run-through with Jaden and Libby. He watched in amazement as the youngster landed a clean Axel and then glanced over to the edge of the rink to see Donny’s reaction. His cousin let out a cheer—a “Whoop!”—and then they all applauded together.

  When practice ended, J.J. sent the kids on their way, encouraging them to get a good night’s sleep. Kevin had a feeling she wouldn’t be getting much, since they had an early morning and all. But she didn’t seem to mind. These days J.J. was all in.