Page 150 of Breakaway Hearts
Before I can respond, we’re interrupted by the kids filing back in from lunch. I step back from him to put a more work appropriate bit of distance between us, and as soon as the kids see Reese, the excitement level in the room ratchets up several notches. Most of them start crowding around him, and I can’t help but grin as he stands in the middle of a cluster of third-graders, smiling and answering questions while looking slightly panicked. I let it go on for a few minutes before I clap my hands, prompting the kids to clap back and descend into silence.
“Alright, alright,” I say, gesturing to the rearranged chairs. “Everyone take a seat so that Reese can talk to all of us. Go on now.”
They do as I say, still buzzing amongst themselves with excitement, and Reese joins me at the front of the class. I give him a short introduction, but it’s really not necessary. Every kid in the room already knows who he is, even the ones whose parents don’t really follow hockey.
“Hi, everyone,” Reese says once I’m done, sliding his hands into his front pockets in a casual stance. I can only imagine that he must look a bit like a superhero to the gathered kids. “I take it you might have a few questions for me, but before we get to that, I’ll start off by telling you a bit about how I got into the NHL. Sound good?”
The kids call out a disjointed “yes,” and Reese grins at me before launching into his life story.
I lean back against the whiteboard, basking in the rumbling sound of his voice as he talks. We’ve been friends for so long that I recognize every single story he tells, and I hide a little smile at the realization of how well we truly know each other. The kids laugh when he talks about how he and Violet used to play hockey together for fun when they were kids, and how she completely dominated at first, until he hit a growth spurt and was suddenly almost a foot taller than her.
About fifteen minutes into Reese’s talk, there’s a knock at the door and the school’s principal peeks his head in. Reese trails off for a moment and gives him a small wave. Principal Slater blooms bright red, all the way up to his bald head, and returns Reese’s gesture with a shaky smile. Peg peeks her head out from behind him and grins at me.
“Hi, Principal Slater,” I say, my brows furrowing a little. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, Ms. Marshall. I was hoping I could borrow you for a second. Nothing serious, but there’s a matter I need you to take care of in my office quickly. I know you have a guest in your class, but do you mind?”
“Oh, no problem.” I nod at Reese. “It’ll only be a minute.”
“Thank you. Mrs. Baird will stay with the class,” Principal Slater says. He gives a jerky nod toward Peg, and she steps into the room.
The kids have started murmuring among themselves a little, and she clears her throat, prompting them to quiet down again as I follow Principal Slater out of the room. He still looks a bit pale, and I glance over at him as we head toward his office.
“Are you okay?”
“Oh, yes.” He lets out a short breath and then clears his throat, some of the color returning to his face. “I’m just a huge Aces fan. I thought I was gonna faint in there.”
“Oh! Oh my gosh.” I put a hand over my mouth to stifle a chuckle. “I didn’t realize. I’ll have to get you an autograph from Reese later.”
“Really? That would be amazing! And, uh…” He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “Maybe a picture too?”
“Definitely.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.” I smile as we walk into his office. “And I’ll tell Reese you’re a fan. Maybe we can get you tickets and a meet and greet.”
Principal Slater looks like he’s ready to faint, something I’ve never been able to say before about the usually calm, unflappable man. He finally seems to get his star-struck nerves under control as he pulls out a few pieces of paperwork.
“Right,” he says, handing me a pen. “As you know, there’s going to be a class camping trip for the third-graders, and we need your signature on a few documents in regards to safety precautions and confirmation of your mandated reporting information.”
“Oh.” I take the papers from him and flip through them. “I thought this wasn’t until May? It’s still March. I didn’t realize we needed to have these submitted by the end of today.”
“I’m so sorry for the late notice on it.” Principal Slater speaks so quickly that it sounds like his words are blending together. “We just want to have our ducks in a row since things can get chaotic around the end of the school year.”
“Alright.” I lean over, read the papers, and sign my name at the bottom. “Easy enough. It’s no problem at all.”
“Thank you for understanding.” He takes the forms back once I’m done, and when I look up at him, he suddenly looks a bit nervous again. “Let me walk you back to your classroom.”
“Wanna meet Reese again?” I guess with a laugh as he ushers me into the hallway.
“Am I that obvious?”
“I have to say, I’ve never seen you so nervous before,” I comment as we walk. “And you’re the principal of an elementary school, so that’s saying something.”
“Well, five hundred energetic kids seem far less intimidating when placed next to a famous hockey player.”
We reach my classroom, and I put my hand on the door knob, pausing before I open it. “Reese is the nicest guy, seriously,” I tell him. “Thanks so much for approving his visit here.”