From the first time she picked up a softball bat, Kayla has loved team games of any stripe. Now in her mid-forties, though, she is starting to come to the bitter realization that like all good things, her involvement in team sports must come to an end one day, whether she’s ready or not. When her broomball teammates start making noises about this being their final season together, Kayla sets her sights on capturing the league championship. What better way to remind them of how much fun it can be to win? The prospect of snagging the league title seems brighter with the addition of a new player, Val, who Kayla would like to get to know better. That is, if her meddlesome ex Abby will stay out of the picture long enough. Will winning the championship be enough to bring Kayla’s teammates back for one more season? If not, what can she do about it?

Curtain Call

“Well, she’s here now.” I turned my attention to Val. Now that I’d been told they were sisters, I noticed the similarities. The same warm brown eyes. The same slightly rounded face. Hair the same shade of blonde, though Val wore hers much shorter. “Have you played much? Not that it matters…”


“I’ve played a little,” she said. She raised and lowered her right shoulder. “Might be a bit rusty, though. It’s been a while.”


“Well, welcome aboard. It’ll be good to have an extra set of legs.”   3


As I trotted onto the ice after a stoppage in play in the next game, I shot a glance to my right. I’d put Val on my own line, in Debbie’s spot, so I could assess her play. She’d performed well at practice, but I knew from experience that practice skill didn’t always translate into game-day performance. Fortunately, our opponents, the Baytown Blizzard, weren’t one of the top-flight teams.


Chapter 3