10. Colt - Birthday Party Invites

The next week we kicked off the regular season with a road trip. We played two games in South Carolina, one win, one loss, and we were ending the trip with a final game in Nashville tomorrow night.

JP and I shared a room, but like clockwork, Kappy banged on our door ‘til we let him in. He strode across the room and plopped at the table, then whipped out a deck of cards. “What’s the bet tonight, boys?” he asked, right as I was getting a FaceTime call from my mom.

Lucy was still staying at my mom’s overnight, but Charlotte’s mother was taking her to and from skating. Charlotte’s mom offered to let Lucy sleepover, and Lucy wanted to, but I wasn’t ready to trust anyone else yet, especially not while I wasn't in the state. I compromised by telling Lucy she could invite her friends over for a playdate when I got back.

When I answered, Lucy’s face filled my screen.

“Did you see the video?!” she asked with excited eyes.

“Yeah, baby, I did,” I told her. “That was amazing.” While on the team plane earlier today, Charlotte’s mom sent me a video of Lucy landing a perfect salchow.

“Did you show Kappy and JP my salchow?” Her eyes darted to the sides of the screen, like she’d be able to see them behind me.

I pulled up the video and proudly showed them.

“Lucy Conover, future gold medalist!” Kappy yelled out.

JP clapped for her. “Lu’s got the moves!”

She let out a squeal of excitement and twirled around with the phone, making me kind of dizzy, but I loved seeing her so happy.

“Where’s Grandma?” I asked her.

Lucy’s eyes shifted down, making her look guilty. “She’s outside playing with her plants. I said I had to go to the bafroom, but I just wanted to call you.”

That had me pausing. Was my mom not letting her call me whenever she wanted? I made a mental note to get an extra phone so Lucy had one when I left for road trips.

“Can I invite Charlotte and Sophia to my birthday party?” she asked suddenly.

My neck snapped to look over at JP and Kappy– the only two people who knew the trouble Lucy was going through with friends.

Kappy pumped his fist and mouthed, Let’s go!

This was huge. She actually wanted a party.

JP made a calm down sign with his hand. He was right. I had to keep it calm and not make it a big deal.

“Sure, honey,” I said, trying to keep a lid on my relief. “You wanna have a party?” Her birthday, November 8th, was only a few weeks away, which didn’t leave a lot of time to plan, but I was sure we could figure it out.

“Yes! Can it be a princess party? Sophia likes Frozen like me and Charlotte likes Moana. And maybe we can have Taylor Swift music?”

“Sure, honey,” I laughed, “that sounds great.”

“Blank space, babay!” Kappy yelled out with a clap.

“Shake it off!” JP chimed in, making Lucy giggle into the phone.

“Oh!” she said suddenly, “And can we invite Coach Mer, too?

My body pretty much malfunctioned. I sat there blinking, wondering if she really just said that or if I imagined it.

“She’s my friend, too,” Lucy pushed. “And she’s soo nice, and she’s so pretty! Don’t you think she’s pretty, guys?”

My mouth opened, but no words came out. I just stared at my kid who didn’t have all the pieces to connect that she was talking about my ex.

“Yeah, isn’t she so pretty?” Kappy laughed, then coughed into his fist when I shot him a death glare.

“But she’s an adult, honey,” I said gently, not wanting to ruin this for her. Mer and I…it felt like we were walking on a tightrope. We hadn’t spoken to each other since that first interaction, but it’s almost like a silent agreement for peace had passed between us.

I saw her on the ice one morning about a week ago, and I couldn’t help but watch. She was still so beautiful, so graceful, on the ice. An angel. My chest swelled with pride for her each time she landed a jump with such power. I actually clapped for her, like a total idiot. But other than that, we kept our communication to tight nods after Lucy’s lessons. Lucy was enjoying skating and it seemed like she was making good friends out there. I didn’t want to do anything to disrupt that for her. Her happiness was more important than any old resentment or lingering feelings I had.

And… secretly, I didn’t want to do or say anything that would make Mer run. She seemed at ease at the Coliseum. Mer deserved peace, and I wouldn’t be the one to steal it from her, even if deep down it kind of killed me that I wasn’t a part of it.

So, the two of us would have to stay balancing on this tightrope.

Lucy stopped twirling around and blinked at me. “Yeah but… But Kappy’s an adult,” she pointed out.

“Debatable,” JP muttered under his breath, making Kappy elbow him in the gut.

“And so is JP,” she said, cocking her head to the side. Her eyes scrunched. “They can’t count as my friends because they’re… adults?”

“No, they do!” I said quickly. “I was just being weird. Sorry, honey.”

Her brows furrowed and she nodded, looking deep in thought.

“You’re my best friend, Lu!” Kappy shouted.

“No, she’s my best friend,” JP argued back.

She laughed into the screen and my anxiety eased. I shot them a look of thanks.

“Okay,” I scratched my chest, unsure of how to handle this. “I guess you could–”

“Yay!” she yelled, cutting me off. “I’ll go make the invitations!” The phone screen bounced like crazy while she dashed up the stairs. She yelled goodbye right as she slammed the door, making me wince.

“You really gotta work on the door slamming,” Kappy said.

“Yeah,” I breathed out. I did.