Chapter One
Tyler
I was screwed. I couldn't take my eyes off her. Her hair fell to the middle of her back in dark waves that sparked my imagination.
Focus, Tyler. You're here for the kids, nothing more.
Yep, I was here to meet the kids I was going to coach for a couple of months until my team allowed me to play again—long story. But I looked forward to it.
What I hadn't counted on was the program coordinator, Kendra Douglas, being such a distraction. A smoking hot distraction.
"I'm so happy that you're going to spend time with the kids this season. Believe it or not, we've never actually had a hockey player before," Kendra said.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I think that's going to be super exciting for them."
"How long have you been working as a volunteer coordinator?" I asked her.
"Four years. I honestly love it."
I could see that from the way her green eyes lit up. Damn, she’s beautiful. She was curvy and tall, but at six foot two, I still towered over her.
"I love pairing up volunteers with the right program for them. My boss says I have a knack with people.”
“You certainly found the perfect activity for me.”
Her smile widened at my comment.
Volunteering had always been part of my job as a goalie with the NHL's hottest hockey team, the Chicago Blades. And I'd enjoyed doing it, but I didn't like it one bit that the team’s management had put volunteering as a condition for rehabilitating my image after the scandal and letting me back on the ice. I was benched because of a video that went viral. I also had a shoulder injury to deal with, so the extra time to heal wasn’t such a bad thing.
So here I was, at the Chicago Sports Center. Every year, they offered kids from low-income families an opportunity to meet and play with some of the sports stars of the area, which was a really cool thing. I had no idea why it was the first time I’d heard of it.
“Do all your volunteers work with kids?” I asked Kendra.
“No. It’s all wildly different, to be honest.”
“You don’t actually work at the Chicago Sports Center, right? I got confused reading the email from management.”
Kendra laughed. “Sorry for the confusion. No, I’m employed by The Illinois Volunteer Society. My job is to find placements for people who want to do volunteer activities. We often collaborate with the Chicago Sports Center. I’ve brought a few professional athletes here to the center, and it always makes the kids so happy. Most of them don’t come from well-off families, so it’s a treat for them, and I also think a bit inspiring.”
She was obviously proud of her job and probably doing it because she wanted to. I'd been around plenty of people doing all sorts of volunteer stuff for public relations, but Kendra was genuine. I liked that about her.
"Anyway, the circumstances might not be ideal for you, but I'm still happy that you're here,” she continued. “I hope I can make this more enjoyable for you."
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her exactly how much more enjoyable she could make it, but I caught myself in time.
Damn, Tyler, what's wrong with you?
"It won't be a hardship,” I said instead. “I like working with kids. I’m good with them."
Her eyes widened, and I went on to explain. "I have a niece. She's ten years old, so I have some experience. It's different than this, but I think I've got a few tricks up my sleeve that the kids will enjoy." I finished with a wink.
"I'm looking forward to seeing that," she said with a challenge in her tone.
I flashed her a grin. “I look forward to proving myself to you.”
She looked away quickly, but I caught her smile.
Ahh, so she isn’t immune to me.
“Maybe I should ask your niece for references too, just in case.”
I laughed at her snarky comment. “Feel free to do that. You can ask my whole family. I’m sure they’ll sing my praises.”
My family was very close. I’d gotten into this clusterfuck of a problem because of a family issue. My cousin Reese had an altercation with her ex-fiancé, Malcolm, and I stepped in. I wasn't happy with the outcome, but I sure as hell didn't mind punching that moron. He'd hurt Reese so deeply that I wasn't sure my cousin would ever trust anyone who wasn't part of the family again. He cheated on her with her best friend, and Reese had discovered it shortly before they were supposed to get married. I had no clue how someone could come back from that.
Even though that moron filmed our fight and posted it on YouTube, I didn’t regret standing up for Reese. My family always stuck together. We had each other’s back no matter what. I had five brothers and two cousins, Reese and Kimberly. There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for my family.
"Okay, are you ready to meet the kids?" Kendra asked, sounding anxious. It was just so damn cute.
"Sure. I didn't know I was going to meet them today, but yeah, that works.”
"It's only a meet and greet. It’ll be very short because they’re about to start their tae kwon do class, but it’ll give them something to look forward to."
She led me into a small room with mattresses on the floor. The second I stepped inside, the crowd of kids seemed to erupt in cheers. They were all wearing uniforms.
"Oh my God, Tyler Maxwell is here. I can't believe it. Can I get your autograph? You're the best, best, best goalie ever," one of them exclaimed.
I looked at the kids, grinning widely. They were a group of boys around twelve years old.
"If you give me pen and paper, I can sign autographs for all of you. I've got time." I looked at Kendra, whose smile widened. “But Kendra here has some good news for you, so you might want to listen to that first.”
"Thanks, Tyler. Kids, can you be silent for a few minutes?"
"Yes," all of them chorused.
The room went quiet a few seconds later. "So, I promised I'd get someone to train you to play hockey this season. And I'm proud to say that Tyler here will do the job."
"Holy shit," a kid exclaimed.
Kendra glared at him. "Tim, what did we say about swearing?"
"Sorry, Kendra." He turned my way. "You’re going to be our coach? That's so awesome." Tim was taller than the rest by at least a head, with dark blond hair sticking out in all directions.
"Yeah, I will, buddy. So, I can sign any autographs you want today, but we'll be seeing each other twice a week, I think. Right, Kendra?"
She smiled. "Exactly, twice a week."
I turned back to the kids. "So I’ll have plenty of time to sign whatever you want."
"Can you also sign my T-shirt?" another boy asked.
I nodded.
"Do you have pics to sign?" a third chimed in.
"Not on hand, but I can bring some," I assured them.
Kendra laughed nervously. Did she think this was an imposition on me? Because it wasn't. I hadn't lied when I told her I liked being around kids. Granted, my limited experience was with my niece, but I couldn't see how spending time with a bunch of kids who shared my passion for hockey could be anything but fun. I liked new challenges and opportunities, and while it was bittersweet that I only had time to coach because I was injured and my team had benched me, I chose to focus on the positive. I could share all I knew—both technique and passion—with their young minds and maybe even play a small part in helping shape the next generation of hockey players.