Page 26

“Of course I did. Twenty-sevens for everyone. And bourbon’d versions for the adults.”

I’d only had one 27 since I’d been back, and it wasn’t one with bourbon. I’d developed what became The 27 back in elementary school when I mixed peanut butter and maple syrup into vanilla ice cream. Mickey had tried it at my place one afternoon and loved it. He’d gotten his dad, Joe, to add a maple and peanut butter shake to Red’s menu shortly after that.

Joe renamed the shake to The 27, my jersey number, after my first NHL season. It was just one of the things that made Red’s my favorite diner.

It was Mickey who discovered the extra kick bourbon brought to the shake, so that had become an adult alternative. He’d declared its name to be The 27B, though that was not on Red’s official menu.

“You’re the best.” I went to Mickey and carefully gave him a side hug to avoid jostling the shakes. “Thank you and thanks for helping out.”

“Anytime.”

We followed Mickey into the kitchen, and he set the drinks down. He handed us each a shake, the ones marked with a B.

We stepped out on the porch, dropped into the rocking chairs, and took in the view. The late afternoon sun cast a golden glow over the water. Tommy and Milo skipped stones at the edge, sometimes jostling each other to cause a bad throw. Their laughter drifted up to the house.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Liam asked after we’d sat quietly for a moment.

I gestured out at Tommy and Milo. “I wish I could start from square one with Andre like those two are with a new friendship.”

The pizza delivery car came into view, putting a swift end to that discussion.

“Hey, guys,” I called out toward the pond. Tommy turned. “Pizza’s here.”

As they came up to the house, the driver brought up the four pies. The aroma of sauce, melted cheese, pepperoni, and other toppings filled the air.

We laid the pizzas out in the kitchen as Tommy introduced Milo to The 27. Milo had a look of bliss as he took his first pull from the straw.

“That’s amazing,” he said, only signing with one hand as he kept the shake in the other. He immediately drank some more. “Where do these come from?”

“Red’s,” Tommy finger-spelled.

“We need to go there more.” Milo barely had the straw out of his mouth and didn’t bother to sign. He sipped more through the straw.

“Careful or you’re going to freeze your brain,” Mickey said.

“I kinda don’t care.” Milo laughed.

We ate on the porch since it was so nice out. Milo and Tommy sat on the steps, leaving the chairs for the rest of us.

“So, Ethan,” Liam said between bites, “have you thought about what you’re going to say in your speech?”

I groaned because I was worried about saying the right things in front of everyone. I set my plate in my lap so I could sign. “There are a lot of notes on my phone that I’m trying to make into something good.”

“Coach Ethan,” Milo interjected, “don’t worry about signing while we eat. I appreciate that you do it, but I’ve got my hearing aids on, so I can hear everyone fine. If I miss anything, I’ll ask for a repeat.”

“Will do,” I said, and we traded a smile.

“You always give the best pep talks at camp,” Tommy said. “The speech will be like that but with more rainbows.”

We all laughed.

“I’m going to work on it tonight. Who knows. Maybe I’ll try it out on you all tomorrow.”

“Cool. A sneak peek,” Milo said.

“Tommy, Nicolas told me he had you feeding Mabel. Would you be interested in doing that when I’m out of town?”

“For sure. Anytime. Just let me know when.”