Chapter 12 #2
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” Tripp said gently, bending down to Mari and looking her right in the eyes.
Jillian noticed that Mari’s shoulders relaxed right away. Tripp’s easy confidence and calm tone had that effect on people. It was nice.
“Do you want to tell me what about it feels scary?” Tripp asked.
“I don’t want to fall,” Mari whispered after a moment.
Jillian’s heart gave a tug. Posey had always been very agile, but Mari was a little more awkward, and a recent growth spurt hadn’t made things any easier for her.
“That’s a really good reason to be scared,” Tripp told her.
“And most people do fall down at least once or twice their first time ice skating. I sure did. But if you don’t want to fall, and you decide you do want to give skating a try, you could hold onto the rail with one hand and me with the other.
That way you couldn’t fall even if you tried. ”
“Really?” Mari asked, perking up a little.
“Definitely,” Tripp told her. “I’d be honored to be your first skate partner. But only when you’re ready.”
Mari didn’t respond, and Jillian waited for Tripp to fill the silence.
But he stayed silent as Mari considered her options.
“Okay,” Mari said at last. “I’ll try.”
Pride filled Jillian’s chest.
“Today?” Tripp asked, looking really pleased. “Right now?”
“Yes,” Mari said, laughing. “Right now.”
“Awesome,” Tripp crowed, throwing his head back.
Both girls laughed.
And Jillian felt her cheeks heat as her crush on Tripp Lawrence came roaring back so hard it almost made her breathless.
The next few minutes were a funny mix of laughter and encouragement.
Tripp had Mari under his wing, and was easing her along the outside of the rink, not saying a word about her stiff, fearful movements, but instead telling her what a great job she was doing.
That left Jillian to work with Posey, who was nothing if not confident. No sooner did they reach the ice than Posey was eagerly learning the basics of skating forward, and trying her best, though she clung to her mother’s hand.
The air was fresh and cold, and there were only a few other families on the ice, which gave them plenty of room to go slowly and make mistakes.
An hour slipped by before Jillian even thought about the time.
“Ho there,” a familiar voice called out from the park.
“Grampy,” she said, turning to find both of her grandparents standing just outside the rink.
“I’m skating,” Posey gleefully informed them.
“What a wonderful job you’re doing,” Gram told her encouragingly. “We were going to go get some hot cocoa and we wondered if you and your sister might want to come with us. Then we can sit on the bench and watch your mom skate.”
Posey frowned thoughtfully, but they had been on the ice for a while now, and ultimately her desire for a second hot cocoa in one day won out over her desire to keep skating.
Jillian was honestly impressed the little ones were still on their feet. They’d both had a big day.
Mari was happy to finish up her first skating lesson and go off with her sister. They let their great-grandparents help them return their skates while Jillian took a quick spin around the ice.
It had been forever, but it was funny how fast it came back to her. She spread her arms and sped up until she felt weightless.
“Wow,” Tripp said, sliding up beside her, and sending flurries of ice shimmering through the air by his skates. “I never knew you were a real skater.”
“Oh, I’m not,” she told him. “I just like it—especially going fast.”
“Same,” Tripp said. “I learned to have better technique when I started hockey, obviously. But before that I just liked to fool around on my skates. Want to go really fast?”
He was holding out his hand.
She glanced over at the girls, but they were already at the cocoa stand with Gram and Grampy.
Life is too short to worry about what everyone else thinks, a little voice in the back of her head whispered.
“Sure,” she said, a little surprised at herself.
When he wrapped his big hand around hers, she could feel his heat, comforting and protective even through their gloves. And another tiny piece of the ice around her heart melted without her meaning for it to.
He started off, and the next thing she knew, they were flying around the rink. If she thought she’d been really speeding before, she had been very, very wrong.
“Look,” she heard Posey squeak from out in the park. “They’re going so fast.”
“Hold on tight,” Tripp murmured, speeding up until Jillian thought they might actually take flight.
Her hair lifted from her shoulders while the cold breeze cooled her cheeks, and Tripp’s warm hand held hers as the park and the little town became a blur.
When he finally slowed to a stop, she found herself laughing so hard that she could hardly stand.
“Are you okay?” Tripp asked, his hand tightening around hers.
Gasping for breath, she straightened up and wiped tears from her eyes with her free hand.
“Yes,” she said, panting. “Yes, sorry. That was… really, really… fun.”
Tripp threw his head back and laughed, and the deep, joyful sound warmed Jillian’s chest more than any hot cocoa.
“Now what?” he asked, gazing at her with eyes as blue as a summer sky.
“I’m hungry,” she said without thinking.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Ravenous, actually,” she admitted.
“I know just the thing,” he told her. “Do any of you have allergies?”
“Nope,” she said. “We’re lucky that way.”
“And how do you feel about all-day breakfast?” he asked.
“I’m in favor of it,” she said, laughing.
“Then we should go to Bean Counters,” he told her. “It’s the best breakfast in town. And it’s right across the street, so we’ll be eating before you know it.”
“Oh, the new place on the corner,” Jillian said. “I’ve been wanting to try it.”
“Now’s your chance,” Tripp said.
They headed off the ice, traded their skates for shoes, and walked over to the bench where the girls were chatting with their great-grandparents.
“Who’s hungry?” Tripp asked.
His voice was so deep and loud that Jillian was pretty sure the people across the park could hear him. But his energy was so positive that she was sure no one could mind.
“Me,” Posey chimed.
“Me too,” Mari added.
“How about you, Coach and Mrs. Johnson?” Tripp asked politely. “Can I convince you to join us?”
“No, no,” Grampy said. “We’re supposed to be meeting Doc Robertson for lunch in a few minutes.”
“But thank you for asking,” Gram added. “It’s nice to see the four of you out enjoying the day.”
Jillian felt her cheeks heating, but she smiled, knowing she had nothing to be ashamed of. She was a grown woman, and it was okay to spend time with the man she was getting to know again.
“Off you go,” Gram said, winking at her. “You’ve got two hungry little girls here.”
“Do you want breakfast for lunch?” Tripp asked the girls.
Predictably, they were very excited. Posey grabbed his hand and started listing off breakfast foods as they headed for the corner.
But Mari hung back with Jillian.
“Are you feeling okay about all this?” Jillian asked her quietly.
Marigold had always been more thoughtful and sensitive than her sister. It occurred to Jillian that she might not like seeing her mother laughing and holding hands with someone who wasn’t her father.
“This is a nice day,” Mari said. “But I’m tired.”
“Worn out from being out in the cold all day?” Jillian asked.
“Yes,” Mari agreed.
“Is it okay to go have lunch with Tripp?” Jillian asked her. “Or would you rather go home for grilled cheese and tomato soup?”
“Lunch with Tripp,” Mari said, perking up enough to look at her mother like she couldn’t believe she could ask such a question.
“Okay,” Jillian said. “I was just checking.”
They reached the diner and the hostess escorted them to a nice booth by the window. Posey stayed with Tripp, and Jillian slid into the bench across from them with Mari beside her.
Both girls were visibly sleepy, but clearly happy. Mari leaned against Jillian’s shoulder, one hand finding a lock of Jillian’s hair and playing with it like she had when she was very small.
Across the table, Posey studied the pictures on the menu, stifling a yawn.
“This was so much fun,” Jillian told Tripp. “I’m so glad you invited us.”
“Me too,” he said, his eyes so serious.
“What can I bring you folks?” the waitress asked brightly as she hurried up to the table.
The girls perked up, and everyone got excited about all the choices and the specials. After a lengthy discussion that put the waitress’s patience on full display, she headed off with their long list of orders.
“I think our eyes might be bigger than our stomachs,” Jillian said, shaking her head. “There’s no way we could eat all that.”
“We’re going to prove you wrong, aren’t we, girls?” Tripp teased.
They talked quietly while the girls played another guessing game, and before long two waitresses were back with trays covered in pancakes, sausage links, eggs both scrambled and fried, toast, biscuits, bowls of cut fruit, little dishes of butter and jam, and even a warm pitcher of maple syrup from Hayes Farm.
They ate and talked and enjoyed themselves, and much to her surprise, Tripp and the girls did prove Jillian wrong.
“We destroyed that,” Tripp said in a pleased way, leaning back to pat his stomach as he surveyed the carnage.
There was hardly a morsel left on the table. Even Jillian, who normally tried to watch her figure, had eaten so much that she was surprised at herself.
“There’s nothing like breakfast for lunch,” she said happily.
“We should go home now,” Mari said. “I’m sleepy.”
“No,” Posey said. “What about the toy store.”
“How about we try the toy store one day next week?” Jillian offered. “We’ll go home now and read a little Pippi Longstocking.”
That seemed to satisfy both girls.
“Is it okay if I walk you to your car?” Tripp asked.
“That would be very nice,” Jillian told him.
“Give me one second,” he told her, hopping up.
It wasn’t until he came back to the table, tucking his wallet into his pocket, that she realized he had just paid for their meal.
“Oh, Tripp,” she said, feeling terrible. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he told her, something so sincere about the look in his eyes that it made her pause for a moment.
Back outside, they all walked slowly down Maple Street to her car.
The girls were both silent, which was a sure sign they were really worn out.
The light flurries from earlier were falling faster now, and the afternoon light was receding, making the bright holiday lights on the stores and the pavilion in the park twinkle and glow with a sweet intensity.
Jillian felt like a figure in a snow globe, or maybe the heroine of one of those Christmas movies she and her mom used to watch together every December.
Glancing over at Tripp, she couldn’t help but wonder whether this spark between them might grow into something real and good.
When they reached the car, the girls scrambled in without a word.
“I think we did a good job tiring them out,” she said, smiling fondly.
“This was the most fun I’ve had in a really long time,” Tripp told her.
She turned to him, tilting her chin so she could look into his eyes.
His expression was so serious, and she knew why.
This whole day had been like a test run for her, to see how it felt to spend time together and decide if she wanted to spend even more, and he knew that.
And to his credit, she hadn’t felt pressured for even a single second.
“Jillian,” he said. “I want you to know that this is really special to me, and I’m in no rush for an answer from you.”
“Yes,” she said quickly before she could change her mind. “My answer is yes.”
“Yes?” he asked, his eyes lighting up.
“Yes,” she said softly, feeling her cheeks heat, but not breaking his cerulean gaze. “I want us to give this a real shot.”
He moved closer, and she thought maybe he would kiss her.
She thought she might like for him to kiss her.
Instead, he took both her hands in his.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice gruff. “I’ll text you tonight.”
He squeezed her hands before letting go, and she felt tingles of something that just felt right to her.
Tripp waited while she checked Posey’s straps and got into the car herself.
As she pulled out of her parking spot, she could see Tripp in the rearview mirror, the shape of him so solid and strong against the pale whites and grays of the snowy little town she once again called home.