Chapter Twelve The Rink
Caleb
The town rink sat in the middle of the park with wooden benches available for changing into skates or watching a pick up hockey game.
Maple Ridge had an ice rink, but it wasn’t the same as being outdoors on the much smaller pad of ice.
I arrived early, the way I always did when sound was involved, because there were too many ways for things to go wrong if you rushed the beginning.
The speakers went up without any issues, which felt like a small miracle.
I tested the playlist once, then again, adjusting the volume until it carried across the ice without echoing off the trees.
The microphone crackled, then after a few adjustments was clear.
I exhaled slowly and made sure I had enough battery on my phone so I could use it for the play list I had put together with the Bennet’s approval.
Kitty arrived, boots crunching over the packed snow, clipboard tucked under her arm.
She paused at the edge of the rink and scanned the space the way someone did when they were mentally placing people before they arrived.
She spotted me and lifted a hand in greeting, relief flickering across her face before she smoothed it away.
I had the strange thought that she was practicing not letting herself lean too hard on anyone.
I wondered why she was trying so hard to be independent when it was obvious she had a family that loved her so much and wanted to help her.
“Everything okay?” she asked when she reached me.
“So far,” I said. “Which is the best possible answer.”
She smiled, quick and grateful, then checked something off on her clipboard. “We have volunteers for check-in, skate helpers, and hot drinks. Lucy’s handling safety signs. Lydia has her announcements written and says there is a lot of interest in the event.”
“Do you have the judges and prizes?” I wondered. “I could donate something from the shop.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she said in surprise.
“How about three free music lessons?” I suggested.
“That would be great. I’ll write that down,” Kitty scribbled something on her paperwork. “We are also giving away a free night at the SnowDrop Inn, and I got a gift certificate for the local flower shop.”
“Nice. Are those all for the skate ? What about the snowsculpting?” I questioned.
“We have some other businesses who were kind enough to give some prizes so we are actually in good shape,” Kitty revealed. “As for judges, that was a little more difficult but it’s taken care of.”
Lydia arrived next, wearing a sweater so aggressively festive it looked like she had sewn over a hundred ornaments to it.
She carried a cardboard box. “Okay, Ephram has the other boxes and we are going to decorate. We grabbed anything not already used at the inn, plus the community center. It’s going to look so good! ”
Ephram followed along, holding three boxes. He peeked around them. “Where do you want these?”
“Here is great. I’ll help,” Kitty said, grabbing the teetering staple gun on top of Lydia’s box. The next half hour saw us all decorating while Jane and Lucy set up for the hot drinks and water.
More people filtered in as the sun dipped lower.
Families, couples, and kids dragging skates behind them, each wearing holiday sweaters, onesies, and some Santa hats.
The rink filled faster than I expected, which I could see Kitty clocking immediately.
She adjusted without comment, redirecting volunteers, moving the check-in table farther back, opening a second line.
I watched her from the edge of the ice as she worked, aware of how different this felt from the first time I had seen her with a clipboard in her hands. Then, she had looked like she was bracing for impact. Now, she looked like she was comfortably in charge.
Grabbing my skates, I walked over to her. “Kitty, it’s time to put the clipboard down.”
“What?” she looked up at me in surprise.
“You brought your skates and everything is going great. Now is your chance to take a small break,” I offered.
For a moment she looked conflicted, then she smiled. “It really is under control, isn’t it?”
“It is. Now lace up and enjoy the moment for a little while,” I advised.
We both sat on one of the benches, put on our skates, and joined the crowd on the ice.
A new song started. I reached out, taking Kitty by the hand, skating along with her. It felt like the most natural thing in the world and I realized this is what I loved about Maple Ridge. The small town sense of community.
People laughed and chatted together. We watched Ephram and Lydia skate past us. Mr. Humphrey swung by me with alarming speed, waving cheerfully at no one in particular.
As we made the turn at the end of the rink, we could see people working on snow sculptures and snowmen. A bunch of kids were having a snowball fight on the side.
“They look like they are having fun,” Kitty commented.
Her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks flushed from the cold. I smiled. “They are. So am I.”
“I’m glad that we are doing this, organizing the Winter Carnival. At first, it was really daunting, but it’s been good the past couple of days, planning things together,” Kitty shrugged, glancing at me. “Spending time with you.”
“Does that mean you might like me after all?” I teased, just a little, even while I was precariously aware that her answer mattered to me.
“I might. I suppose we should spend more time together to find out,” Kitty pertly answered.
“Maybe we should,” I agreed. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I meant to ignore it but suddenly the music stopped, interrupted by the incoming call. The sudden silence rippled through the rink as skates scraped uncertainly, wondering what was going on. A few kids slowed to a stop.
I fished my phone out of my pocket and quickly declined the call. I set it to block any incoming calls and resumed the playlist. “Sorry about that.”
Music returned on the speakers, greeted by scattered applause.
I stared at the screen. It was a phone number I had never expected to see again.
“Is everything okay?” Kitty asked me.
I shoved my phone in my pocket and gave her a tight smile. “It’s fine.”
Kitty paused as though she wasn’t certain she should press me when Lydia skated up to us.
“It’s time for the kids’ games,” Lydia announced. She grabbed Kitty by the hand, pulling her along.
Part of me was disappointed my moment with Kitty was over. Another part of me was relieved. I didn’t want to have to make up an excuse about the phone call that had just come through. I checked my phone again and saw that there was a voice message.
I should just delete it.
Instead, I put my phone in my pocket and skated over to the edge of the rink where my sister Eva was watching Abby with the other kids be coaxed through a game of Simon Says.
Eva leaned against the rail beside me. “She’s good with the kids.”
I knew exactly who she meant. “She is.”
“She doesn’t hover,” Eva continued. “She notices what each kid needs. They all seem to like her.”
I watched Kitty guide a small cluster of kids through skating around some orange safety cones, her hands moving with calm confidence, her voice carrying clearly even without a microphone as she asked each of them to skate.
Eva smiled and waved at Abby. “I’m enrolling Abby for skating lessons this year. I really hope Kitty thinks about becoming one of the instructors at the rink.”
“You can ask her again,” I mentioned.
“Maybe you could ask her. The two of you seemed pretty cozy a moment ago,” Eva remarked.
I decided to ignore my sister.
“I like her. Abby likes her. It’s about time you started dating again,” Eva gently pushed.
“I’ll think about it,” I muttered.
Eva tapped me non too gently on the arm. “Does she know who you are?”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t want someone to date the Caleb Green I used to be. I want her to date me for who I am now.”
“That’s exactly what I meant. Does she know who you used to be?
Because I don’t see her fawning over you or asking for your autograph.
Kitty is treating you like any other person except that she held your hand as you both skated around the rink.
She is into you , Caleb Green, citizen of Maple Ridge, music shop owner, and fantastic uncle to Abby.
Don’t let your hangups over your groupies prevent you from a good thing,” Eva insisted.
I sighed. “You know you’re a real pain.”
“You’ve said that so many times over the years, it’s lost all meaning,” Eva tartly told me.
I watched Kitty gracefully leading a line of kids, all holding hands, in a weaving pattern over the ice.
She didn’t seem to care about who I used to be. Maybe Eva was right. Maybe Kitty just saw me as a person, who I really was.
“I might like her,” I softly admitted.
“What was that? You what?” Eva held a hand up to her ear.
“Are you hard of hearing? I said I might like her,” I repeated a little louder, even though I knew Eva had heard me perfectly well.
“I know you do,” Eva dryly stated. “You’re just too easy to tease.”
Anything I might have said in return was lost as Abby skated over, cheeks flushed, and eyes bright.
“Did you see?” she said, breathless. “I didn’t fall.”
“You did great,” I told her.
“Great? She was amazing!” Eva praised.
We watched as Lydia announced the winners of the ugly sweater contest. There were prizes for the kids, a few for the adults, and even Mr. Humphreys took home a gift certificate. He shook Kitty’s hand repeatedly until she finally extracted it with a smile.
She looked happy, like this was exactly where she belonged.
As people began drifting off the ice, volunteers collected cones and took down the decorations. I powered everything down carefully, coiling cables and stacking equipment while the rink emptied.
Kitty approached once the crowd thinned, her clipboard tucked under her arm, her hair escaping its clip.
“That went better than I expected.” She glowed, smiling from the experience of things going right.
“It went really well,” I corrected. “Everyone had a good time.”
She laughed softly. “I’m exhausted.”
“You did a great job,” I said.
She hesitated, then nodded. “We all did. We make a great team.”
The words lingered between us.
“We do,” I softly admitted, wishing for things I wasn’t certain I was ready for.