Chapter 8
Emma
Gliding on a Sheet of Ice
Scott asked Joey about getting some ice-skating lessons and Joey invited me to tag along. Being invited made me feel like Joey has moved me into full girlfriend status, so of course, I accepted, even though I’ve only skated a couple times. My mom bought me a pair of skates when I was in high school, filled with dreams of becoming a figure skater. Those skates dangle from my hand and bang against my leg as I walk towards the arena.
There’s only a smattering of cars in the parking lot. Not surprising since it’s dinnertime and this is open skate time when teams can’t practice. Striding through the heavy doors of the arena, I follow the directions Joey provided. The air temperature drops as I get closer and closer to the rink.
Being down at ice level makes this place look huge. I spot Katie sitting on a bench on the sidelines, but I don’t see either Joey or Scott. There are several people skating and a couple of them look like they’re quite good. One girl takes a fancy jump, and I hold my breath. She lands safely, a huge smile splitting her face as a lone woman claps from the sidelines.
I continue scanning the ice and after a few seconds, my eyes land on a hunky man and a small boy off in the far corner. The man is patiently showing the kid how to push off with his one leg and glide on the other. My heart lodges in my throat at the thought of trying to balance on those skinny blades.
Maybe I should pretend that my skates don’t fit.
“Emma!” Katie shouts in her high-pitched voice, the sound bouncing off the ice and echoing around the arena. If I’d hoped to keep a low profile, that’s now a pipedream. Joey looks up and waves. I wave back while making my way over to join Katie on the bench.
She bounces up and down. “I get to skate next!” Her feet are clad in a pair of tiny white skates. Joey and Scott are wearing black ones.
I take a seat beside Katie. “Have you ever skated before?”
“Nope,” she replies, swinging her legs back and forth. This kid is a bundle of energy. She points toward Joey and Scott. “I’m not gonna fall on my butt like Scott.”
My eyes swivel to the male pair, wondering how many times Scott has landed on his butt as Katie put it. Joey skates around his nephew in a wide circle while Scott watches intently. The man is impressive with his strong, sure strokes and the speed he achieves with what looks like very little effort. Several skaters stop to watch the master at work. Wearing black from head to toe makes him look like a ninja on ice. My heart responds accordingly by flipping in my chest.
Next it’s Scott’s turn. He does his best to emulate Joey. He appears wobbly at first, but after a few strokes, he looks more confident. Joey skates right beside his nephew as they slowly make their way around the rink.
“Looks like Scott is doing better!” Right as the words leave my mouth, the kid loses his balance and falls, sprawling on his backside. Katie giggles, but I hold my breath. Scott pops back up a few seconds later, while his uncle checks him over for any injuries, and I expel loudly when it appears that all is ok. We don’t need the child to get hurt on Joey’s watch.
The pair resume skating. They eventually make their way over to the bench where Katie and I are sitting. Joey does an impressive move that throws shards of ice up and stops his progress on a dime, while Scott teeters towards the bench and flops down.
Joey gives me a heated look that could melt the ice. My coat suddenly feels too hot, so I shrug out of it. “Ready to skate?” Joey asks as he nods towards my feet still encased in my boots.
“My turn!” Katie squeals.
Relieved that I don’t need to embarrass myself yet, I say primly, “I’ll wait my turn.”
Joey laughs and extends his hand to Katie. “Okay squirt, let’s skate.” He holds both her hands as he takes smaller, slower strokes, skating backwards as easily as he skated forwards. I’m impressed!
Katie’s not doing much work as Joey pulls her around the rink. By the look on his niece’s face, she’s having the time of her life. They both chatter and laugh as they glide across the ice.
Remembering Scott is sitting quietly at the end of the bench, I swivel my head towards him. “Did you have fun?”
He nods, although in a rather unenthusiastic manner. “Yes. Uncle Joey showed me how to push off with my legs.”
“You just need to practice. You looked great on your last pass around the rink.”
The kid gives me a skeptical look. I feel like I should fill the silence with some insightful comments, but nothing comes to mind. When the silence stretches too long, I blurt out, “Wait until you see me skate. I’ll take more spills than you did.” After hearing the words that just left my mouth, I cringe. Way to go Emma. Open mouth, insert foot.
Clamping my lips shut, I sit quietly watching Joey and Katie. Scott doesn’t seem to mind the lack of conversation, so I quit racking my brain for topics. If the boy wants to talk, he’ll have to broach a subject. Several minutes tick by and my legs start to jiggle, I’m nervous and itchy to speak, but don’t know what to say. Maybe we could discuss the weather?
“Uncle Joey says we’re building a test gingerbread house tomorrow night. Please don’t make it look like a fairy house.”
My eyes widen as the kid strings together more than five words. Apparently, Katie’s been lobbying hard for fairies. I rotate by body to face him. “Trust me, Scott. We’ll build a house you’ll be proud of. Tucking a little fairy in somewhere won’t hurt, will it?”
“But fairies are so girly.”
I nod. “Okay, what one masculine item do you want to make sure the house has? Name anything.”
A thoughtful look crosses his face. I bite my lip as I wait for his well-thought-out response. Eventually his eyes brighten. “How about a pair of hockey sticks?”
“So, the owner of the house plays hockey?” I tease.
Giggles burst from his mouth. “No, silly, Santa does!”
A hockey-playing Santa? Guess I can run with that. I offer up my hand and we bump fists.
“Ready to take a turn?” Both Scott and I jump when a sexy masculine voice asks the question. Joey’s standing right in front of us sporting a flirty smirk.
“Where did you come from?” I squeak. “And where’s Katie?”
Joey points to the other side of the rink where Katie’s sitting on a bench next to another girl her size. They’re giggling and having an animated conversation. “She saw her friend and wanted to talk to her.”
Dun dah dun dun! Time to come clean and admit I can’t skate.
“Um, well...How about I pass? You and Scott can take another turn.”
Joey and his nephew exchange a look. Then Scott pipes up, “Show us what you’ve got Emma!”
Both males laugh making my cheeks heat. Joey wiggles his fingers. “Get those skates on. There’s only ten more minutes of open ice time remaining.”
That makes me feel marginally better. By the time I get my skates on there will only be nine minutes of Emma humiliation time. Grabbing my skates, I stick my feet in and lace them up. Even though I haven’t worn these for years, they still fit.
Slowly getting to my feet, the skates almost slip out from under me, but Joey grabs my arm and steadies me. “Please don’t let go!”
He grins, puts his arm around my waist, and with one powerful push from him, we start skating. At first my legs are wobbly, but Joey holds me tight, and I gain confidence that he’s not going to let me fall.
“Just relax, I’ve got you,” he whispers in my ear, his breath caressing my neck, giving me goosebumps.
Those ice-skating lessons I took years ago kick-in, and I remember how to move my legs. After I push, my extended leg straightens and glides forward while the other foot remains on the ice for balance. I repeat the process using the other leg as the push-off leg. The sensation of gliding is exhilarating, especially with Joey hanging onto me so tightly. I feel the warmth of his big, solid body next to mine and I start to relax.
He smiles down at me, “You’re doing great Emma!”
“You’re doing all the work.”
I feel him chuckle then we begin to pick up speed. As we approach the end of the rink, I begin to panic. Glancing at my feet, the ice is whizzing by, and I realize that we’re travelling at a high rate of speed.
“Gah! How do we turn?” I shriek. Squeezing my eyes shut, I brace for impact, then feel us turn on a dime, barely missing the wall.
Joey holds me closer, “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
“You almost gave me a heart attack!” I grumble.
“I wanted you to feel the speed, but also the exhilarating rush of a quick turn.”
“Mission accomplished. But can we slow down a little?”
The ice quits whizzing beneath my skates as Joey sets a more leisurely pace. “This is nice,” I say, relaxing against him. What seems like only a few minutes later someone blows a whistle.
“Get off the ice in five minutes!” A burly man bellows the announcement from the sidelines, informing us in a rude tone that open skate time is over.
My heart sinks, wishing we could skate longer. Considering I was dreading this, I’ve sure changed my tune.
Joey propels us to the bench where I was sitting with Katie. We wave at Scott and Katie who are both sitting on the other side of the rink with Katie’s friend. We motion for them to join us. When I plop down, my breathing is accelerated and there’s sweat on my forehead, and I’m as winded as if I did all the work myself.
I start to remove my skates, but Joey stills my hand. He leans towards me and my eyes grow big as saucers as I realize he’s going to kiss me. When his lips connect with mine, I automatically twine my arms around his neck, moving as close to him as possible. We’re kissing like two teenagers and it’s as hot as the first time we kissed. A blaze leaps to life between us, proving that this chemistry and attraction between us is real. What I had assumed was disdain between us has morphed into passion. That fine line between love and hate has been crossed and there’s no going back.
“Yuck! Girl germs,” Scott announces as he and Katie approach the bench where Joey and I are still making out. Embarrassment rolls through me. I quickly yank out of our kiss, but Joey ignores his nephew’s pointed comment. I focus on removing my skates, keeping eye contact with the kids to a minimum.
“Are you getting married?” Katie asks when the four of us are walking out of the arena.
I raise my eyebrows, waiting for Joey’s answer.
“Not until we build that gingerbread house together. Let’s see how that goes,” he says with a wink.